The City of Falls Church offers a number of socially distanced Halloween events, and shares advice for celebrating Halloween safely.
Hallow-Scream Scavenger Hunt in The Little City
In lieu of our normal Halloween Carnival due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the City of Falls Church Recreation and Parks Department is hosting a free Hallow-Scream Scavenger Hunt around parks throughout The Little City. Between Friday, October 23, 2020 and Sunday, November 1, 2020, six signs will be hidden in these City of Falls Church parks:
- Cavalier Trail Park (600 S Maple Ave.)
- Cherry Hill Park (312 Park Ave.)
- Crossman Park (535 North Van Buren St.)
- Howard E Herman Stream Valley Park (601 W Broad St.)
- Lincoln Park (507 Great Falls St.)
- West End Park (1048 W Broad St.)
Each sign will have a letter. Find all the signs and unscramble the letters to reveal the Hallow-Scream code word, and you'll win a free Hallow-Scream Scavenger Hunt t-shirt!
The Hallow-Scream Scavenger Hunt is geared more towards younger children compared to our Historic Scavenger Hunt back in June 2020, but it's still fun for the whole family and a great way to explore different parks across The Little City.
You can download an official form and the list of clues here to track the code word. If you don't have a printer, you can make your own form at home.
Send us your completed form - including the letters and unscrambled code word - along with your contact information and t-shirt sizes by email to events@fallschurchva.gov by Sunday, November 1, 2020 to be eligible to win a t-shirt. You can either send us a picture or scan of the form. If you don't have access to a smartphone or scanner, email us anyway and we'll figure something out. Happy hallow-hunting!
Halloween Pop-Up Events in The Little City: Non-City Residents Can Now Register!
The City of Falls Church Recreation and Parks Department is excited to you have you join us for our Halloween Pop-Up events on Saturday, October 31. Enjoy Pumpkin Painting, Birdhouse Painting, or Scarecrow Making at three different City of Falls Church parks.
Registration is now open for City and non-City residents, and registration is required for each activity. We ask that families only sign up for one activity to allow more families/households to participate. The activities are for children ages 1-13.
To ensure the health and safety of our staff and participants, each activity will be hosted at a different park and each time slot will be limited to 10 participants. Work space will be socially distanced and masks will be required for all who attend (but costumes are encouraged!).
- Pumpkin Painting Pop-up
- Saturday, October 31, 2020
- Cherry Hill Park Picnic Shelter (312 Park Ave.)
- 30 minute activity; Eight timeslots available (from 10:00 a.m. to 3:15 p.m.)
- $6 per child Please register each child that would like to participate (for example, a family with two children would register for the activity twice). All supplies will be provided and cleaned between sessions.
- Register online via Webtrac
- Birdhouse Painting
- Saturday, October 31, 2020
- Berman Park Picnic Shelter (236 Irving St.)
- 30 minute activity; Eight timeslots available (from 10:00 a.m. to 3:15 p.m.)
- $4 per child
- Please register each child that would like to participate (for example, a family with two children would register for the activity twice). All supplies will be provided and cleaned between sessions.
- Register online via Webtrac
- Scarecrow Making
- Saturday, October 31, 2020
- Frady Park Gazebo (311 E Broad St.)
- 45 minute activity; Six timeslots available (from 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.)
- $10 per family/household.
- Please register once for this activity, regardless of how many children are in the household. Each family/household will be allowed to make one scarecrow. We ask that each family/household bring child size clothing and scissors. You will be provided with everything else, including twine, hay, burlap, felt and glue.
- Register online via Webtrac
Halloween Safety Tips from the CDC
Remember: a costume mask is not a substitute for a cloth face covering.
Highest Risk
- Traditional door-to-door trick or treating
- Trunk or treat events
- Crowded events, especially indoor gatherings
Medium Risk
- Low or no-touch trick-or-treating
- Goodie bags from a social distance, like at the end of a driveway
- Outdoor, distanced, costume parade
- Outdoor, distanced movie night
Low Risk
- Pumpkin carving at home with family
- Outdoor, distance pumpkin carving with friends
- Decorating at home
- Outdoor scavenger hunt in your neighborhood
- Virtual costume contest
Look for more tips on Halloween, Dia de los Muertos, and Thanksgiving on the CDC's website.