October is finally here, bringing fallen leaves, cooler weather, and pumpkin-flavored baked goods. With it comes a multitude of local Fall and Halloween events to get involved with. Whether you’re attending school events or participating in Greenbelt’s community, there are fun opportunities to be had all over!
Fall Coffee House
With Fall comes the Roosevelt staple that is Fall Coffee House. Fall Coffee House is an annual music showcase that takes place in our very own auditorium and is performed by our very own students. Anyone can sign up—though priority is given to students in performing arts classes—and all music performed must be put on using
real instruments and voices; no backing tracks allowed. This year, Fall Coffee House will take place tomorrow, October 10th at 7PM. Students, friends, and family are all welcome to attend!
Junior Clem Costen has been attending Fall Coffee House long before they began at ERHS. Since the event is open to the public, viewing his older sister’s performances has been a yearly tradition. “I’d highly recommend it,” they shared about the event. “I think it’s a great opportunity to see live music.” As the music at Coffee House is composed entirely of real instruments, occasionally, performers will share their own music. “It’s really special that we’re able to showcase that talent.” Costen shared. “I just love being able to see the kind of amazing live music that people our age are able to create.”
Ticket prices for this year’s Fall Coffee House are $7 at the door, though there is still a chance to get them for $5 during school today and tomorrow from room #003. The event itself is bi-annual, and a second Coffee House will take place this Spring for anyone interested in participating later this year.
Homecoming
With Homecoming season fast approaching, school spirit is running high, carrying with it events all throughout the week of October 13th, 2025. This includes ERHS’ beloved spirit week, pep rally, and even the Homecoming Game / Dance. Bringing insider information from SGA sources, The Raider Review is here to tell students everything there is to know for these fun school events!
Starting off strong, the entire week of October 13th is Spirit Week! Students from all classes are encouraged to participate in themes they voted on: Meme Day, Zoom Day, and Celebrity Look-Alike Day. The famous Pep Rally, hosted that Thursday, brings all students of the year together, competing in games to represent their grade, sharing skills from clubs, and proudly showing off their class colors!
“It’s going to be something you shouldn’t miss,” Ms. Brionna Truesdale, World History and Psychology teacher, serving as Head Advisor for the SGA at ERHS noted. “Homecoming as a whole is definitely a huge stepping stone for school culture.” She added, emphasizing the hard work that the SGA puts into all of Homecoming week for students to get into the school spirit.
“We’ve been bleeding green for 4 years.” An ERHS senior agreed, “Our last Homecoming. I’ll definitely show up.”
That following Saturday, October 18th, is our Homecoming game against Bowie, led first by a Tailgate starting at 12pm, wherein students are welcome to play games, buy from clubs, eat and drink, and more! The Homecoming Game itself begins at 2pm against our rivals, the Bowie Bulldogs. Students already attending the tailgate are more than encouraged to show up and cheer our Raider football team to victory!
After the game, starting at 7pm, the Homecoming Dance becomes the star of the show, with a formal Black Tie theme and an easy way to build our community. “It’s something to look forward to” says Ms. Truesdale, “I’m really excited to give them this outlet.” The tickets for the dance cost $15 in advance (sold starting Oct 13th) and $20 at the door, while attending the game, tailgate, and participating in spirit week or the pep rally is free!
Greenbelt Pumpkin Festival
If you’re looking for a cheaper Fall event to attend in place of Homecoming, the Greenbelt Pumpkin Festival is October 17th and 18th. The 17th will see the annual pumpkin carving in the Roosevelt Center. The event is completely free, and anyone can attend. It will take place from 4-8PM.
On the 18th, those pumpkins will be set up by volunteers along the North Woods trail, down Northway Road. Whether or not you carved a pumpkin, anyone is allowed to walk the trail and see the jack-o-lanterns. The trail is open from 6-9PM, and there is no limit on how many times you can walk through. Cider and hot cocoa are provided at the end.
If you’re worried about the carving, fear not! Carving supplies, pumpkins, and candles are all provided by the festival itself, and the event is run entirely by volunteers.
“It’s a tradition in the Greenbelt area,” Junior Rowan Kelly shared. Her family has been attending the Greenbelt Pumpkin Festival since she was a baby, like many Greenbelters.
“We’re all so obsessed with the aesthetics of things,” Kelly comments, “This is a very fall, especially Halloween aesthetic thing.” They recommend the event as a way to get into the Halloween spirit.
Emily Gendreau, another Junior at ERHS shared that the event is “very cheap, very local,” and that “a lot of people attend. You can go with your friends and family.” Her Girl Scout Troop, Troop 23007, has volunteered at the event in years past. “You can earn service hours,” she mentioned.
The Greenbelt Pumpkin Festival has been going on for decades and is a true staple of its community. The event is run entirely by volunteers, and fundraised by the community. If you’re interested in volunteering for the event, click here!
St Hugh’s Haunted House
If you’re looking for a haunted house to attend this Halloween season, the St. Hugh’s haunted house at 135 Crescent Road is the place to go. This year, the haunted house will be held both October 24th and 25th, from 6-10PM, with tickets for $5 at the door. Put on by the church’s youth group, the haunted house is a staple of Greenbelt’s Halloween traditions, and it’s their final year in business.
Clem Costen is also an avid attendee of the St Hugh’s Haunted House, has “been going to the St Hugh’s Haunted House every Halloween for the past three years now,” and stated that the event is “a really fun place to go with friends.” The haunted house itself follows a storyline. “They write a whole plot out for this,” Costen mentioned. And, while withholding its contents, he commented that “there’s always a special little surprise at the end.”
Ms. Becky Bailey, who runs the church’s youth group, shared that they “try to make it a lot of fun,” and that the youth group is “really going all out this year.” Additionally, Chibuike Okeke, a Junior at Eleanor Roosevelt and a former participant in the haunted house, shared that the event is “to help fundraise for the church.” In fact, the event helps fund the youth group’s yearly summer retreat to Franciscan University in Ohio.
Whether you’re looking for music to enjoy, activities to participate in, or scares to be had, there are so many opportunities to get into the Fall or Halloween vibe in our local community.