The Smithsonian’s National Zoo will “not host the Zoo’s traditional Halloween or ZooLights events” However, “Air & Scare” Returns to the National Air and Space Museum’s Udvar-Hazy Center”

photo by Idit Knaan

From the Smithsonian Office of Public Affairs:

“We made the decision to not host the Zoo’s traditional Halloween or ZooLights events because we didn’t feel we could do them well for multiple reasons and within our COVID safety parameters. Our number one priority remains the safety and wellbeing of our visitors, staff and animals. We all feel hopeful that 2022 will bring new opportunities.”

From an email:

“The Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum will once again host its annual “Air & Scare” family day from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 30, at the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center in Chantilly, Virginia. This year’s event will be outdoors and will feature candy stations and spooky activities for all ages. Attendees will be required to reserve free tickets in advance for the event.

Designed with the whole family in mind, aerospace will come alive with fun activities, all with a Halloween twist. Participants will enjoy activities such as special Discovery Stations, paper airplane activities, sun telescope viewing, story times, Star Wars photo op stations and more. All activities will be located outdoors and will take place rain or shine. The event will be canceled in the event of severe weather.

Free timed tickets are required for all attendees to “Air & Scare.” They can be reserved on the hour from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on the museum’s website. Tickets are not required for those only visiting the museum. Admission is free, but parking is $15 until 4 p.m. Public transportation is also available via Metro’s Silver Line and the Fairfax Connector bus.”