Fun Things to Do With Kids in the DMV This Weekend (Sept. 25-27)

Ready to discover the best family-friendly activities in the DMV for this weekend, September 25-27? Find the top things to do with kids in DC, Maryland, and Northern Virginia, including free festivals, pumpkin patches, and Hispanic Heritage Month celebrations. Enjoy Fiesta DC on Pennsylvania Avenue, the National Museum of American History’s free lowriding festival, and community celebrations in Manassas and College Park—all at no cost.

Saturday is the busiest day. Clarendon Day brings a free kids’ zone and an 18-foot inflatable slide to Arlington, Amazon Community Day opens Met Park with STEM tables and a foam pit, Alexandria lets toddlers take the wheel of a fire truck at Tons of Trucks, and Lovettsville and the Mosaic District open their fall festivals. Rock Creek Park also marks its 136th birthday with ranger programs both days and a free outdoor concert at Peirce Mill on Saturday evening.

Sunday belongs to Maryland, with the Takoma Park Folk Festival, the Wheaton Arts Parade, and the Echo Arts Festival at Glen Echo Park all free and running within a few miles of one another. Friday is quieter, but the U.S. Botanic Garden offers a good drop-in program for preschoolers, and the Air and Space Museum sets up telescopes on the sidewalk after dark. Check times with the organizer before you go, and look at the Washington Parent events calendar for more ideas.

Here are our favorite free things to do with kids in DC this weekend.

Family Program: Pumpkin Parts!

• Date: Friday, Sept. 25 
• Time: 10 a.m. to noon 
• Location: U.S. Botanic Garden, 100 Maryland Ave. SW, Washington, DC
• Cost: Free

This free drop-in program lets kids dig into a pumpkin and learn about the parts of the plant and the broader gourd and squash family along the way. It runs in the Conservatory’s Children’s Garden. Two hours is a generous window for a program like this, so you can arrive late and still get the full activity. It is free, indoors and a short walk from the Capitol South and Federal Center SW Metro stations, which makes it an easy Friday morning outing for preschoolers and homeschool families. No registration is required.

Stargazing and Moongazing at the Air and Space Museum

• Date: Friday, Sept. 25 
• Time: 8 to 10 p.m. 
• Location: Outside the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum, Independence Avenue and 7th Street SW, near the Delta Solar sculpture, Washington, DC
• Cost: free

Smithsonian staff and members of local astronomy clubs set up telescopes on the sidewalk and help visitors spot planets, stars, and the moon. It’s free, no tickets or reservations are needed, and you can stay for five minutes or the full two hours. This is a good pick for elementary kids and up who can handle a late night, and the sidewalk setting means nobody has to stay quiet. One caveat: the program is weather-dependent and may be canceled due to rain, clouds, or poor visibility, so call the museum’s astronomy education line at 202-633-2517 before you head downtown.

Fiesta DC and the Parade of the Nations

• Date: Saturday and Sunday, Sept. 26-27 
• Time: Festival 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. daily; parade Sunday 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. 
• Location: Festival on Pennsylvania Avenue NW between 3rd and 7th streets; parade on Constitution Avenue NW between 15th and 7th streets, Washington, DC
• Cost: Free

Fiesta DC is the city’s largest Latino festival, and it is free on both days. The Kids Zone runs all weekend with coding and robotics tables, art and coloring stations, children’s book authors, and storytelling. Brazil is the 2026 country of honor. On Sunday, the Parade of the Nations travels down Constitution Avenue with folkloric costumes, floats, and dance delegations; organizers suggest families watch from the stretch between 9th and 14th streets for the best view, which also puts you near the Natural History Museum if anyone needs a break. Take Metro to Archives-Navy Memorial-Penn Quarter. Street parking is limited and gets worse on parade day.

Corazón y vida Lowriding Family Festival

• Date: Sunday, Sept. 27 
• Time: 10:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. 
• Location: National Museum of American History, 1300 Constitution Ave. NW, Washington, DC
• Cost: Free

The Smithsonian opens a new bilingual lowriding exhibition this weekend and marks the occasion with a free festival on Sunday. A car and bike show runs all day on the Madison Drive terrace, with hydraulics demonstrations, and the indoor schedule includes storytime with DC Public Libraries at 10:30 and 11:30 a.m., “Draw a Lowrider” every hour from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., bandana screen printing from noon to 4 p.m., and live mural painting. Music runs from a DJ set at 11 a.m. through Mariachi Los Amigos at 3 p.m. No tickets are required. The rain date is Monday, Sept. 28. Because it moves between indoor galleries and the terrace, it works for a wide range of ages and attention spans.

Extraordinary Cinema: Wicked: For Good outdoor movie at the Kennedy Center

• Date: Saturday, Sept. 26 
• Time: Concert at 6 p.m.; film at dusk 
• Location: The REACH, John F. Kennedy Center, 2700 F St. NW, Washington, DC
• Cost: Free

The Kennedy Center’s free Saturday night double feature is this weekend’s best no-cost option for tweens and teens. Formosan Groove, a Taiwanese folk and jazz group, performs at the River Pavilion at 6 p.m. After that, “Wicked: For Good” screens for free on the REACH video wall outdoors at dusk, around 7 p.m. in late September. Neither event requires tickets or registration, and seating is first-come, first-served. Bring blankets or low chairs for the lawn, and a free shuttle runs from the Foggy Bottom-GWU Metro station. Plan on a late night if you stay for the full movie.

Worldwide Day of Play at the National Children’s Museum

• Date: Saturday, Sept. 26 
• Time: 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. 
• Location: National Children’s Museum, 1300 Pennsylvania Ave. NW, Washington, DC
• Cost: Free

The museum is joining the global screen-free play day with pop-up activities throughout the building, a live Danny Joe’s Treehouse performance, and a reading and signing of “Quilt of Stars” with former NASA astronaut Karen Nyberg. Everything is included with general admission, which is not free: $18.95 for ages 1 and up, free for members and babies under 1. Timed tickets are worth buying in advance for a Saturday. It is entirely indoors and next to the Federal Triangle Metro station, making it the strongest rainy-day backup on this list.

Here are our favorite free things to do with kids in Virginia this weekend.

Kids Market at Westpost

• Date: Saturday, Sept. 26 
• Time: Noon to 5 p.m. 
• Location: Westpost at National Landing, 1201 S. Joyce St., Arlington, Va.
• Cost: Free

Young makers ages 5 to 17 take over the Westpost plaza to sell handmade goods and creative products they’ve made themselves. Browsing is free, and the idea is to hand your child a few dollars and let them shop from other kids. Bring cash in small bills, since not every table will take a card. This is one of the few things on the list that works just as well for a 10-year-old as for a 4-year-old, and it’s a genuinely good conversation starter if your child has ever talked about starting a business. Westpost is in National Landing, a short walk from Metropolitan Park, so you can do Amazon Community Day in the morning and walk over when this opens at noon.

Tons of Trucks

• Date: Saturday, Sept. 26 
• Time: 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. 
• Location: Chinquapin Park, 3210 King St., Alexandria, Va.
• Cost: Free

Alexandria’s 10th annual Tons of Trucks lets kids climb into fire engines, police cars, refuse trucks, and DASH buses, and meet the city workers who drive them. Admission is free, but the city asks families to RSVP in advance for a free ticket. This is the best option this weekend for toddlers and early elementary kids, and it’s also the most likely to feel busy by 11 a.m. The event is outdoors on grass, so a carrier is easier than a stroller. Bring ear protection if your child is sensitive to sirens.

Clarendon Day

• Date: Saturday, Sept. 26 
• Time: 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. 
• Location: Clarendon Metro Park and surrounding blocks, 3100 Wilson Blvd., Arlington, Va.
• Cost: Free

This is the biggest free street festival in Northern Virginia this weekend, and the KidZone is the main reason to bring children. It includes an 18-foot inflatable slide, an inflatable obstacle course, fall crafts, glitter tattoos, and balloon animals, all free. The first 500 kids at the Clarendon Alliance booth get a free prize, so arrive closer to 11 a.m. than noon. The festival runs rain or shine and draws about 20,000 people, so the middle of the day is crowded, and strollers are easier earlier. Free parking is available in the Mason Square Van Metre Garage off Kirkwood Drive, and the Clarendon Metro station opens right into the festival footprint.

Manassas Latino Festival

• Date: Saturday, Sept. 26 
• Time: 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. 
• Location: Harris Pavilion, 9201 Center St., Manassas, Va.
• Cost: Free

Manassas celebrates Hispanic Heritage Month with live music, dance performances, and food from across Latin America. Admission and parking are free. More than 60 vendors are set up in and around the pavilion, including Prince William County Fire and Rescue and the county extension office. The covered pavilion is in the middle of walkable historic downtown Manassas, so restrooms, shade, and a place to sit are all nearby. That makes it a dependable pick if the forecast looks uncertain.

Lovettsville Oktoberfest

• Date: Saturday, Sept. 26 
• Time: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. 
• Location: Downtown Lovettsville, centered on the municipal complex at 6 E. Pennsylvania Ave., Lovettsville, Va.
• Cost: Free

Lovettsville is throwing its 30th Oktoberfest this year, and admission is free. The town embraces its German roots with heritage entertainment, food prepared by local civic groups and restaurants, and the wiener dog races that bring many families in. Kids have their own Kinderfest zone, and older kids can watch the stein-hoisting and stein-hauling contests. The festival is moving off the Town Green and into downtown streets for 2026, so expect road closures and a more walkable layout than in past years. Lovettsville is in far northern Loudoun County, about an hour from the Beltway, so plan for it to be the day’s main outing.

Mosaic Fall Fest

• Date: Saturday and Sunday, Sept. 26-27 
• Time: 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily 
• Location: Mosaic District, 2905 District Ave., Fairfax, Va.
• Cost: Free

More than 90 handmade and vintage vendors take over the Mosaic District for two days, and the free entertainment lineup is aimed squarely at young kids. The Vienna Singing Princesses perform at 11:10 a.m. both days, with Tiny Dancers and School of Rock added Sunday morning. Admission is free, and a free shuttle runs from the Dunn Loring-Merrifield Metro station every 20 minutes until the final 7 p.m. drop-off. Everything is paved, Strawberry Park and the splash pad are on site, and this is the easiest stroller terrain of the weekend.

Family Flashlight Corn Maze Nights at Great Country Farms

• Date: Saturday, Sept. 26 
• Time: 6 to 8:30 p.m. 
• Location: Great Country Farms, 34345 Snickersville Turnpike, Bluemont, Va.
• Cost: Free

Great Country Farms is open after dark on only two nights this fall, and this is the second and final one. Bring a flashlight for the corn maze, then visit the farm animals and roast marshmallows by the bonfire. Admission also includes the farm’s 15 acres of attractions, such as giant slides, jumping pillows, and the Farm Ninja obstacle course, and the market sells seasonal treats. This is a ticketed event, and tickets are sold online in advance, so buy yours before you head out. Bluemont is about an hour from the Beltway, so treat it as an evening trip rather than an add-on, and bring layers and closed-toe shoes.

Here are our favorite free things to do with kids in Maryland this weekend.

Latinas in Aviation Global Festival

• Date: Saturday, Sept. 26 
• Time: 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. 
• Location: College Park Aviation Museum, 1985 Corporal Frank Scott Drive, College Park, Md.
• Cost: Free

This free Hispanic Heritage Month event brings together the museum’s hangar of early aircraft, a ceremonial fly-in at 11:15 a.m., and activities for kids and families. Bilingual story time and a hands-on activity run at noon and again at 1:30 p.m., the band Latin Nine plays outside from 12:30 to 1:30 p.m., and students read their essay contest entries. Food is available on site. Because it moves between the indoor museum and the airfield, you can duck inside when younger kids need a reset. Three hours is short enough to fit around a nap.

Takoma Park Folk Festival

• Date: Sunday, Sept. 27 
• Time: 10:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. 
• Location: Takoma Park Middle School, 7611 Piney Branch Road, Takoma Park, Md.
• Cost: Free

Seven stages, more than 40 music sets, a juried craft show, international food, and a dedicated Children’s Nook — all free. Donations are welcome, but nothing is required for admission. The festival runs rain or shine. Do not try to park at the school; a free shuttle runs from 10:15 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. from the Takoma Metro Kiss and Ride, the Montgomery College garage at Fenton and King, and the Washington Adventist University lot. Walking from Metro is possible, but it is a 15-minute uphill walk with a stroller.

Wheaton Arts Parade and Festival

• Date: Sunday, Sept. 27 
• Time: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. 
• Location: Parade begins on Ennalls Avenue; festival at Marian Fryer Town Plaza, 2424 Reedie Drive, Wheaton, Md.
• Cost: Free

The 10th annual arts parade begins at 10 a.m. with more than 20 handmade, non-motorized art floats traveling along Georgia Avenue around the Wheaton Triangle. Afterward, an art market featuring 50-plus artists opens, and three stages of performances run from noon to 5 p.m. It’s free, and the Kids’ Zone offers free face painting, balloon twisting, and chalk art, plus a community mural anyone can add to. Wheaton Metro is just steps away, and Sunday parking is free in the WMATA garage on Veirs Mill Road.

Echo Arts Festival at Glen Echo Park

• Date: Sunday, Sept. 27 
• Time: Noon to 5 p.m. 
• Location: Glen Echo Park, 7300 MacArthur Blvd., Glen Echo, Md.
• Cost: Free

Glen Echo’s free arts day is the best rain hedge of the Sunday festivals, because the outdoor spaces are covered. Grammy winners Cathy Fink and Marcy Marxer open at noon, a family tap workshop follows at 1:30 p.m., and Washington Revels performs a Latine mummers’ play on the playground at 2 and 3 p.m. Resident artists open their studios and glassblowers demonstrate throughout. The National Park Service adds free civil rights walking tours at 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. with no registration, plus Junior Ranger booklets and badges. This is also the last day of the 1921 Dentzel Carousel season, running 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. at $2 a ride or $5 for an all-day pass; every rider needs a ticket, including babies and the adult riding with them. RSVP is preferred but not required, and parking is free at 5801 Oxford Road.

Montgomery County Family Bike Festival

• Date: Sunday, Sept. 27 
• Time: 1 to 4 p.m. 
• Location: The Square Rockville, 21 Maryland Ave., Rockville, Md.
• Cost: Free

Families can test-ride e-bikes and cargo bikes, decorate bicycles, join a balance-bike parade and enjoy bike-themed story time. The Rockville Bike Hub offers free safety checks, plus free kids’ helmets and bike lights while supplies last. The festival is free, but registration is requested. Rockville Metro is a short walk away.

Find more family-friendly events in the Washington Parent events calendar, updated daily.