🌸 Time to focus on fall

Good morning, DC. The leaves are starting to turn along Rock Creek Park, and the morning air finally has that crisp edge that makes you reach for a jacket on your way out the door.

In today’s District Download:

Let’s get to it.

October in DC means more than pumpkin spice—it's a full-blown gauntlet of food and drink events that runs from wine tastings at Mount Vernon to on-field dining at Nationals Park, with nearly everything worth eating, drinking, or celebrating packed into the next three weeks. The lineup includes the James Beard Foundation's Stadium Chef Series on October 29, where local award winners like Rob Rubba and Kevin Tien collaborate on a five-course feast right on the baseball diamond. The full roster covers everything from free mushroom fairs in Wheaton to $450-per-person chef collaborations, proving that fall in the District caters to every budget and appetite. Events range from the gloriously niche—Michael Twitty discussing Southern culinary history at Politics & Prose—to the unapologetically indulgent, like unlimited oysters and craft beer at Hank's Old Town rooftop, with most happening on weekends when you're actually free to enjoy them. Tickets for the bigger draws like Snallygaster ($75) and Premier Drams whiskey festival at Jack Rose ($145) are still available, though several events, including VIP access at Oyster Wars, have already sold out, so if something catches your eye, don't sleep on it.

Parents seeking Halloween fun without the terror factor have 14 options running through October 31, ranging from LEGO monster parties to campfire s'mores sessions, all designed for kids who prefer their spooks with training wheels. The lineup spans miniature train rides through "Trainsylvania" at Wheaton and Cabin John regional parks, Boo at the Zoo's 30 trick-or-treat stations among after-hours animals, NoMa's PumpkinPalooza featuring baby alpacas and Smurfs characters, and Arlington's Halloween campfires complete with ghost stories at three different nature centers. Geographic coverage runs the full DMV circuit—from Springfield's LEGO Discovery Center to Mount Vernon's historic trick-or-treating with General Washington to National Harbor's Capital Wheel rides for costumed kids—which means October's family calendar now requires as much strategic planning as Metro track work avoidance. The Kennedy Center's National Symphony Orchestra Halloween Spooktacular on October 26 offers the rare chance to introduce kids to classical music while everyone's dressed as ghosts, and Hill-O-Ween at Eastern Market continues its two-decade tradition of Capitol Hill trick-or-treating on the actual holiday. Many events are free, though popular draws like Air & Scare's outdoor portions at Udvar-Hazy have already sold out, and several require advance registration, so waiting until October 30 to make plans is a recipe for disappointment and tears that have nothing to do with costumes.

Seven bars across DC and Northern Virginia have transformed into full-blown Halloween experiences through early November, from Del Ray's Nightmare on the Avenue with its clown-and-gravestone decor to Frankenstein's Mad Scientist Cocktail Lab at Puttery in Penn Quarter, where $22 gets you 90 minutes of photo ops, a welcome cocktail, and optional tarot readings. The lineup includes Honor Brewing in Sterling hosting weekly movie screenings like Frankenweenie alongside themed cocktails in souvenir cups, McClellan's Retreat serving Wicked-inspired drinks through November, and Filomena Ristorante going so hard on skeleton-and-witch decor that it rivals actual haunted houses. Most pop-ups run daily through November 2, giving procrastinators a narrow window to catch the spooky-season action before everything pivots to premature Christmas mode.

Finn & Fire is taking over the former Kismet space at 111 N. Pitt Street in Old Town Alexandria with a January 2026 opening, bringing chef Ghazal Amir's crab and shrimp-focused menu from her four-star Crab Cab operation to the King Street corridor. Amir, a self-taught T.C. Williams grad who started with a food truck in 2013 and now runs two brick-and-mortar Crab Cab locations, built her reputation on dishes like The Dominator—a crab cake sandwich loaded with firecracker shrimp salad, salmon, and seasoned fries that reviewers can't stop talking about. The restaurant's facade is getting a full refresh with new wood doors, signage, and decorative elements that Alexandria's Board of Architectural Review will approve or nitpick at their November 5 meeting, because nothing says Old Town like making sure your corrugated metal panels are historically appropriate.

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Here’s what’s going on around DC this week:

Atlas Performing Arts Center | Rachel Potter | Broadway star and Nashville recording artist brings powerhouse vocals to Capitol Hill | 7:30 PM

Arena Stage | Fremont Ave. | World premiere drama where three generations of Black men face off at the card table in a reckoning with masculinity, identity, and silence | 7:30 PM

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9:30 Club | Jensen McRae | 7 PM

The Anthem | Sombr with Devon Gabriella | 8 PM

The Atlantis | Adam Melchor | 6:30 PM

Blues Alley | Martin Bejerano | 7 PM

9:30 Club | Ravyn Lenae with KeiyaA | 7 PM

Birchmere Music Hall | Yachtley Crew | 7:30 PM

Lincoln Theatre | Lukas Nelson with The Band Laula | 8 PM

The Fillmore Silver Spring | 2hollis with Nate Sib | 8 PM

Warner Theatre | Yes | 8 PM

Blues Alley | Martin Bejerano | 9:30 PM

The Wizards won just 18 games last season and aren't expected to improve much this year, with Vegas predicting around 21 wins, but the front office is playing the long game by stockpiling young talent like a Pokemon collection. The roster features 12 first-round draft picks from the last four years, headlined by 2024's Alex Sarr (who made the All-Rookie First Team) and this year's sharpshooter Tre Johnson from Texas, plus the team pulled off a coup by landing 20-year-old scorer Cam Whitmore from Houston. To keep the youngsters from complete chaos, they brought in veterans CJ McCollum and Khris Middleton to provide leadership and stability, which means this season is less about wins and more about figuring out which of these prospects can actually become stars worth building around. The home opener is October 27 against the Charlotte Hornets at Capital One Arena, and while playoff dreams remain firmly in the distant future, at least there's a plan beyond just hoping for the best.

Till next time,