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Hey neighbor,
Halloween week has Culpeper turning spooky in the best way. Friday night, the Graffiti House in Brandy Station opens its doors for a free paranormal evening of ghost-hunting gear, Civil War graffiti tours, and campfire stories. Saturday, Culpeper BikeFest rolls into downtown for two days, the Crafts' Meow show raises money for local cats, and Belmont Farm throws Oktoberfest. The kids get a Moonlight Candy Hunt Friday and a Trunk or Treat at PATH on Saturday, the brave ones can hit the Haunted Woods of Hoover Ridge, and Windmore's Hunchback of Notre Dame dinner theater plays the State Theatre all weekend. Grab your calendar, we're pulling up.
— J. Patrick
✨ Fairy Pick of the Weekend
Spirits of the Graffiti House
Spirits of the Graffiti House
Friday, October 23 | 5:00–9:00 PM 📍 Graffiti House, 19484 Brandy Rd, Brandy Station
The Brandy Station Foundation and Culpeper Paranormal Investigations are teaming up for one spooky night at the Graffiti House, the Civil War-era home where soldiers left their names on the walls. The investigators show off evidence they've collected in the house and demo their ghost-hunting equipment, and you can take a tour of the graffiti itself.
Then it's campfire ghost stories, treats, and a raffle for a spot on a future investigation of the house. It's free, it's family-friendly, and it's about 15 minutes from downtown. Bring a jacket and your bravest flashlight.
📅 Weekend Rundown
Friday, October 23
🎵 Move N Groove — 10:00 AM, PlayDate: A Children's Museum, 318 S West St. Music and movement for little ones; $10 per child plus museum admission. Check before you go.
📜 "We Declare" Exhibit — 8:00 AM–5:00 PM, Carver 4-County Museum, 9432 James Madison Hwy, Rapidan. An exhibit on natural rights and the 1776 grievances behind independence.
🃏 TCG Open Play Friday Nights — 4:00–7:00 PM, Collector's Den, 205 S East St, Suite 101. 🔁 Weekly. Free: Pokémon, Magic, One Piece, Lorcana, and more.
⚔️ Friday Night Magic: Commander — 5:00–9:00 PM, Final Boss, 201 N Main St. 🔁 Weekly.
🎙️ Trivia Night with the Trivia Guy, Brandon Hamilton — brewery opens 5:00 PM, trivia at 6:00 PM, Belmont Farm Distillery, 13490 Cedar Run Rd. 🔁 Weekly Friday. Free to play.
👻 Spirits of the Graffiti House — 5:00–9:00 PM, Graffiti House, 19484 Brandy Rd, Brandy Station. ⭐ Fairy Pick — see above.
🎬 Booooster Park Fall Festival — from 5:00 PM, Booster Park, 11177 Bloomsbury Rd, Orange. Free. A magician/juggler, a costume parade, a photo booth, free popcorn, and Hocus Pocus around 6:45 PM. Bring chairs.
🔦 Moonlight Halloween Candy Hunt — 5:30–8:00 PM, Culpeper Sports Complex, 16358 Competition Dr. Free for ages 2–12, hunting in age groups (2–3, 4–5, 6–8, 9–12) plus an adaptive field. Bring a bag and a flashlight, and look for the Golden Pumpkin. Registration required through Parks & Rec.
🎭 The Hunchback of Notre Dame: Dinner Theater Fundraiser — dinner arrival 5:30–5:45 PM, show 7:00 PM, Historic State Theatre, 305 S Main St. Windmore's first show with a live orchestra and choir, with an Italian dinner and dessert included. $70 general, $100 front row, $150 sweetheart table for two. Benefits Habitat for Humanity of Culpeper County. Also Saturday and Sunday.
📚 Book Club @ The Vineyard — 6:00–8:00 PM, Revalation Vineyards, 2710 Hebron Valley Rd, Madison. Free. This round is James by Percival Everett.
🎃 Goosebumps Spooktacular Driving Tour — evenings through Nov 1 (displays lit until 9:00 PM), decorated homes across Culpeper County. Free. Pull up the map here and cruise.
Saturday, October 24
🥬 Culpeper Downtown Farmers Market — 7:30 AM–12:00 PM, Culpeper Baptist Church lot, 318 S West St. See Farmers Markets below.
🏍️ Culpeper BikeFest — Saturday and Sunday, hosted by Fulton Moto, 107 S East St. Live music, guided rides on the hour, 30+ vendors, and food and drinks; Saturday and weekend tickets include an evening film screening at the new Heritage Park. $22.50; online tickets were showing sold out, so check the site.
🐱 9th Annual Crafts' Meow Craft Show — 9:00 AM–2:00 PM, Culpeper Baptist Church, 318 S West St. Free admission. Holiday craft vendors, face painting, a silent auction, a 50/50, and a wooden pirate ship for the kids, all benefiting Forgotten Felines of Culpeper.
📖 Tent & Bag Sale at the Book Barn — 10:00 AM–2:00 PM, The Book Barn, 4 Library Rd, Washington. The Friends of the Rappahannock County Library fill-a-bag sale on books, puzzles, and CDs.
🏛️ Downtown Culpeper History Walking Tour — 11:00 AM–12:30 PM, starts at 111 Commerce St. $25; book at historywalksculpeper.com. Also Sunday.
🛡️ Medieval Harvest Market at Mountain Run Winery — 12:00–5:00 PM, Mountain Run Winery, 10753 Mountain Run Lake Rd. A Halloween candy hunt, medieval vendors and crafts, plus archery and martial demos with the Society for Creative Anachronism. Not on the winery's own calendar yet, so check before you go.
🍺 Oktoberfest at Belmont Farm Distillery & Brewery — 12:00–8:00 PM, 13490 Cedar Run Rd. Whiskey, beer, and a brand-new fall cider paired with bratwurst.
🛶 Fall Foliage Paddle — 2:00–4:00 PM, The Ole Country Store & Bakery lake dock, 18019 Country Store Dr. Beginner-friendly kayak trip with Friends of the Rappahannock, gear provided, ages 10+. $20; registration closes Friday at noon.
🎃 Stained Glass Workshop: Pumpkin or Gourd — 2:00–4:00 PM, Wine & Design, 219 Southgate Shopping Center. Make a 3D stained glass pumpkin or gourd for $65. Ages 18+, beginner-friendly.
🚗 Trunk or Treat with Us — 3:00–6:00 PM, Child Care & Learning Center, 12763 Lee Hwy, Washington. Spooky stories, games, face painting, and raffle baskets. Check before you go.
🍭 PATH Trunk or Treat — 5:00–7:00 PM, PATH Recreation & Fitness Center, 19002 Crossroad Pkwy. Free. Trunks outside (including Reva Fire & Rescue and Culpeper PD vehicles), plus a bouncy house, face painting, crafts, and games inside.
🎭 The Hunchback of Notre Dame: Dinner Theater — dinner arrival 5:30 PM, show 7:00 PM, Historic State Theatre, 305 S Main St. See Friday.
🌲 Haunted Woods of Hoover Ridge — 7:00–10:00 PM (last group 9:50), Hoover Ridge Park, 199 Primary School Dr, Madison. Madison County Parks & Rec's half-mile guided haunted trail, with strobes and fog. $10 per person; fast passes on Eventbrite. New this year: a Children's Walk from 5:30–6:30 PM for $5 per kid.
🍎 Apple Atcha Cider Fall Festival — Thornton Revival 7:00 PM, the Larry Keel Experience 8:00 PM, then a liquid light show. Apple Atcha Cider, 3 Josh Ben Ln, Sperryville. Tickets in person or at 540-423-8717; check before you go.
🧛 Adult Halloween Costume Party — 8:00 PM, Fraternal Order of Eagles #4551, 16000 Brandy Rd. Music, drinks, a costume contest, and potluck snacks. Check before you go.
Sunday, October 25
🏃 Run For Your Life 5K — gates 7:30 AM, race 9:00 AM, Verdun Adventure Bound, 17044 Adventure Bound Trail, Rixeyville. A Halloween costume 5K on a cross-country course, with awards for the top three costumes. $30; proceeds support recovery programs and Project SOAR.
🐕 PetSmart & ODHS Adoption Pop-Up — 10:00 AM–2:00 PM, PetSmart Culpeper, 15331 Montanus Dr. Meet adoptable dogs from Old Dominion Humane Society.
🏛️ Downtown Culpeper History Walking Tour — 11:00 AM–12:30 PM, 111 Commerce St. $25.
🏍️ Culpeper BikeFest — day two, Fulton Moto, 107 S East St. See Saturday.
🎭 The Hunchback of Notre Dame: Dinner Theater Matinee — dinner arrival 12:30 PM, show 2:00 PM, Historic State Theatre, 305 S Main St.
🍷 Early Mountain x Barboursville Wine Dinner — 6:00–9:00 PM, Early Mountain Winery, 6109 Wolftown-Hood Rd, Madison. A four-course Virginia Wine Month dinner with both wineries' winemakers and chefs. $195 ($180 members).
🖼️ Art @ The Vineyard: Richard Young — Revalation Vineyards, 2710 Hebron Valley Rd, Madison. Landscape paintings in both tasting rooms through Oct 31. Free.
🥬 Farmers Markets
Culpeper Downtown Farmers Market — Saturday, 7:30 AM–12:00 PM, Culpeper Baptist Church lot, 318 S West St. Rain or shine, with 37 full-time and 25 part-time vendors. SNAP shoppers get up to $30 doubled, and kids get $5 in Farm Fresh Dollars. Just one more Saturday (Oct 31) after this one.
🚛 The Flavor Route Sponsored by Trukfoo!
If you're here → go eat here. Straight talk: no touring truks have confirmed Culpeper stops for Oct 23–25 yet. The festivals below have food on site, and the farm spots usually bring in weekend truks, so check their pages before you head out.
Friday, October 23
🔦 Food truk @ Moonlight Halloween Candy Hunt, Culpeper Sports Complex, 16358 Competition Dr, 5:30–8:00 PM — one truk spot listed, not named
Saturday, October 24
🏍️ Food vendors @ Culpeper BikeFest, Fulton Moto, 107 S East St — confirmed by organizers, not named (also Sunday)
🌭 Bratwurst + fall cider @ Belmont Farm Distillery & Brewery, 13490 Cedar Run Rd, 12–8 PM — Oktoberfest menu confirmed; any weekend truk is unconfirmed, based on the regular weekend pattern
🍺 Weekend food truk @ Old Trade Brewery & Cidery, 13270 Alanthus Rd, Brandy Station — unconfirmed, based on the regular weekend pattern
🐱 Food available @ Crafts' Meow Craft Show, 318 S West St, 9 AM–2 PM — vendors not named
🌲 Concessions @ Haunted Woods of Hoover Ridge, 199 Primary School Dr, Madison, 7–10 PM
Sunday, October 25
🏍️ Food vendors @ Culpeper BikeFest, Fulton Moto, 107 S East St — not named
👉 Want the full, always-updated schedule? Head to trukfoo.com to see every truk's stops in real time.
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Around Virginia
Central Virginia / Richmond
Garden Glow at Maymont
Friday, October 23–Sunday, October 25 | Sunset–10:00 PM (last entry 9 PM) 📍 Maymont, enter at the Robins Nature Center, 2201 Shields Lake Dr, Richmond
Maymont's Victorian estate lights up along a self-guided walk of about a mile, with a Glow Village for food, drinks, and activities. This year adds a firefly-style light field, light ladders synced to music, and a bigger laser tunnel in the Japanese Garden. Adults $20–$25, kids and seniors $16–$21 depending on the night; book a timed ticket ahead.
Charlottesville
Virginia Film Festival
Through Sunday, October 25 | Screenings all day 📍 The Paramount Theater, Violet Crown Cinema & Culbreth Theatre, Charlottesville
The 39th annual festival closes out its five-day run this weekend: 100+ films, filmmaker panels, and community screenings across the Downtown Mall and UVA, with a free trolley between them. Screenings start at $18, and UVA students get in free. Pick a film, grab dinner on the Mall, make a night of it.
Northern Virginia
Del Ray Halloween Parade (photo: Will Niccolls)
Sunday, October 25 | 2:00 PM 📍 Mount Vernon Ave, Del Ray, Alexandria (starts at E. Bellefonte Ave)
One of USA Today's 10 best Halloween parades: kids, pets, and decorated strollers marching down Mount Vernon Ave, ending at the Mount Vernon Rec Center field with live music and awards. Free to watch and free to enter the contests (check-in from 1 PM), and new this year there's a group/float contest for all ages.
Hampton Roads / Virginia Beach
Family Frights at Jamestown Settlement (photo: WYDaily)
Friday, October 23 & Saturday, October 24 | 6:00–9:00 PM 📍 Jamestown Settlement, 2110 Jamestown Rd, Williamsburg
A Halloween night that's "more treat than trick": trick-or-treating through the museum's outdoor areas, crafts and games, face painting, music, and spooky ships. Tickets are sold online in advance only (no door sales), and every party needs at least one adult; 2026 prices aren't posted yet, so check the link before you drive down.
Shenandoah Valley
Skeleton Festival
Saturday, October 24 | 1:00–5:00 PM 📍 Court Square, Downtown Harrisonburg
Downtown Harrisonburg's big pre-Halloween bash: trick-or-treating at local shops (grab a candy map at Court Square), costume contests for pets through adults at 3:30 PM, a Kids Zone, a Duck Duck BOO scavenger hunt, Chalk It Up! street art, and food truks. Free, with 17 free event-only parking lots.
That's the lineup, Culpeper. Whether you're hunting ghosts in Brandy Station, rolling through BikeFest downtown, or chasing the Golden Pumpkin by flashlight, get out there and live it. Downtown doesn't slow down, and neither should you.
See you next weekend.
Pull up soon,
J. Patrick
🚀 Before You Go
If you like what you see here, pull up and connect with us on these platforms:
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The Pull-Up is your weekly guide to food truks, festivals, local events, and hidden gems in Culpeper and beyond. Published by FestiveFly. Written by J. Patrick.