UPDATE 3/12/20: Some events cancelled due to coronavirus pandemic By Patricia Hall, FairfaxFamilyFun.com St. Patrick's Day (Lá Fhéile Pádraig) is coming up March 17! The day, a national holiday in Ireland, is celebrated unofficially in the United States as well with parades and other big community celebrations, including some close to us in Alexandria, Manassas, and Washington, DC. While you may be spending the day celebrating a meal Continue Reading...
Lunar New Year celebrations in DC and VA
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...
U.S. states that offer free skiing for kids
By Patricia Hall, Fairfax Family Fun Ready to take your son or daughter to the slopes? Children who enjoy skiing, are just starting out, or want to learn to ski can take advantage of programs across the country designed to get them on the slopes -- for free. Many ski resorts throughout the United States participate in state ski association programs offer free skiing for kids. These programs are designed to get children outside to enjoy active Continue Reading...
Thanksgiving at home? See the Reston Holiday Parade!
By Patricia Hall, FairfaxFamilyFun.com In town for Thanksgiving? You're in luck -- you get to see a fun holiday parade without having to go to New York! One of our favorite holiday events in Fairfax County is the annual holiday parade in Reston. This is one of Northern Virginia's largest and most beloved parades. Reston’s Holiday Parade, which takes place the day after Thanksgiving, is a big and festive event. This year's it's on Friday, Continue Reading...
Halloween parades put spooky fun on display
By Patricia Hall, Fairfax Family Fun Celebrating Halloween these days goes beyond trick-or-treating or touring a haunted house. Many communities also host parties, festivals, and other events, including Halloween parades! These are fun ways to watch kids (and sometimes pets!) stroll by in their costumes and even see some neat floats. Below are some of the larger Halloween parades coming up soon in Northern Virginia. If big crowds are not your Continue Reading...
Fourth of July Fireworks & Festivals in Northern Virginia & DC
Celebrate Independence Day in Northern Virginia and DC! We're lucky to live so close to Washington DC, and being in DC for the big National Fourth of July parade and A Capitol Fourth concert and fireworks is something you definitely need to experience at least a few times. But if you want to be "closer to home," we also have many fun options for Fourth of July celebrations in Fairfax County or right on the border to us. From huge daylong Continue Reading...
Mardi Gras in Northern Virginia
By Patricia Hall, Fairfax Family Fun Laissez les bon temps rouler! It's (almost) Mardi Gras in time! We may be far from the big festivities in Louisiana and Mississippi, but we can still "let the good times roll" right here in Northern Virginia with our own celebrations! Mardi Gras, for "Fat Tuesday," refers of course to the carnival season that starts on or after the Christian feasts of the Epiphany and ends on the day before Ash 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...
National Harbor celebrates 10th anniversary with free rides, music, and more
By Patricia Hall, Fairfax Family Fun Maybe it's because so many new stores and restaurants keep being added, or because the nearby MGM hotel and casino is just a little over a year old, but... can you believe National Harbor has been around for a decade? This community along the Potomac River in southern Maryland is celebrating 10 years with a full day of fun, including some great free offers, on Sunday, April 8, 2018. Among the highlights Continue Reading...
Celebrate George Washington’s birthday!
Happy Birthday, George Washington! Soon we'll celebrate the birthday of our nation's first president, and while the federal holiday of Washington's birthday is now more popularly known as "Presidents Day," celebrating the birthdays of both Washington and Abraham Lincoln, in Northern Virginia, the party is mostly about George. After all, it was right here where Washington made his home, and his Mount Vernon Estate just south of Alexandria is one Continue Reading...
