By Patricia Hall, FairfaxFamilyFun.com Happy New Year! Not the one that just passed -- but the one that is coming up! Each year in Northern Virginia and the metropolitan Washington, DC, area there are several festivals to celebrate the Lunar New Year. Commonly called Chinese New Year, several countries and cultures actually celebrate the holiday. The Vietnamese community, which hosts Tet events for the Vietnamese New Year, also celebrates in Continue Reading...
Family-friendly Oktoberfest events in Northern Virginia
By Patricia Hall, FairfaxFamilyFun.com Prost! Autumn is here and with it come many Oktoberfest celebrations! Many (or probably most) such events in Northern Virginia, as elsewhere, tend to be oriented toward adults, of course. However, we have some celebrations in our area that are kid-friendly! At these festivals, adults can enjoy a beer garden, and everyone can delight in traditional German foods, German singing and dancing, and loads of Continue Reading...
Virginia Native American Festival honors tradition, culture
By Patricia Hall, FairfaxFamilyFun.com It's September, which means the return of the The Virginia Native American Festival, which this year takes place on Saturday, September 7, 2019. This Native American festival that Fairfax County Park Authority hosts (formerly the Virginia Indian Festival) is one of our favorite events and one that each year we try not to miss. Our son loves Native American culture and we all get to enjoy it at this Continue Reading...
A tasty annual tradition: the Middle Eastern Food Festival
By Patricia Hall, Fairfax Family Fun Great food, music and dancing, tours of a beautiful church, fun for kids, and more baklava than you might ever see assembled in one place. If all that sounds good to you, plan to attend the Middle Eastern Food Festival taking place at Holy Transfiguration Melkite Greek Catholic Church Saturday and Sunday, Aug. 31-Sept. 2, 2019. The annual event in McLean is two full days of fun for all ages. The main Continue Reading...
Vikings to descend upon Manassas!
By Patricia Hall, Fairfax Family Fun When you live in an area as rich in history as Northern Virginia is, you have ample opportunities to relive moments of days gone past. NOVA (and areas nearby) is home to several Civil War and Revolutionary reenactments, as well as many other living history events throughout the year. Now you can add a different one to the list: the viking festival returns! The Manassas Viking Festival, coming May 11, Continue Reading...
See the world at embassy open house day!
By Patricia Hall, Fairfax Family Fun Living so close to the nation's capital has some distinct advantages, one of them being the ability to meet people truly from all over the world. And there is no better time to do this than during the annual "Around the World Embassy Tour" (AWET). This festival, which happens each spring, is open to the public, highly educational and fun, and completely free. AWET happens this year on Saturday, May 4, Continue Reading...
The year of the pig: Lunar New Year is coming up!
Celebrations of the new year aren't over when the January 1st has come and gone. For some people around the world, the traditional new year won't happen for another few weeks: Lunar New Year (sometimes called Chinese New Year) is coming up soon! This year (4717 in the Chinese lunar calendar) is the “Year of the Pig” (or sometimes called The Year of the Boar) and it begins on February 5, 2019. With a sizable Asian population in the Northern Continue Reading...
ETAP kicks Christmas into high gear with new musical
By Patricia Hall, Fairfax Family Fun UPDATE 12/13: We are giving away four tickets to one family to see this great show this weekend! See details at the end of this post! Every holiday season Northern Virginia families are treated to some great entertainment right here at home, by local students: it's time for the annual Christmas show by Encore Theatrical Arts Productions (ETAP)! For more than 20 years, ETAP has produced Continue Reading...
Disney on Ice outdoes itself with ‘Dare to Dream’
By Mariana Azuero for Fairfax Family Fun Disney. It’s a name that everyone knows, a name that puts a smile on your face and that is always attached to happy memories. Last Friday, I had the amazing opportunity to take my daughters (ages 4 and 6) to Disney on Ice presents Dare to Dream, and once again, Disney did not disappoint. (Note: the next shows are October 6-8, 2017.) The show starts off with Mickey, Minnie, Donald, and Goofy Continue Reading...
Encore Theatrical Arts Project presents ‘That’s Life’
A true gem in the Northern Virginia, Encore Theatrical Arts Project (ETAP) produces high-caliber musicals featuring talented youth from the community. Each Christmas season and each spring, dozens of young dancers and actors from elementary through high school tap, spin, and dance their way into our hearts. This weekend, the group presents its 21st original Broadway-style spring musical, THAT’S LIFE. The song and dance musical is about Continue Reading...
