Payne Elementary School Fall Festival

Date and Time

• Saturday, Oct 24, 2026  11am - 2pm

Location

Details

Bring the kids and join your Hill East neighbors at the Payne Elementary Fall Festival! It's FREE, and school neighbors and friends are welcome!

Wear your costume: Keep costumes safe and not scary - no weapons or toy look-alikes (swords, guns, etc.), no full-face masks, and nothing frightening for little ones.

Pumpkin Carving Contest: Bring your carved pumpkin! Festival guests vote for their favorite until 1:30 PM. The winner gets a gift bag from East City Bookshop.

Special guests:
- Reptile Show with My Reptile Guy: 11:00 AM–12:00 PM
- Spider-Man and Moana: meet & greet, 12:00–1:00 PM
- Magician Captain TomaDo: 12:30–1:30 PM

Games and activities: Professional face painting, temporary tattoos, pumpkin decorating, field games, Labyrinth board games, Little Gym station, Girl Scouts arts and crafts, bubbles and chalk, and photo booths.

Kids can climb on a real fire truck and meet DC Fire & EMS.

Eat and drink: Coffee truck, Kona Ice, candy apples, apple cider donuts from Bread Par Avion, a bake sale, $1 cheese pizza slices from The Roost, and popcorn from Miracle Theatre. The 5th Grade Grill has hamburgers and hot dogs, and proceeds go to the class's graduation field trip.

Shop and explore: Book fair, costume sale, uniform swap, Payne merch, a raffle, and community tables.

Plan your visit: Special guests and some activities run at set times. See the Festival Schedule & Event Guide pictured with this listing for full details.

Come and join the fun!