The Ashburn Village Sports Pavilion runs a fall festival Friday evening and Saturday noon to 8, free to walk into, non-resident or not.
The 5-second plan
A free Friday or Saturday: the Ashburn Village Fall Fest is free at the gate for everyone, Friday 5 to 8 and Saturday noon to 8. In Ashburn.
A parent of small kids: the Virginia Native American Festival at Riverbend Park is $12 if you book by 10 p.m. Friday, $15 at the door. Saturday 10 to 2:30, about half an hour out.
A couple willing to drive to Leesburg: Winslow plays the Eagles at the Tally Ho on Friday, doors 7, with the Loudoun First Responders Foundation. The price is on TicketWeb, not the venue's page.
Every registered voter: Friday October 23 is both the registration deadline and the last day to ask for a mailed ballot. Early voting opens September 18 and runs to October 31.
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Editor's Pick
The Ashburn Village Fall Fest is free to walk into, and free means everyone, resident or not. Live music, a beer garden and food trucks at the Sports Pavilion. The wristband is the part you pay for: bounce houses, the petting zoo, pony rides and the video game truck. The presale is for residents and pavilion members only, through the AVSP portal, and everyone else pays at the gate. The wristband side suits the younger end while the music keeps the adults there, so one evening covers a toddler and a fourteen-year-old.
Fri 9/11, 5-8 p.m. and Sat 9/12, noon-8 p.m. · Free in; wristband $5 presale / $8 day-of (residents and members, $20 family cap), $10 non-resident · In Ashburn, 20585 Ashburn Village Blvd · All ages
The same building runs a Parent's Night Out that Friday at $10 a child, in Family.
This Weekend
Friday the 11th holds a morning ceremony and an evening vigil in Leesburg, a dance lesson at Brambleton Library at 7 and doors at the Tally Ho at 7.
Eddie Merlot's does four courses for two at $99, and Wednesday is the only day it runs. Dine-in only, and there is a reservation form on the promotions page, so book rather than turn up. No end date is published; the restaurant says a limited time, while supplies last.
Wed 9/9, and every Wednesday · $99 for two, four courses; drinks, tax and tip on top · In Ashburn, 20350 Minot Dr · Adults
Leesburg marks the 25th anniversary with two ceremonies eleven hours apart. The morning observance is at the Freedom Memorial in Freedom Park; the evening candlelight vigil on the Town Green is new for the 25th. Candles go to the first 100 people and only LED or flameless ones are allowed, so the wax one in the kitchen drawer will not get you in. Freedom Park stays open until 9. Parks and Recreation is on 703-777-1368.
Fri 9/11, 8:30 a.m. and 7:30 p.m. · Free; no admission figure published · ~15 min, Freedom Park and the Town Green, Leesburg · All ages; 7:30 is late for small children
Brambleton Library teaches line dancing basics on Friday night, and there is nothing to sign up for. Danielle Schill of LineDance4You takes a room of adults through the grapevine, the shuffles and the starter steps. Footwear, per the branch: leather or smooth soles are ideal, sneakers and boots fine.
Fri 9/11, 7-9 p.m. · No price published; no sign-up needed · ~15 min, Brambleton Library, 22850 Brambleton Plaza · Adults
The Tally Ho has Winslow playing the Eagles on Friday, billed as Honoring 25 Years Since 9/11 with Loudoun First Responders Foundation. The foundation supports Loudoun's first responders and the billing is the venue's own. Doors at 7, no set time published and no age policy, so read it as an adult evening.
Fri 9/11, doors 7 p.m. · No price on the venue's page; figures on TicketWeb · ~25 min, 19 W Market St, Leesburg · Adults; no age policy published
The Washington Spirit host Boston Legacy FC at one o'clock on Sunday, and it is Spirit & Paws Day. One o'clock is early enough for a small child to sit through the whole match. What Paws Day requires is published nowhere: no dog ticket, no vaccination rule, no waiver, so call the club before you bring one. Navy Yard-Ballpark on the Green Line beats parking.
Sun 9/13, 1 p.m. kickoff · No price on the club's page; tickets through Ticketmaster · ~1 hr, Audi Field, Washington DC · All ages
Family
Riverbend's festival finishes at 2:30 and the Children's Business Fair runs a second session from 4, so Saturday holds both. Book Riverbend by 10 p.m. Friday and it is $12 instead of $15.
The D&D table at Ashburn Library on Wednesday is the one for a first-timer. It is peer-led and character sheets are there if you do not have one.
Monday's table at Brambleton is the biweekly Intermediate game, run by staff, and it asks for a notebook and two level 7 characters.
Wed 9/9, 6:30-8:30 p.m. (Ashburn) and Mon 9/14, 6-8 p.m. (Brambleton) · No price published; no registration shown · In Ashburn (Wed), ~15 min (Mon) · Middle and high school
The pavilion runs a Parent's Night Out at $10 a child while the Fall Fest is on outside. Pizza, a movie and crafts in the youth classroom. Sign up in advance on the form; the potty-trained condition is the organizer's own. It runs half an hour past the festival, so pick-up is after the music stops.
Fri 9/11, 5-8:30 p.m. · $10 per child · In Ashburn, AVSP youth classroom, 20585 Ashburn Village Blvd · Ages 3-12, potty trained
A free 9/11 Honor Walk circles Warriors' Field at the National Museum of the United States Army. The Army Historical Foundation hosts it for the 25th anniversary and walkers get a commemorative pin. It is a walk, not a ceremony: no start time to make, no seat to hold. Inside, "Steel & Stone: Engineering the Response to 9/11" covers the Army Corps of Engineers at Ground Zero and the Pentagon. Admission is free.
Fri 9/11 through Sun 9/13, 9 a.m.-5 p.m. daily · Free · ~50 min, Warriors' Field, National Museum of the United States Army · Big kids and teens
The Virginia Native American Festival at Riverbend Park is $12 if you book by Friday night, $15 at the door. Online booking closes at 10 p.m. the night before. You meet members of the Pamunkey, Mattaponi, Upper Mattaponi and Chickahominy tribes. Plant walks leave every half hour from 10, and live animal presentations run at 10:30, 11:30, 12:30 and 1:30. Three asks: stay outside the dance circle, say regalia not costumes, and do not touch regalia or a fallen feather.
Sat 9/12, 10 a.m.-2:30 p.m. · $12 booked by 10 p.m. Friday, $15 at the door · ~30 min, Riverbend Park, Fairfax County · All ages
Up to a hundred booths at Dulles Town Center, every one run by someone aged 6 to 14. The
Little CEOs Foundation runs its fifth annual fair indoors. It is two fairs, not one long day: Fair 1 packs up at 3 and Fair 2 opens at 4, with different children selling in each. Turn up at 3:15 and the one you drove for has just finished. Applications have closed, so a child can shop it but cannot sell.
Sat 9/12, Fair 1 11 a.m.-3 p.m., Fair 2 4-8 p.m. · No shopper price published · ~15 min, Dulles Town Center, 21100 Dulles Town Cir · Shoppers big kids and tweens; sellers 6-14
Qahwa Cafe at the ADAMS Center shows Up on Sunday, free, in a sensory-friendly format. Bad Guys follows on the 20th and Cars on the 27th, and the run ends there. An adult is required to stay for the whole film, and the organizer asks families to check the title first, since some of it is not right for very small children. Register through their Givebutter link.
Sun 9/13, 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m. · Free; concessions at the counter · ~15 min, ADAMS Sterling, Qahwa Cafe · All ages, with the organizer's caution
What Actually Matters
Tonight's hearing has a noon cutoff to sign up to speak in advance, and the county's surplus auction closes at 9:30 tomorrow morning.
The Board of Supervisors holds a public hearing tonight at 6, and the advance phone line to sign up to speak closes at noon. Three routes: 703-777-0200 by noon today, in person with the clerk from thirty minutes before the start, or 703-880-8534 during the hearing, first come first served. Comments have to be about something already on that night's agenda. Speakers are typically given at least two minutes, and you can sign up for yourself, a spouse or an HOA. The county's agenda panel for tonight is empty, so what is being heard is unpublished. Watch on Comcast 1075, FiOS 40 or loudoun.gov/meetings.
Wed 9/9, 6 p.m.; sign-up closes noon · Free, open meeting · ~20 min, Board Room, Government Center, 1 Harrison St SE, Leesburg · Adults
The county's surplus auction closes at 9:30 tomorrow morning, and every winning bid carries a 9.75% buyer's premium on top. On the block: a 2019 Toyota Highlander, a 2019 Ram 1500, a Star Trac stair climber and a Matrix treadmill, plus air purifiers, stage lights, server racks, computers and printers. Bidding needs a free publicsurplus.com registration. Pickup is by appointment and the dates are printed on each lot.
Bidding closes Thu 9/10, 9:30 a.m. · Free to register and bid; 9.75% buyer's premium · Online; pickup ~20 min, 14 Cardinal Park Dr Suite 106, Leesburg · Adults
Early voting opens Friday September 18, and two deadlines land on Friday October 23: the last day to register and the last day to ask for a mailed ballot. Any registered Virginia voter can vote early in person, no excuse needed, at the Elections office on Miller Drive; it is closed October 12. Miss the registration deadline and you can still register through Election Day and vote provisionally. Election Day is Tuesday November 3. Four satellite sites open Sunday October 18, and one is the Ashburn Recreation and Community Center.
Opens Fri 9/18, runs to Sat 10/31; Ashburn satellite opens Sun 10/18 · Free · ~15 min to the Leesburg office, 750 Miller Dr SE Suite 150; the Ashburn Rec Center is in Ashburn · Registered voters
Opening Radar
bartaco cleared its pre-opening health inspection at One Loudoun on August 5, per the county's inspection record. That sign-off comes shortly before a restaurant starts serving, and it is not an opening date. Nobody has published one. The operator's page for the Uptown Row address reads coming soon, with no hours and no menu.
Inspected August 5; no opening date published · No menu and no prices yet · In Ashburn, 44695 Uptown Row Dr · Not open yet
Registration Radar
Youth basketball evaluations begin Monday September 28, registration shuts when the league fills rather than on a date, and refunds stop entirely on October 15.
Dulles Youth Basketball is $250 a child and closes when the league fills, not on a date. Refunds shrink then stop: lose $50 now, $75 after October 1, nothing back after October 15. Card only, and Loudoun County residents only. Evaluations are mandatory.
The schedule: kindergarten Monday September 28 at 6:15 and second grade at 7, first grade Tuesday September 29 at 6:15 and third grade up at 7, make-ups Tuesday October 13, all at Cedar Lane.
Open now; closes when the league fills · $250, card only; no refund after Oct 15 · In Ashburn, Cedar Lane Elementary and area schools · Loudoun residents, kindergarten and up
The Ashburn Farm Thanksgiving Day races cost $35 now and $40 after September 29. Every distance is the same price, so a family of three saves $15 by entering this month. The 10K goes at 8:15, the 5K at 8:25 and the 2K at 8:35. Every registrant picks a shirt, proceeds fund Crossroads UMC mission outreach, and a Run Anywhere version runs at the same price.
Race Thu 11/26; price rises 11:59 p.m. Tue 9/29 · $35 plus a $3.10 fee now, $40 after · In Ashburn, Ashburn Farm · All ages; the 2K suits small children
Swim places at the Sports Pavilion are handed out after the October 3 assessment, not before it. Anyone new, or back after three months away, must pass it, and the Sunday assessment does the same for Frozen Jets. Group lessons are thirty minutes a week, four swimmers to a class, $63 a month for members and $79.80 for non-members. The Frozen Jets team is separate: Frozen Squirts through Level 3 is $88 a month for members plus a $60 season fee, or $105 plus $80 for non-members.
Sat 10/3, 2-3 p.m. (lessons) and Sun 10/4, 12:30-1:30 p.m. (Frozen Jets) · Lessons $63-$79.80 a month; no assessment fee published · In Ashburn, Ashburn Village Sports Pavilion · From age 3
Save the Date
Waterford's ticket is $5 cheaper in advance and now covers all three days, and the Heritage India Festival sells at the door, cash only.
Salsa Cinderella is $5, and the whole cast is reimagined as the ingredients in a jar of salsa. Grey Seal Puppets tell it with rod and shadow puppets. About forty minutes inside the hour, roughly what a two-year-old can sit through, and a 10 a.m. weekday start makes it a preschool or homeschool morning.
Wed 9/16, 10-11 a.m. · $5 · ~35 min, Franklin Park Arts Center, 36441 Blueridge View Ln, Purcellville · Ages 2 and up
Claude Moore Park's Fall Fest is free to get into, and the entrance you want is the one by the farm museum. Mini golf, a moon bounce, trampoline jumpers, a petting zoo, handmade crafts and the Friends of Claude Moore Park's 19th Annual Photo Expo. Use the Loudoun Park Lane entrance, not the main park entrance. Rain or shine.
Sat 9/19, 10 a.m.-3 p.m. · Free; crafts priced separately · ~15 min, Claude Moore Park, 21668 Heritage Farm Ln · All ages
The Harvest Blaze 5K runs the children's race first, so a family can do one each in a morning. Ashburn Volunteer Fire and Rescue runs it for its Ray Muth Scholarship Fund. The $45 is the final tier, so nothing is gained by paying early; the Spark Sprint covers ages 4 to 10, and shirts are gone for anyone registering now. Runners 21 and over get a beer ticket and need photo ID twice, at packet pickup and at the brewery.
Sat 9/26, Spark Sprint 9 a.m., 5K 9:20 a.m. · $45 5K, $20 Spark Sprint · In Ashburn, Route 7 Brewing, 20051 Riverside Commons Plaza #148 · All ages
A Waterford Fair ticket now covers all three days with unlimited entry, where it used to buy one. Seniors 65 and over, military and youth 13 to 21 pay $20 either way, and advance tickets carry a processing fee. Admission covers the historic homes tour with docents, living history interpreters and the main stage; food, drink, workshops and artisan wares are separate. Parking is free and the village is pedestrian-only. No pets; service dogs welcome.
Fri 10/2 - Sun 10/4, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. daily · $20 advance, $25 gate; 12 and under free with a paid adult · ~40 min, Village of Waterford, Western Loudoun · All ages
Ashburn Village clears four household chores in one morning: shredding, paint, electronics and old prescriptions. Recyclers take the first three; the Sheriff's Office takes the medication, and you need ID as proof of residency. Not accepted: wood and deck stains, DryLock, polyurethane sealers, spray paint and hazardous waste. A yard sale runs alongside; register a spot by Monday September 28 at events@ashburnvillage.org.
Sat 10/3, 9 a.m.-1 p.m. · Free except paint: first three cans free, $5 each after · In Ashburn, The Lakes parking lot, 44078 Cheltenham Cir · Adults
An 80s murder mystery night at the South Riding Center, $50 a head with the food in. You dress the part and work the case rather than sit and watch. Heavy hors d'oeuvres are included and drinks are sold separately.
Fri 10/16, 7-10 p.m. · $50 per person, food included · ~20 min, South Riding Center, 42420 Unicorn Dr · 21+
Thirty-four Loudoun farms open their gates for a weekend, free, with no ticket to buy. Self-guided, and though
the county publishes 10 to 4 both days, individual farms may differ. Hogback Mountain Pony Rides is closed for 2026, and the Silver Line pilot bus is not running. Get the printed route list, free at the Ashburn, Brambleton and Cascades libraries; the interactive map is still marked coming soon.
Sat 10/17 and Sun 10/18, 10 a.m.-4 p.m. both days · Free at the gates; farms may charge for food and activities · Countywide · All ages
The Heritage India Festival takes cash at the door and nothing else. There are no advance sales, so arriving without cash means not getting in. Food comes from the area's South Asian restaurants.
Sat 10/24, noon-9 p.m. and Sun 10/25, noon-7 p.m. · $5 per person per day, cash at the door; 5 and under free; parking free · ~15 min, 21050 Dulles Town Cir, Sterling · All ages
Extra Credit
The Friday market on Exchange Street runs every week until the end of October, so a missed Friday is not a lost one.
The Moonlight Market on Exchange Street puts local makers and bakers out every Friday evening through October 30, free to walk into.Every Friday, 5-9 p.m., through Oct 30 · Free to walk in; you pay for what you buy · In Ashburn, 20387 Exchange St · All ages
The Lakes and Woods pools are open 11 to 8 the next two weekends; Mills stops at 3 on the 19th for the dog swim, and no Sunday hours are listed for it on the 20th. The Sports Pavilion outdoor pool closed for the season on Labor Day.
Sat-Sun 9/12-9/13 and 9/19-9/20 · Membership card or guest pass; no gate price published · In Ashburn, Ashburn Village · All ages, membership permitting
Sportrock Sterling runs its first 24-hour rope competition, teams of three climbing, belaying and resting in rotation from Saturday lunchtime to Sunday lunchtime. The rules session is at 11:15, fifteen minutes before the first climb. Points scale with difficulty, 100 for a 5.7 and doubling each grade, with 30% more for leading. Prizes from Arc'teryx and Sterling Rope. Parking is limited, so the gym asks people to carpool.
Rules 11:15 a.m.; climbing Sat 9/19 11:30 a.m. to Sun 9/20 11:30 a.m. · $15 member entry; a not-yet-member day pass listed with no price · ~15 min, Sportrock Climbing, Sterling · No age requirement published
Most of FXA's late-fall leagues close on Wednesday September 30, so a player still choosing between volleyball and cornhole is choosing by then. A few, including the Monday cornhole at Solace and the Monday men's basketball, run on to October 7. The
Herndon cornhole league at Aslin Beer runs six Tuesdays from October 13, $50 a player, 21 and up.
Wed 9/30 for most; a few close Oct 7 · $50 a player cornhole; volleyball $695 a team or $90 an individual · ~20 min to the Herndon cornhole; further to the volleyball courts · 18+; cornhole 21+
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