Arlington police staffing remains lower than desired but is improving, Police Chief Andy Penn said at a recent meeting.
“We’re still struggling with it,” Penn said of staff levels at the Oct. 13 Civic Federation meeting. “The good news is, hiring is up. I feel really positive about that.”
Halloween falls on a Saturday this year, so trick-or-treaters won’t have to share the streets with rush-hour traffic.
Before the big night, Arlington and Falls Church have a full slate of costume contests, trunk-or-treats and spooky-themed events over the next two-and-a-half weeks.
Gently used Halloween costumes will be available for free in Arlington at a pair of events this weekend.
Arlington Mill Community Center and the new 2700 Art Space in Green Valley are both hosting costume swap events at the following times:
An annual Halloween bonfire scheduled tonight (Friday) in Madison Manor will represent a passing of the torch for the four-decade-old community tradition.
Hundreds are expected to turn out for this year’s blaze, which begins at 6:30 p.m. at Madison Manor Park (6225 12th Road N.). It will be the last hurrah for organizers James Riley and Brice Henderson, who have been hosting the fires since 1984.
A Falls Church “toy library” will let customers borrow some toys free of charge in exchange for donations of leftover candy following Halloween.
The Toy Nest is collecting unopened candy as part of its annual candy buyback program, which loans out games, puzzles and more in exchange for sugary treats. The buyback program runs for a week, beginning the day after Halloween this Saturday.
Halloween is Friday, bringing trick-or-treaters, free Lyft rides and lots of thematic events to Arlington.
Here’s a look at what county newcomers can expect and where to go locally on the spookiest night of the year.
As brisker weather returns, the outdoor ice rink in Pentagon City is reopening Friday in advance of a free Halloween-themed skating event.
The rink at Westpost at National Landing opens for the 2025-2026 winter season at 10 a.m. on Halloween, a spokesperson told ARLnow. The next day, an event called “Thriller on Ice” will feature a DJ “spinning all your favorite Halloween tracks” from 5-8 p.m. this Saturday.
They entered as a typical group of Arlington teens and tweens. Within 90 minutes, they had been transformed into, among others, a monster, princess, a pumpkin and a unicorn.
The metamorphosis came courtesy of Encore Stage & Studio, which on Oct. 25 hosted its first-ever Halloween-makeup workshop at Cherrydale United Methodist Church.
A Falls Church sorority chapter is hosting a Halloween-themed collection event for old electronics tomorrow (Saturday).
The city’s Chi Beta Omega chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha has planned the “Hallow-E-Waste” event, which will feature daytime trick-or-treating for kids in addition to waste collection.
A paranormal investigator and researcher of strange happenings in Northern Virginia is hosting a series of talks at Arlington Public Library starting today (Monday).
Alex Matsuo, the author of “Haunted Northern Virginia” and other books about supernatural mysteries and explorations, will speak about “scientific ghost hunting” at Glencarlyn Library from 6:30-7:30 p.m. today.
It’s now officially fall, and Halloween decorations are just starting to proliferate across Arlington.
While the Halloween displays in stores may start in August, pumpkins and other decor typically don’t start appearing in yards, front entrances and balconies until well into September.
But there is wide variance in when those Halloween decorations go up. Some people might get started early in September, while others wait until just before the big day in late October.
What’s the most common time to put out the spooky decorations in Arlington? Let’s find out.
For as much as $1,450, a new local business specializing in “premium pumpkin delivery” is offering decorating jobs to porches in Arlington this season.
The Porch Parade aims to bring “effortless, discreet, and exclusive pumpkin displays” to D.C.-area porches. Andrea Samuelson, a former federal worker, co-founded the business with friend Anusha Seneviratne after their jobs were cut earlier this year.
