From spooky to ghoulishly friendly for the tiny pint-sizers, there are LOTS of ways to get your Halloween on in and around Charm City. Here are our picks for family-friendly Halloween fun — all treats, no tricks.
Family-Friendly Halloween Events in Baltimore
Coming up this weekend…
Happy, Healthy Halloween
The Y of Central Maryland will host Happy Healthy Halloween at Family Center Ys on Friday, October 24 and Saturday, October 25. The event will feature games, healthy snacks, costume contests and more! Dates, times and activities vary by location, so please contact your local Family Center for specific details. MORE INFO
Elephant Pumpkin Smash
On Friday, October 24 from 11:30 AM – 12 PM, the African elephants at The Maryland Zoo in will kick-off the ZooBOOO! presented by Susquehanna Bank weekend by taking part in the Annual Giant Pumpkin smash. Pumpkins are a special treat, available only at this time of year. The elephants love them and it’s always fun to watch them experience the pleasure of opening their own. Free with paid admission. MORE INFO
ZooBOOO!
It’s the most spooktacular time of the year at the Maryland Zoo! Get your costume ready and join The Maryland Zoo for FREE trick-or-treating, costume contests, fun carnival games, crafts, live entertainment, yummy food and more at ZooBOOO! It’s bound to be a frightfully fun & wild time. Parents and kids of all ages are encouraged to bring goodie bags and wear costumes! If you forget your costume, face painting will be available for a small additional cost. Some games may require additional fees. Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. Free with paid admission. MORE INFO
Fall Harvest Fun at the BMI Farmer’s Market
oin the Baltimore Museum of Industry for family-friendly, seasonal activities at the BMI Farmers’ Market! Bring a set of kid-size clothes, hat and a pair of pantyhose and make a scarecrow. Make seed and bean collages for holiday decorations, earn prizes from our “Needle in a Haystack” treasure hunt, decorate your own pumpkin, and more! Saturday from 9 AM – 1 PM. FREE! MORE INFO
Fall-O-Ween Family Festival
Port Discovery is hosting their annual Fall-o-ween Family Festival. Families are invited to come enjoy the festivities in costume. Some of the activities will include: Design a tutu in the Tutu Factory,creating spooky masks and ghost sound cups,musical performance by Indie rock kid’s band Here Comes Trouble,meet creepy crawly creatures with WildLife Adventures,make Cinnamon Bats with McCormick and lots more! Saturday from 10 AM – 5 PM. Free with paid admission. MORE INFO
Hallowmarine
Join the National Aquarium for its annual “Hallowmarine” celebration featuring Halloween-themed crafts, creepy-crawly animal encounters, a costume parade, and more! Guests are invited to dress up in costume and can also enjoy a lesson from National Aquarium experts about how to green your Halloween! As with years past, the National Aquarium divers will do underwater pumpkin carving at 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. on both days in the Atlantic Coral Reef exhibit. Guests can also enjoy Sea Monsters 4-D: A Prehistoric Adventure. Saturday and Sunday from 10 AM – 3 PM. Free with paid admission. MORE INFO
Spooky Science at the Maryland Science Center
Celebrate the chills and thrills of Halloween at the Maryland Science Center’s sixth annual Spooky Science, where creepy chemistry and mysterious science combine to provide a hauntingly good time. There will be hair-raising activities, creepy crafts, and fangtastic demonstrations. Guests can look forward to making gooey, glowing slime, decorating pumpkins and trick-or-treat bags, creating catapults for a punkin’ chunkin’ contest, exploring spooky sensory bins, and much more! Saturday from 12 PM – 4PM. MORE INFO
Harry Potter Halloween at Oregon Ridge Nature Center
Put on your wizard hat and cloak, you’ve been accepted into Wizarding School! Make Harry Potter themed crafts. Learn about the wizarding world, and meet a magical creature. Ages 5+. Saturday and Sunday from 1 PM – 3 PM. $5/child. MORE INFO
BaltimoreMommies 7th Annual Trunk or Treat
Trunk or Treat is a safe, scare-free way for little boys and ghouls to enjoy Halloween fun without ever crossing the street. Vehicles will be “dressed up” and volunteers will pass out treats to costumed children 12 and under. Kids can play games, collect goodies, and create a masterpiece at the art station. Bring your family and friends! This event is free and open to the public. Hosted at The Shops at Kenilworth from 3 PM – 5 PM on Saturday. Please bring a canned good for the Maryland Food Bank. MORE INFO
KALIEDOSCOPE: The Great Halloween Lantern Parade and Festival
KALEIDOSCOPE brings 15th Annual Great Halloween Lantern Parade in Full Color! The community that creates together is GREAT together! With fourteen years of lantern making and spectacle-creating under their belts, the diverse communities of Baltimore have created their most colorful EVER Great Halloween Lantern Parade – KALEIDOSCOPE! This year’s 15th Annual Parade is ALL NEW! Creative Alliance teachers have designed a new lantern and it’s FULL of brilliant hues. FREE! Patterson Park, Saturday from 3:30 PM – 8:00 PM. MORE INFO
Lantern Night: A Family-Friendly Halloween
Come see the Fire Museum of Maryland in a whole new light. Spend a family-friendly Halloween at the Fire Museum of Maryland. Lanterns are lit on the 40 antique fire engines for this unique Halloween Party. In the warm lantern light, re-enactors in period costumes tell their unique stories. Saturday from 6 PM – 8 PM. MORE INFO
Haunted Halloween Hike
Encounter witches, owls, snakes and others as you try to solve a Halloween mystery at Robert E. Lee Park. Bring your flashlight and treat bag to this somewhat scary event. Costumes are welcome! Ages 5-12. Saturday, 6:30 PM – 8:30 PM. (Rain date: Oct. 26th). MORE INFO
Rockstar Costume Contest at Hard Rock Cafe Baltimore
Hard Rock is rolling out the red carpet for its youngest rock stars to show off their best impressions! To launch the Hard Rock Roxtars™ program, Hard Rock Cafe Baltimore will host the “Does Your Child Look Like a Rock Star?” contest on Sunday, October 26, 2014. For one day, kids, in costume or not, will eat free if each is with an adult purchasing an entrée*. Guests can bring their favorite pint-sized rock star to the cafe dressed in their best costume for a chance to win a 2015 birthday party** for eight of the rock star’s closest band members and entourage. + The winner will also receive a Hard Rock Roxtars gift package, filled with items from the new kids line in the Rock Shop. Saturday from 11 AM – 1 PM. MORE INFO
Trick-or-Treat at the Square
Belvedere Square’s Third Annual Halloween Celebration offers Thrills, Chills, and Treats For a howling good time! Dress-up in your favorite costume and head to Belvedere Square on Sunday, October 26, from 12 to 4 p.m. Families can enjoy live music by Kelly Bell Band and visit stores to receive sweet treats from costumed merchants. The event is free and open to the public, rain or shine. MORE INFO
Coming up next week…
Toddler Time Halloween Celebration & Costume Parade with Choo Choo Blue
oin the B&O Railroad Museum for the year’s last Toddler Time, featuring a classic railroad story and Halloween celebration.Choo Choo Blue, the museum’s mascot will lead the costume parade of children around the Museum campus to collect special treats. Kiddie train ride too through the fictional town of Choo Choo Blueville! All included with paid admission. Recommended for children between the ages of 2-5. October 29th at 10:30 AM. MORE INFO
AVAM’s Free Fall Halloween Celebration!
It’s AVAM’s freaky Free Fall Halloween Celebration! Free “Lumin-Eeries” Lantern-Making Workshop in the Barn! Monsters and their Mummies are invited to create their own eerie luminary lantern, just BYO glass jar (any size with the label removed), all others materials like glue, paper, googly eyes & bling are provided; family workshop for all ages. From 4 – 7 PM, enjoy Free Museum Admission—explore our latest mega-exhibition, The Visionary Experience: Saint Francis to Finster (opens Oct. 4). Stick around for a FREE screening of the classic comedy GHOSTBUSTERS (1984) at 7 PM, celebrating it’s 30th anniversary! Bring a blanket and get cozy on Federal Hill, as our critically acclaimed outdoor movie series, Flicks From The Hill, makes a special, one night only October appearance! Ghostbusting costumes highly encouraged! Thursday, October 30th from 4 PM – 7 PM. MORE INFO
Hampden Halloweenfest
Trick-or-Treat with the Hampden Merchants on Friday, October 31st! Stroll down Falls Road along 36th Street and down Chestnut Ave. Participating merchants will be outside their businesses with candy and treats. Sponsored by the Hampden Village Merchants Association. Costume Contest starts at 6:30pm in front of Ma Petite Shoe, 832 West 36th Street. Sponsored by the Kiwanis Club of Hampden-Midtown and the Circle K Club of Johns Hopkins University. MORE INFO
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