FairfaxFairfax
The City of Fairfax Fall Festival turns 50 on Saturday, October 10
Downtown Fairfax fills with 400-plus art and craft vendors, food and several stages, 10 am to 5 pm, rain or shine. Entry is free; some kids' rides cost extra.
Old Town Fairfax · The Fall Festival turns 50 here on Saturday. Artist's rendering of a real place.
Weekly · every ThursdayIssue 1Saturday, October 10, 20263 minute read
What's Up, NoVA?The good news, the weekend, and the weather across Fairfax, Loudoun, Prince William and Arlington. No politics. No crime.
By Ahmed Makkiyah, REALTOR® · Douglas Realty of Virginia
Good news only
Your town's weather and what to wear
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Forecast: National Weather Service, Sterling office.
Good morning, NoVA. The City of Fairfax's Fall Festival turns 50 on Saturday, October 10, Clifton gets its one train stop of the year on Sunday, and next weekend the farms of western Loudoun open their gates for free. Here is the week, town by town, with the weather and what to wear.
In short
- Sat Oct 10: Fairfax Fall Festival, 50th year, free.
- Sun Oct 11: Clifton Day and Paws in the Park in Old Town.
- Oct 17 and 18: Loudoun Fall Farm Tour, 30-plus farms, free.
This weekend
Saturday and Sunday, October 10 and 11
FairfaxClifton
Clifton Day brings 150 vendors and the one train stop of the year
Historic Clifton's festival, running since 1967, has artisans, music and kids' activities, and it is the one day a year the VRE train stops in town. Free to enter; festival parking costs extra.
FairfaxAlexandria
Paws in the Park returns to the Old Town waterfront
A free pet festival at Oronoco Bay Park, 11 am to 4 pm, with adoptable animals, vendors, live music and a dog costume contest. It also marks the Animal Welfare League's 80th year.
FairfaxAlexandria
Old Town Oyster Week opens with a shucking contest
Old Town restaurants feature oyster dishes all week, with a passport to collect stamps. It starts with a shucking competition outside Daniel O'Connell's at 11 am Saturday.
Mark your calendar
The week after
LoudounMiddleburg
The Middleburg Film Festival rolls out its red carpet
Four days of screenings and talks in hunt country. Individual tickets go on sale once the full lineup is announced.
ArlingtonArlington
Ballston Quarter hosts its first Diwali Festival of Lights
A free evening, 4 to 8 pm, open to all: henna artists, a dance performance, a group rangoli art project, a DJ and a pop-up market.
Prince WilliamHaymarket
Haymarket Day returns with a parade and 250-plus vendors
The town's big fall day starts with a 10 am parade, then hundreds of vendors along the main street.
LoudounWestern Loudoun
Loudoun's free Fall Farm Tour opens 30-plus farms
Two days, 10 am to 4 pm: farms, vineyards, creameries and nurseries around Purcellville, Lovettsville and Hillsboro open their gates. Some stops charge for food or activities.
FairfaxReston
Chalk artists take over Reston Town Center
ChalkFest turns Market Street into an outdoor gallery: chalking from 10 am, judging at 4 pm, winners at 5. Free to watch, with face painting and live music.
FairfaxFalls Church
The outdoor painting festival moves to October 17
Falls Church Arts' plein air day, with artists painting around town, was rescheduled after the storms. Base: City Hall, 300 Park Ave.
Good news
Wins around Northern Virginia
ArlingtonArlington
Arlington's parks earn national accreditation for the fifth time
The Department of Parks and Recreation received its fifth straight CAPRA accreditation on September 30, one of about 222 accredited park and recreation agencies out of roughly 10,000 nationwide.
Prince WilliamWoodbridge
A new net-zero Occoquan Elementary opens its doors
Prince William schools cut the ribbon on the $80 million replacement for a nearly century-old building: rooftop solar, geothermal heating and cooling, and a rooftop outdoor classroom.
FairfaxFairfax County
The county's flood-insurance discount grows to 25 percent
Fairfax County moved up a class in FEMA's Community Rating System, so the discount on National Flood Insurance Program policy premiums rises from 20 to 25 percent this month.
Fall color
Patchy now, best in two to three weeks
The Virginia Department of Forestry's October 8 report puts color at 10 to 40 percent in spots, with the oaks still green. Eastern Virginia, which includes Northern Virginia on the department's map, usually peaks in late October into early November.
Source: Virginia Department of Forestry.
Market minute
Almost half of Vienna's house sales closed above the asking price
Two numbers from Ahmed's own Bright MLS pull: in Vienna, almost half (46 percent) of the single-family houses that closed from January 1 to October 2, 2026 sold above their asking price, and the median house sale price was $1.453 million.
Closed sales from January 1 to October 2, 2026, single-family houses, Bright MLS, pulled by Ahmed Makkiyah. The Vienna guide.
Know something good happening in your town?
A festival, a new park, a school win, a trail opening. Send it and it may be in next Thursday's issue.
ما الجديد في شمال فرجينيا؟
صفحة أسبوعية، كل خميس: الأخبار الجيدة، وفعاليات نهاية الأسبوع، وطقس مدينتك وماذا ترتدي. لا سياسة ولا جرائم.
- السبت ١٠ أكتوبر: مهرجان الخريف في مدينة فيرفاكس يحتفل بعامه الخمسين، والدخول مجاني.
- الأحد ١١ أكتوبر: يوم كليفتون، والمحطة الوحيدة في السنة التي يتوقف فيها قطار VRE في البلدة.
- ١٧ و١٨ أكتوبر: جولة مزارع لاودن الخريفية، أكثر من ثلاثين مزرعة تفتح أبوابها مجاناً.
- في فيينا، ٤٦٪ من المنازل المستقلة التي بيعت من ١ يناير إلى ٢ أكتوبر ٢٠٢٦، أي نحو النصف، بيعت بأعلى من السعر المطلوب، وبلغ السعر الوسطي لبيع المنزل ١٫٤٥٣ مليون دولار ★.
★ مبيعات مغلقة من ١ يناير إلى ٢ أكتوبر ٢٠٢٦، منازل مستقلة لعائلة واحدة، من Bright MLS، جمعها أحمد مكية.
★ Closed sales from January 1 to October 2, 2026, single-family houses, Bright MLS, pulled by Ahmed Makkiyah.
Every item links to its source. Headlines and summaries are written here; no article text or photos are copied. Events are listed as a service to readers and never as paid placements. Weather: National Weather Service forecast for each town, read in your browser.