Sure, Mount Pleasant may boast the best costumes and a local flavor may be the pumpkin-carving theme of the year. But there's little doubt that the White House has the most professional Halloween operation going inside the District of Columbia. more ›

Okay, so technically the D.C. map is reflected the wrong way (or maybe I want Virginia back and wards 6 and 8 sent back to Maryland), but I'm still quite proud of my craftsmanship. Of course, I wasn't the only person who chose the to rep the good ol' D of C on my Jack-o'-lantern. more ›

Generally speaking, "don't drive through Georgetown" is fairly sound advice. But it's essential guidance today. more ›

Good morning, Washington. The D.C. Snow Team did a dry run Friday to give plow drivers a chance to “practice their skills.” It’s unclear yet to what extent they’ll have to use them, but there’s no harm in fine tuning their operation for this rare October storm. From my perch in Northeast I see only puddles, but meteorologists throughout the region tell us that snow has already begun falling in some spots north and west of D.C. more ›

With songs inspired by Edgar Allan Poe's poems and a penchant for dark synth lines and guitar parts, Lenorable is the best Three Stars act we could have picked to interview in advance of Halloween. more ›

Halloween: it's complicated, you know? Trying to find that right costume is always an adventure. That's why we thought we'd give you a few ideas that your fellow Washingtonians will probably approve of. more ›

Halloween weekend is coming up, and if you're anything like me, you probably still have no earthly idea what to wear for a costume. But at least you won't have to worry about having a pocket free to carry cash for a ride home. more ›

First, retailers pushed "Black Friday" specials back to infringe on the prime costume-making season. Then, Halloween displays started getting pulled earlier and earlier to prepare for the winter holiday seasons. But in this burgeoning war against Halloween in America, this is where I draw the line: Halloween Candy Buy Back programs. more ›

Good morning, Washington. Hope you're recovering from your rally and Halloween festivities. Drink plenty of water to nurse that hangover. Oh and, happy Halloween day! more ›

Hello Cupcake will be giving away a free cupcake to those who come into their Dupont shop in costume, today from 4-7 pm. Sounds like a good stop on your way home from the rally, where you'll likely be exhausted and in need of sugar. more ›

While other holidays may lose their luster as we age, Halloween is still pretty awesome even as an adult. We can't think of a better way to celebrate having restored sanity/fear than by changing into costume and drinking and eating yourself into diabetic shock. Normally, we find themed drinks to be fairly cringe-worthy. But in capable hands, it's a fun way to get into the spirit of All Hallows' Eve. more ›

This weekend has the potential to be one of the busiest the District has seen in some time. There's the Rally to Restore Sanity and/or Fear, the Marine Corps Marathon, various Halloween celebrations, Howard University's huge homecoming celebration and parade, an outdoor battle of the bands pitting Wale against Tokyo Police Club near the National Mall and, of course, general weekend tourism and traffic. Admittedly, this information alone should be enough for Washingtonians with a vehicle to put those car keys away for the duration, but I'm sure that there were some of you who were thinking about driving to get to wherever you're going. more ›

>> We The People opens at Long View Gallery on Friday. See paintings by Scott G. Brooks, influenced by the pop-cultural-obsessed and politically-charged landscape in which Brooks resides. Opening reception, 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. more ›

An armed robber wearing a creepy skeleton mask got away with a bag of cash on Tuesday morning from the SunTrust bank branch located at 8510 Connecticut Ave., in Chevy Chase. Montgomery County police say the suspect fled in a white sedan driven by another person, and that the two later switched to a black Mercedes Benz. more ›

So President Barack Obama and First lady Michelle Obama opened up the White House to trick-or-treaters on Saturday, which is pretty cool. Kids from 11 D.C. area schools were invited to come by and meet the first couple as they handed out this administration's version of a Halloween treat: White House M&Ms, a sugar cookie, and ... you guessed it, dried fruit. Talk about boo. more ›

I think two things about making a gallery of pictures of jack-o'-lanterns. One: This is exactly the sort of task I'm up to on a November 1. I tend to enjoy my sweets in the four of bourbon for Halloween, and as a result November 1 is a hangover to rival January 1. In stumbling around the house groaning for advil and wondering how I stubbed my presently lame big toe, I present a more convincing zombie than any you saw in Georgetown last night. Two: Something about taking pictures of pumpkins makes people go nuts with the photoshop. How is it that photos of orange gourds look so green? more ›

Last year, we had a laugh or two about the signs that Maryland required registered sex offenders to post during last year's trick-or-treating hours, in order to let parents know which houses to avoid. We even had deeply offensive musical accompaniment! But despite last year's positive results, the signs were not required this year, according to WTOP. Why's that? "[T]he sign was confusing because it had a pumpkin," said the coordinator of the sex offender registry for the county sheriff's office. So confusing that you'd miss the large, green "NO CANDY AT THIS RESIDENCE" text which lies directly on top of the pumpkin's face? more ›

For those who anxiously refresh DCist in anticipation of the next [food item]pocolypse, your patience has paid off! Empty stomachs in search of sustenance before an evening of waddling around in costume, take note: Chipotle is definitely doing their annual "dress like a burrito -- or you know, just throw a whole bunch of random bits of foil on your person and we'll be so busy that we won't even care -- and you'll get a free burrito" Halloween promotion. (Personally, I'm a fan of the "Mega Man" strategy of covering the forearms with burrito-wrap, but don't let me tell you how to express your own inner burrito.) You'll be hard-pressed to find an easier giveaway all year -- just grab whatever foil is sitting around in your kitchen drawers and hit up one of the numerous local Chipotles after 6 tonight. more ›

Happy Halloween, ye fellow denizens of Zombieton, D.C. I suppose that some of you are spending the precious daylight of All Hallow's Eve running around, paralyzed with the realization that your utter lack of costume ingenuity has finally come back to bite you. (Note: we hear the Columbia Heights Target is already out of white sheets, so there goes that idea.) more ›

Georgetown is, as always, one of the biggest destinations for Halloween revelers, and the District Department of Transportation has sent out the following advisory for road closures and parking restrictions for the weekend. The roads marked in orange below will be closed to through traffic from 6:30 p.m. on Saturday, October 31 until 4 a.m. on Sunday, November 1. Only motorists who are residents and employees of businesses within these areas will be granted access during this time. Also keep in mind that additional streets may be closed and/or opened at the direction of D.C. police. Drivers must present proof of residency or work identification to access the closed streets. more ›

After countless adaptations and revisions, what does the story of Dracula continue to bring to the table? Is it a cautionary tale? Case study of a haunting figure? An excuse for oozing sexuality? An almost comical villain at this point? more ›

No, you cannot be Balloon Boy. more ›

A Peeps store at National Harbor sounded pretty absurd on its face. What does a Peeps store do once Easter is over and the Post's uploaded its last Peeps Show image? more ›

Sure, everyone had a good laugh about them. One intrepid reader even wrote a song about them. And - I'm sure like many others - I was the victim of some friendly ribbing by office colleagues who felt it appropriate to paste them on my door with specific instructions not to answer the door. more ›

We thought we'd take a minute to share some of the DCist staff's best and/or most ridiculous costumes from this past weekend. If you've got Halloween costume photos you'd like to share, tag them on Flickr with "dcist" and "halloween." more ›

Time to get in the proper holiday spirit with some fancy pumpkin carving, yes? We found these images taken by our Flickr contributors over the last week as people prepared for the big night. This one, by RSchley, is our favorite -- some Washington National's pride (because it's terrifying?) and a classic black cat waiting for unlucky victims to come into its path. Naturally, it's time for the every-four-years political stencil carvings, and folks around D.C. have made a pretty strong Pumpkins for Obama effort (a wicked lobby, indeed), as well as a Gourd Out the Vote groundswell ... okay, that one was bad. Enjoy the carvings below, and if you have more, tag them "dcist" and "pumpkin" and check them out here. more ›

It may be Halloween, but since the shenanigans won't get started until tonight, we don't have much actually in the way of ghoul-related overheards. Unless you kind of stretch it... more ›

Halloween-themed events and activities abound for the rest of the week. Here's just a few of the spooky upcoming goings on we've heard about that sound like they might actually be fun for adults. Add your suggestions in the comments. more ›

Reader Justin Enright enjoyed the story we pointed out last week about how Maryland was requiring convicted sex offenders to post signs on their homes that read, "No Candy at this Residence" in big, capital letters over a scary jack-o-lantern. He enjoyed it so much, in fact, that he wrote and recorded a little song about it. It's a sad ballad from the point of the view of the sex offender. The lyrics are deeply offensive and pretty entertaining, so we figured it was the perfect thing to share with DCist readers. Don't miss killer rhymes like, "Modern laws aren't fair/I'm banned from child care" and "A man's gotta do what a man's gotta do, even if the one you love is younger than you." Bravo, Justin. more ›