This weekend in Old Town Alexandria is the one everyone waits for — Halloween falls on Saturday, the nights are finally crisp, and the neighborhood's colonial streetscapes look genuinely haunted under lantern light. Whether you're chasing ghost stories on Friday, trick-or-treating your way down King Street on Saturday, or sleeping it all off with a long Sunday brunch, there is plenty to fill the three days. Check the Old Town Alexandria events calendar for the full city-wide picture, and bookmark things to do in Old Town Alexandria for the next time you need ideas after this weekend has passed. Miss last weekend? Catch up with This Weekend in Old Town Alexandria: October 23–25, 2026.
Friday
Friday is Halloween Eve, and Old Town is leaning all the way in.
Haunted Lantern Tours step off from 614 Oronoco Street on Friday, October 30. Old Town's 18th-century streets — narrow, brick-paved, lit by actual gas lamps in places — are tailor-made for this format. Exact tour times were not confirmed in our calendar listing, so contact the organizer directly to reserve your spot and get the departure schedule before you show up.
CatRad Halloween Eve Party takes over St. Elmo's, 529 Montgomery Street, from 7 p.m. to 11 p.m. St. Elmo's is one of Old Town's long-running neighborhood coffee-and-community anchors, and this one-night Halloween transformation promises costumes, music, and the kind of local crowd that makes the evening feel genuinely festive rather than commercial. No cover price was listed; confirm with the venue.
Saturday
Halloween itself, and Old Town delivers on atmosphere.
Old Town Farmers' Market runs from 7 a.m. to noon on the 100 block of North Royal Street and in Tavern Square courtyard — its temporary home while City Hall and Market Square are under renovation (a project expected to last two to three years). Late-October market tables are peak season for apple varieties, winter squash, root vegetables, and the first of the season's dried goods. Show up in costume if you like; vendors tend to appreciate the effort on Halloween morning.
After the market, King Street becomes a corridor of storefronts decorated for the holiday. Stroll from the market south toward the waterfront — King Street runs roughly 17 blocks from the King Street–Old Town Metro station down to the Potomac — and browse the independent shops and galleries along the way. Many businesses put out candy for costumed visitors during the afternoon hours; stop in to check with individual shops for their Halloween hours and any special events.
As evening falls, the Haunted Lantern Tours return to 614 Oronoco Street. If Friday's tour sold out or you simply want a second dose of ghost history, Saturday night is another opportunity. Confirm times and availability directly with the organizer.
Sunday
November 1 arrives quietly — post-Halloween, the neighborhood takes a slow exhale. It's an ideal morning to walk the waterfront, grab coffee, and let the weekend settle.
The Potomac waterfront — Waterfront Park and the adjoining Torpedo Factory Art Center plaza — tends to be uncrowded on Sunday mornings in late October, when the river light is flat and silvery and the last of the season's sailboats are still on the water. The Torpedo Factory itself is open most Sundays; confirm hours directly with the center, as individual studio hours can vary.
If you didn't make the farmers' market on Saturday, Sunday is a good day to explore the independent food and retail scene along King Street and in Old Town Alexandria, Virginia more broadly — the antique shops on the side streets, the art galleries tucked between restaurants, and the coffee spots that fill up later on Sunday than they do Saturday.
Free things to do this weekend in Old Town Alexandria
A lot of what makes this weekend great costs nothing.
- Walk the waterfront. Waterfront Park stretches along the Potomac and is always free. The promenade is flat, paved, and open dawn to dusk.
- Browse the Torpedo Factory Art Center. Entry to the building and most studios is free. Over 150 working artists keep studios here; you can watch work in progress and speak with artists directly. Confirm individual studio hours on-site.
- Wander King Street. The street itself is a free attraction — colonial-era architecture, independent storefronts, public art, and the slow parade of people in Halloween costumes on Saturday afternoon.
- Explore Oronoco Bay Park. Just north of the main waterfront, this park offers river access and open green space at no cost.
- Art galleries on and off King Street. Several commercial galleries in Old Town have free admission; the Art Galleries in Old Town Alexandria guide lists current options with hours to confirm before you go.
On a rainy day
Halloween weekend in Virginia can turn wet without warning. Here's where to head if it does.
- Torpedo Factory Art Center (105 North Union Street) — fully indoor, free to enter, and easy to spend two hours wandering. Confirm hours with the center directly.
- Stabler-Leadbeater Apothecary Museum (105–107 South Fairfax Street) — one of the oldest surviving apothecary shops in the country, operating from 1792 to 1933. Admission is charged; hours and tour times are best confirmed with the museum directly, especially on holiday weekends.
- Gadsby's Tavern Museum (134 North Royal Street) — an 18th-century tavern and hotel that hosted Washington, Jefferson, and Madison. Indoors, historically rich, and especially atmospheric on a gray Halloween weekend. Confirm hours before visiting.
- Independent bookstores and coffee shops along King Street — a rainy Saturday or Sunday afternoon on King Street with a book and a coffee is its own Old Town tradition.
Where to eat
Old Town's dining scene is dense enough that the harder question is narrowing it down. On Halloween weekend, reservations on Friday and Saturday evenings book up faster than a usual weekend — if you have a specific restaurant in mind, call or book online well before you arrive. The Old Town Alexandria dining guide covers the full range from waterfront seafood to King Street date-night spots. A few things to keep in mind for this weekend specifically:
- Restaurants and bars along King Street and Montgomery Street will be busier than usual on Friday and Saturday nights — arrive early or have a backup option.
- Several spots near the waterfront offer outdoor seating that works well on mild late-October evenings; ask when you book.
- Sunday brunch is one of Old Town's strengths — lines are real at popular spots, so plan to arrive when they open or check whether the restaurant takes reservations for brunch.
Getting there and parking
The King Street–Old Town Metro station (Blue and Yellow lines) puts you at the top of King Street, about 12 blocks from King and Washington Streets and roughly 17 blocks from the waterfront. The free King Street Trolley runs between the Metro station and City Hall/Market Square and is a useful hop for the first stretch of King Street — note that it does not continue to the waterfront, so plan to walk the final blocks or grab a rideshare. On Halloween Saturday, expect the Trolley and the street to be livelier than usual.
Driving? Old Town's street parking is metered and fills quickly on weekend evenings, especially on a holiday. The neighborhood has several parking garages that are generally more reliable than circling for a spot. Full details on rates, locations, and hours are in the Old Town Alexandria parking guide.
Whatever brings you out this weekend — ghost tours, the farmers' market, a King Street stroll in costume, or just a quiet Sunday by the river — Halloween weekend in Old Town tends to be one of the most atmospheric of the year. Enjoy it.