Halloween in Loudoun — Events, Trick-or-Treat Times and What to Know

— or read on —

Town by town

Trick-or-treating, town by town

Loudoun County doesn't set trick-or-treat hours, and most towns don't either. So here's what each town has said, and where they've said nothing, our call. Halloween is a Saturday, sunset is about 6:10pm, and it's properly dark by 6:40. The clocks go back the next morning, so everyone gets an extra hour of sleep.

The short version: most of Loudoun trick-or-treats from about 5:30 to 8:30pm. Little ones, go at 5:30 while it's still light. Big kids, the best porches are lit by 6:45.

Town	What to know before you go
Leesburg	Downtown trick-or-treating is Sun 25 Oct, 2–4pm, in Historic Downtown Leesburg. The Kiwanis Halloween Parade is Wed 28 Oct at 6:30pm on King Street.
Purcellville	Our call: 6 to 9pm. The town's traditional guidance is dusk until 9pm. Main Street and the neighborhoods off it are where the porch lights are.
Lovettsville	Go by porch lights. The town says it typically runs about 6 to 8:30pm. Warm up a week early at Halloween in Lovettsville Community Park, Sat 24 Oct, 5:30–8:30pm, free.
Middleburg	Hot Dog! It's Halloween! is Sat 31 Oct from 5pm at the Middleburg Community Center, 300 W Washington Street, Middleburg, VA 20117. Free, RSVP required. It's traditionally a costume parade through downtown, a hot dog dinner and trick-or-treating at the shops, wrapped by about 7pm. Do that, then hit the neighborhoods.
Hamilton	Our call: 5:30 to 8:30pm.
Round Hill	Our call: 5:30 to 8:30pm, by porch lights. Want something organized too? Halloween in Lovettsville Community Park is close by, Sat 24 Oct, 5:30–8:30pm.
Hillsboro	Our call: start with Boo in the Gap, which is on the town calendar for Halloween. Houses here sit along busy Route 9, so bring a flashlight and stick to the sidewalks.

Updated 5 Oct 2026. 'Our call' is our recommendation where a town hasn't published hours.

The shortlist

If you only do three things

One Loudoun county tradition, one proper autumn day out and one easy plan to keep in reserve.

70th Leesburg Kiwanis Halloween Parade

King Street between Battlefield Parkway and Catoctin Circle, Leesburg, VA 20176 · Wed 28 Oct · 6:30pm

FreeAll ages

If you do one thing this year, do this. Seventieth year, free, rain or shine, and the whole county turns out for it. Just do not stand where you stood last year — the route is shorter now.

What to know before you go

The route changed this year. It now ends before Safeway because of construction, so the spot that worked last year will not. King Street closes around 5:45pm. Park in the town garages or on side streets off the route — Ida Lee fills with participants. Rain or shine.

See full event

Great Country Farms Fall Harvest

Great Country Farms, 34355 Snickersville Turnpike, Bluemont, VA 20135 · Daily to Sat 31 Oct · 9am–5pm

$12–18All ages

The most to do per dollar of any farm here, and the only one where a rained-off hour is still a good hour. The catch is the clock, not the crowd — the last wagon goes at 4pm, so a lazy start costs you the field.

What to know before you go

The last pumpkin wagon leaves at 4pm, so arriving after three means no field. Pumpkins are not in the admission price — they are sold by weight at $0.69/lb. Advance online tickets are $2–4 cheaper than the gate.

See full event

Hanson Halloween Hunt

Hal & Berni Hanson Regional Park, 22831 Hanson Park Drive, Aldie, VA 20105 · 3 Oct – 4 Nov · Mon–Sat, 7am–7pm

FreeAll ages

The easiest yes in this guide. No booking, no fee, no start time, and it runs for a month. If one thing falls through this October, this is what replaces it — just not on a Sunday.

What to know before you go

Closed Sundays — the one detail that catches people out. Pick up the hunt sheet at the Nature Center, open Mon–Sat 10am–4pm.

See full event

Start here

Find the Halloween that fits.

Answer as many as you like. The events further down narrow to match as you choose, and we put our pick for you first.

Who is going?

What is the vibe?

How spooky?

How much effort?

37 things to do

Area

The picks

Halloween events across Loudoun.

Runs all season

All October

Great Country Farms Fall Harvest

Great Country Farms, 34355 Snickersville Turnpike, Bluemont, VA 20135 · Daily to Sat 31 Oct · 9am–5pm

$12–18GentleAll agesHalf dayToddlersWalkable

Pumpkin wagon, corn maze, 15-acre play area, farm animals, mini golf. Bakery and cider barn on site.

What to know before you go

See full event

Temple Hall Farm Pumpkin Patch

Temple Hall Farm Regional Park, 15855 Limestone School Road, Leesburg, VA 20176 · 26 Sep – 3 Nov · daily 9am–5pm, last tickets 4pm

$15 weekends, $12 weekdaysGentleAll agesHalf dayToddlers

Wagon rides, pumpkin blast zone, inflatables, farm animals and sunflower fields. Weekend food truck and Barnhouse Brewery.

What to know before you go

Your ticket already includes a pumpkin and a flower bouquet — most people do not realize and pay twice. Weekdays are $3 cheaper. Wear sturdy shoes or boots you don't mind getting muddy.

See full event

Pumpkin Village Fall Fest

Leesburg Animal Park, 19246 James Monroe Highway, Leesburg, VA 20175 · To Sun 8 Nov · closed Tuesdays

Check before you go703-433-0002

$19.95 weekdays, $14.95 Wednesdays, $24.95 prime weekendsGentleUnder 10Half dayToddlers

Slides, animals and rides at the animal park. Best for younger children.

What to know before you go

Slides, a zip line and animals, so it's the toddler-to-eight sweet spot. Go on a Wednesday: it's $14.95, ten dollars less than a prime weekend. Closed Tuesdays, and weekend tickets are online only, so don't drive out hoping to pay at the gate.

See full event

Wegmeyer Farms U-Pick Pumpkin Patch

Wegmeyer Farms, 38299 Hughesville Road, Hamilton, VA 20158 · Thu–Sun, plus Mon 12 Oct · 10am–6pm

Check before you go540-751-1782

Reservation required; your ticket covers the first $30 of pumpkinsGentleAll ages2 hoursToddlers

Pick-your-own with clippers and a wheelbarrow. No festival attached, no admission gate — the field is the whole thing.

What to know before you go

Entry is by timed ticket only — turning up without one does not work.

See full event

Crooked Run Orchard

Crooked Run Orchard, 37883 E Main Street, Purcellville, VA 20132

Check before you go540-338-6642

GentleAll ages1–2 hours

Apple picking plus pumpkins and gourds for sale.

What to know before you go

The anti-festival. You walk across a creek to pick apples and nobody sells you a wristband. Hours shift with the harvest, so call 540-338-6642 before you go.

See full event

Insect Scavenger Hunt

Claude Moore Park, 21544 Old Vestal's Gap Road, Sterling, VA 20164 · Thu 1 Oct – Mon 30 Nov · daily 7am–8pm

FreeGentleAll ages1 hourToddlersWalkable

Self-guided hunt around the park. No booking, no start time, go whenever.

What to know before you go

One of three self-guided hunts running for weeks. These are the answer to a wet Tuesday or a cancelled plan — no registration, no fee, and they are still there next weekend.

See full event

Hanson Halloween Hunt

Hal & Berni Hanson Regional Park, 22831 Hanson Park Drive, Aldie, VA 20105 · 3 Oct – 4 Nov · Mon–Sat, 7am–7pm

FreeGentleAll ages1 hourToddlersWalkable

Self-guided Halloween hunt through the park.

What to know before you go

Closed Sundays — the one detail that catches people out. Pick up the hunt sheet at the Nature Center, open Mon–Sat 10am–4pm.

See full event

The Great Pumpkin Scavenger Hunt

Loudoun Valley Community Center, 320 W School Street, Purcellville, VA 20132 · Mon 19 Oct · 10am–7pm

FreeGentleAll ages1 hourToddlers

Self-guided hunt at the community center.

What to know before you go

One day only, whatever you may have read. Free and self-guided, so it slots neatly between school pickup and dinner.

See full event

Building up

Mid October

Spook & Swim

Claude Moore Recreation & Community Center, 46105 Loudoun Park Lane, Sterling, VA 20164 · Sat 10 Oct · 9–10:30am

$7GentleAll ages2 hoursIndoors

Halloween swim session. Registration required through Loudoun County Parks & Rec.

What to know before you go

Floating pumpkins, ghosts to dive for, and the best rainy-day plan of the long weekend. You can't just turn up: register ahead with course code 173780-01.

See full event

Pumpkin Patch Fairy Homes

Franklin Park, 17501 Franklin Park Drive, Purcellville, VA 20132 · Fri 16 Oct · 5–6pm

$10Gentle3+1–2 hoursToddlersIndoors

Build fairy houses from pumpkins and natural materials.

What to know before you go

A pumpkin, some moss and twigs, and an hour later your child has a fairy house and a full backstory for whoever lives in it. County craft sessions fill up, so register early.

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Halloween in the Reeks (Banshee Reeks)

Banshee Reeks Nature Preserve, 21085 The Woods Road, Leesburg, VA 20175 · Sat 17 Oct · 7–9:30pm

Free, registration requiredMild scareAges 10+2 hoursWalkable

"Spirits, scares and magical beasts" along the nature preserve trail. Under-16s need an adult.

What to know before you go

Not to be confused with the Family Spooky Hike & Campfire at the same preserve on 29 October — that one is gentle and for ages 5+. Same place, two very different evenings.

See full event

Not-So-Scary Spider Oobleck

Hal & Berni Hanson Regional Park, 22831 Hanson Park Drive, Aldie, VA 20105 · Sat 17 Oct · 10:30–11:30am

$8Gentle4–121 hourToddlersIndoors

Messy science session. The name is the age guidance.

What to know before you go

Oobleck is cornstarch and water that turns solid when you punch it and runs like liquid when you don't. It is exactly as messy as that sounds, so dress for it. Done by 11:30, with the whole afternoon still yours.

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Truck-or-Treat

Loudoun Heritage Farm Museum, 21668 Heritage Farm Lane, Sterling, VA 20164 · Sat 17 Oct · 2–6pm

$5 a person, $4 each for groups of 4+, under 2 free · everyone registers at HeritageFarmMuseum.orgMild scareSee registration2 hoursCandy

Trucks, tractors and wagons to climb on, plus a maze, games and a haunted house element.

What to know before you go

Mixed content — the trucks are gentle, the haunted house element is not. Ask at registration which parts your child can skip.

See full event

Pumpkin Palooza

Ashburn Recreation & Community Center, 21105 Coopers Hawk Drive, Ashburn, VA 20148 · Sat 17 Oct · 4–7pm

$5, under 2 freeGentle3–122 hoursToddlersCandyIndoors

Trunk-or-treat, games, crafts and pumpkin picking, indoors and out.

What to know before you go

A trunk-or-treat, games, crafts and pumpkin picking for about the price of a coffee. It runs indoors and out, so a passing shower won't sink it.

See full event

Monster Mash

Loudoun Valley Community Center, 320 W School Street, Purcellville, VA 20132 · Thu 22 Oct · 6:30–8pm

$20GentleAll ages90 minToddlersIndoors

Dancing, pumpkin decorating, crafts and a moon bounce.

What to know before you go

There are two Monster Mashes in Loudoun this month. This is the county one in Purcellville, and it costs $20. The other is free at Village at Leesburg. Do not book the wrong one.

See full event

Monster Mash Bowling & Putt Putt

Douglass Community Center, 405 E Market Street, Leesburg, VA 20176 · Fri 23 Oct · 5–8pm

$12Gentle5+2 hoursIndoors

Spooky bowling and mini golf indoors.

What to know before you go

Indoors, which makes it the one to hold in reserve if the forecast turns.

See full event

Salamander Family Friendly Haunted Trail

Salamander Middleburg, 500 N Pendleton Street, Middleburg, VA 20117 · Sat 24–Sun 25 Oct · 6:30–9pm (last entry 8:30)

Check before you go

$20 a guest, reservations requiredGentle4–120.6 milesWalkable

Half-mile trail at the resort. Despite the name, it is explicitly aimed at children under 12.

What to know before you go

"Haunted Trail" oversells it — this is a gentle walk, which is exactly why it suits the children who cannot do the real thing.

See full event

The big week

Late October

No school: LCPS students are off Thu 29 and Fri 30 Oct, so the Friday events are fair game for the whole family.

Great Pumpkin Fun Run

Hal & Berni Hanson Regional Park, 22831 Hanson Park Drive, Aldie, VA 20105 · Sat 24 Oct · 4–5pm

$25 adult, $15 youth · registerGentleAll ages1 hourWalkable

A multi-terrain 3K in costume.

What to know before you go

Registration is required and closes weeks before the race, so check the organizer’s page for any late spots.

See full event

Trunk-or-Treat

Lovettsville Community Center, 57 E Broad Way, Lovettsville, VA 20180 · Sat 24 Oct · 5–7pm

FreeGentleAll ages1 hourCandyWalkableToddlers

Cars decorated and handing out candy. Rain or shine.

What to know before you go

Only the people giving out candy need to register. Families just turn up.

See full event

Howl-o-ween at Lovettsville Community Park

Lovettsville Community Park, 39550 Lovettsville Park Drive, Lovettsville, VA 20180 · Sat 24 Oct · 12–1pm

FreeGentle

A Halloween party for dogs and the families who bring them. Costumes encouraged, for both.

What to know before you go

Bring the dog in costume, stay for everyone else's dog in costume. It's only an hour, so stack it: come back to the same park for Halloween in the Park at 5:30.

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Halloween in the Park, Lovettsville

Lovettsville Community Park, 39550 Lovettsville Park Drive, Lovettsville, VA 20180 · Sat 24 Oct · 5:30–8:30pm

FreeGentleAll ages1 hourToddlersWalkable

An evening Halloween event in the park, a few hours after the dog party. Easy to do both in one trip.

What to know before you go

A full small-town Halloween, a week early. Go at 5:30 with little ones while there's still light, because it's dark by about 6:45.

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Philomont Halloween Hayride

Philomont Community Center, 36592 Philomont Road, Philomont, VA 20131 · Sat 24 Oct · 6:30–9pm

$8, under 2 freeGentleAll ages90 minToddlersCandy

Trick-or-treating by wagon, with light refreshments.

What to know before you go

Trick-or-treating by hay wagon, so the kids collect the candy and nobody's legs give out. Bring a blanket; it's a cold ride by eight.

See full event

Pumpkin Swim

Dulles South Recreation & Community Center, 24950 Riding Center Drive, South Riding, VA 20152 · Sat 24 Oct · 9am or 10am session

$9Gentle3+2 hoursIndoors

Pumpkins in the pool. Indoors.

What to know before you go

Pumpkins floating in the pool, and a chance to burn off energy before a big Halloween week. You pick the 9 or 10am session when you register.

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Downtown Leesburg Trick-or-Treat

Historic Downtown Leesburg, centered at 25 W Market Street, Leesburg, VA 20176 · Sun 25 Oct · 2–4pm

FreeGentleAll ages2 hoursWalkableCandyToddlers

Shops across historic downtown hand out candy to kids in costume, a full week before Halloween.

What to know before you go

A week early means the costume gets two outings, and a 2pm start fits neatly after nap time. Arrive close to 2 if you want the full candy selection. It's the day after One Loudoun's Bark Bash (Sat 24 Oct, 12–3pm), so a determined family can do both.

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8th Annual Halloween Bark Bash

One Loudoun, 20626 Easthampton Plaza, Ashburn, VA 20147 · Sat 24 Oct · 12–3pm

FreeGentleAll ages2 hoursToddlersWalkableCandy

Dog costume contest, a trick-or-treat trail through the One Loudoun shops, rescue charity booths and a photo booth.

What to know before you go

Runs on the plaza, so it is flat, paved and stroller-friendly — rare for a Loudoun Halloween event.

See full event

Monster Mash at Village at Leesburg

Village at Leesburg, 1602 Village Market Boulevard SE, Leesburg, VA 20175 · Sat 24 Oct · 1–5pm

Free entry (check activities)GentleAll ages2 hoursWalkableCandyToddlers

Pumpkin carving, trick-or-treating through the stores, cookie decorating, face painting and a costume contest.

What to know before you go

The free one. Not the county’s $20 Monster Mash in Purcellville.

See full event

70th Leesburg Kiwanis Halloween Parade

King Street between Battlefield Parkway and Catoctin Circle, Leesburg, VA 20176 · Wed 28 Oct · 6:30pm

FreeGentleAll ages2 hoursWalkableCandyToddlers

The 70th annual parade, rain or shine, down King Street between Battlefield Parkway and Catoctin Circle.

What to know before you go

See full event

Halloween Fun

Lovettsville Community Center, 57 E Broad Way, Lovettsville, VA 20180 · Wed 28 Oct · 11:30am–1pm

$15Gentle3–5LunchtimeToddlersIndoors

Crafts, games and lunch for preschoolers.

What to know before you go

A weekday Halloween for preschoolers who'll be asleep before the big night. Lunch is part of it, so that's one meal handled.

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Family Spooky Hike & Campfire

Banshee Reeks Nature Preserve, 21085 The Woods Road, Leesburg, VA 20175 · Thu 29 Oct · 5:30–7pm

$7GentleAges 5+2 hoursWalkable

An easy one-to-two mile dusk hike with stories about the preserve, ending at a campfire.

What to know before you go

Gentle and educational despite the name — this is the Banshee Reeks event for younger children, not the 17 October trail.

See full event

Halloween in the Park, Purcellville

Franklin Park, 17501 Franklin Park Drive, Purcellville, VA 20132 · Fri 30 Oct · 6–8pm

FreeGentleAll ages2 hoursToddlersCandy

A lit trail with treat stops, Halloween inflatables, a maze and a visit with Frankenstein. Costumes encouraged.

What to know before you go

The county's free Friday-night Halloween, out west at Franklin Park. Walk the lit trail for treats, then the inflatables and the maze. Do this Friday and trick-or-treat on Saturday: two Halloweens, zero dollars.

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Pumpkin Patch Preschool Fun

Douglass Community Center, 405 E Market Street, Leesburg, VA 20176 · Fri 30 Oct · 10–11am

$12Gentle3–51 hourToddlersIndoors

Decorating, sensory bins, crafts and story time.

What to know before you go

An hour of crafts, sensory bins and story time, finished by 11. Perfect for the under-fives who need a gentle warm-up before Saturday.

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Pumpkin Decorating

Hal & Berni Hanson Regional Park, 22831 Hanson Park Drive, Aldie, VA 20105 · Fri 30 Oct · 4–6pm

$5GentleAll ages1 hourToddlersIndoors

Decorate a pumpkin, no carving.

What to know before you go

No knives, no carving, no pumpkin guts on the kitchen floor. The cheapest way to get your pumpkin porch-ready for the next night.

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Sterling Fear Fest 2

Sterling Community Center, 120 Enterprise Street, Sterling, VA 20164 · Fri 30–Sat 31 Oct · 6–10pm

$5Genuinely scaryAges 11+1 hour

Billed by the county as spine-chilling, frightening and terrifying. A real haunted house.

What to know before you go

This is not a family event. Ages 11 and up, and the county's own listing calls it terrifying. Believe them.

See full event

Halloween itself

Saturday, October 31

Bluey & Bingo's Halloween Play Day

Bluemont Community Center, 33846 Snickersville Turnpike, Bluemont, VA 20135 · Sat 31 Oct · 9–11am

$5Gentle2+2 hoursToddlersIndoors

Games, crafts and character photo opportunities.

What to know before you go

The cheapest thing in the guide and the earliest on the day — a way to give small children a Halloween before the evening gets loud.

See full event

Spooktacular Party

Douglass Community Center, 405 E Market Street, Leesburg, VA 20176 · Sat 31 Oct · 2–4pm

$10Gentle1–52 hoursToddlersIndoors

Crafts, games, music, dancing and sensory play.

What to know before you go

Ends at four, which leaves the evening clear for trick-or-treating. Deliberately or not, it is the right shape for a Saturday Halloween.

See full event

Spooky Celebration

Sterling Community Center, 120 Enterprise Street, Sterling, VA 20164 · Fri 30 and Sat 31 Oct · 12–3pm

$3 a child, a parent must attendGentle2–102 hoursToddlersCandyIndoors

Candy, crafts, games and a costume party.

What to know before you go

Same building as Fear Fest, completely different event. Check which one you have booked.

See full event

Hot Dog! It's Halloween!

Middleburg Community Center, 300 W Washington Street, Middleburg, VA 20117 · Sat 31 Oct · 5pm

Free, RSVP requiredGentleAll ages2 hoursWalkableCandyToddlers

Trick-or-treating through town followed by a hot dog dinner at the community center.

What to know before you go

Middleburg's whole Halloween in one evening: a costume parade through downtown from 5, hot dogs at the community center and the shops handing out candy. It's free, but RSVP so they make enough hot dogs. It's usually done by about 7, while the neighborhoods are still lit.

See full event

Halloween day

Saturday, October 31, hour by hour

Halloween lands on a Saturday, so for once you get the whole day.

The trap is treating it like a normal Halloween and only starting at five. There are confirmed events running from nine in the morning, and the evening is longer than a school night allows.

9 – 11am
Something small, early, indoors
Bluey & Bingo’s Halloween Play Day at Bluemont is $5 and aimed at twos and up. It gives a small child a Halloween of their own before the day gets loud. If your children are older, this is the morning for the farm — it is Great Country Farms’ last day of the season.
Midday
Pick a side of the county and stay on it
Bluemont and Purcellville are far west; Leesburg, Ashburn and Sterling are east. Stacking a morning in one and an afternoon in the other is how the day falls apart. Check the drive before you book both. The county is wide enough that the driving, not the events, decides how the day goes.
2 – 4pm
The afternoon party
Spooktacular at Douglass Community Center in Leesburg is $10, built for one-to-fives, and finishes at four. That end time is what makes it work — it hands the evening back to you.
4 – 5:30pm
Home, fed, changed
Feed them before, not after. The one advantage of a Saturday is that nothing is compressed — use it.
Dusk – 8:30 or 9pm
Porch lights
No Loudoun town sets official hours except by convention. Lovettsville says so outright. Go when the lights come on and stop when they go off, and expect it to run later than a weeknight because nobody has school on Sunday.

By age

What we would do, by age

Three different Octobers.

Under five

Ignore almost everything with the word haunted in it. Do one farm on a weekday, when it is $3 cheaper and half as busy, and one community-center session — the preschool ones at Douglass and Lovettsville are an hour, indoors, and end with something to take home. Then the parade, which works at any age because you are standing still. Skip the evening trails entirely.

Five to ten

This is the age the county is built for. The trunk-or-treats and the free town afternoons — Lovettsville, Village at Leesburg — give you a full Saturday for nothing. Add the Family Spooky Hike & Campfire at Banshee Reeks on the 29th, which is gentle, outdoors and feels braver than it is. That last part matters more than the event.

Eleven and up

The honest answer is that Loudoun thins out here. Halloween in the Reeks (Banshee Reeks) on the 17th is the one free, supervised, genuinely atmospheric option, and the fun run on the 24th suits a child who would rather move than wait in line. Fear Fest is the only real haunted house, for ages 11 and up.

Avoid the traps

Where people waste the day

Every one of these comes from something a venue published and most people never read.

Arriving at the farm after three.

Great Country Farms’ last pumpkin wagon leaves at 4pm. Turn up at 3:30 and you have paid full price for a play area.

Buying a pumpkin you already own.

Temple Hall’s ticket includes a pumpkin and a bouquet. Great Country Farms’ does not — theirs are sold by weight. Two farms, opposite rules, no signage explaining it.

Booking the wrong Monster Mash.

One is $20 at Loudoun Valley Community Center in Purcellville. The other is the Village at Leesburg one. Same name, same month, about 20 minutes apart.

Standing where you stood last year at the parade.

The route now ends before Safeway because of construction. King Street closes around 5:45pm and Ida Lee fills with participants, not spectators.

Driving to Wegmeyer without a ticket.

Entry is timed-slot only. There is no gate to talk your way through.

Confusing two events in the same building.

Sterling Community Center hosts both Spooky Celebration, for twos to tens, and Fear Fest, which the county’s own listing calls terrifying.

Practical notes

What to know before you go

The part no calendar tells you.

Saturday

Halloween is on a Saturday, and that changes everything

No school the next morning, so evening events run later and trick-or-treating starts earlier and goes on longer than a weeknight. It also means the last weekend of October is doing double duty — the organized daytime events and Halloween itself land on the same day. Expect the 31st to be the busiest day of the season anywhere you go.

Parking

Almost nowhere in Loudoun publishes parking information

Across every farm, park, town and community center here, almost no events publish parking guidance. That is not a gap in the research — it is a gap across the county, and it is the most useful thing this guide can eventually contain.

Booking

Two booking systems, and both catch people out

County events go through Loudoun Parks & Rec registration and have places that run out. The farms use timed online tickets that are cheaper than the gate — Great Country Farms is $2 to $4 less online, and Wegmeyer will not let you in without one at all.

Names

Three pairs of events share a name or a building

Two Monster Mashes — the county’s $20 one in Purcellville and the Village at Leesburg one. Two Banshee Reeks evenings — a mild scare on the 17th for ages 10+, a gentle hike on the 29th for ages 5+. And Spooky Celebration shares a building with Fear Fest, which is a genuine haunted house.

Weather

Everything outdoors is a mud risk by late October

Wear sturdy shoes or boots you don't mind getting muddy. For the wet days, the Indoor backup filter above is the whole list.

Trick-or-treating, town by town

If you only do three things

Find the Halloween that fits.

Halloween events across Loudoun.

Runs all season

Building up

Salamander Family Friendly Haunted Trail

The big week

Sterling Fear Fest 2

Halloween itself

Saturday, October 31, hour by hour

Something small, early, indoors

Pick a side of the county and stay on it

The afternoon party

Home, fed, changed

Porch lights

What we would do, by age

Under five

Five to ten

Eleven and up

Where people waste the day

Arriving at the farm after three.

Buying a pumpkin you already own.

Booking the wrong Monster Mash.

Standing where you stood last year at the parade.

Driving to Wegmeyer without a ticket.

Confusing two events in the same building.

What to know before you go

Halloween is on a Saturday, and that changes everything

Almost nowhere in Loudoun publishes parking information

Two booking systems, and both catch people out

Three pairs of events share a name or a building

Everything outdoors is a mud risk by late October

The weekend guide for families in Loudoun