Old Town Fairfax's October Belongs to the Events That Already Show Up on Time

The City of Fairfax holds its 50th Annual Fall Festival on Saturday, October 10, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Four other dates land in the same month, and each of them repeats on a fixed schedule. Meanwhile, the restaurants announced for this fall are still giving target months, and one of those months has already slipped. If you're planning October around downtown, plan around the events that have a track record.

Two events, one opening weekend

October starts at Old Town Square. Fiesta Fairfax runs Saturday, October 3, with cultural performances, food vendors and artisans. The next afternoon, Fairfax Main St. Market sets up at 10417 Main St. It runs the first Sunday of every month from April through December, noon to 4, with vintage goods and handmade art.

The market is newer than it looks. Three independent retailers, Lucy Loves, Mode on Main by Mara and Perfect Mistakes, started it with the Old Town Fairfax Business Association last fall. That makes October 4 one of its first fall dates. It's also a good example of how Old Town tends to add things: shops already on the street banding together around a recurring date, without waiting on a buildout.

The festival that started as a small market

The city's own description of the Fall Festival tells the same story at a bigger scale. It began as a small market where artisans showed their work. It now has more than 400 art and craft, informational and food vendors, plus children's activities, several entertainment stages and beer gardens. In the city's anniversary announcement, Mayor Catherine Read described it as a gathering that welcomes residents, visitors and George Mason University neighbors. Fair City Mall is the event's Elite Sponsor.

The city hasn't published the festival's first year, and nothing we found mentions an anniversary-only program. The 50th looks a lot like the 49th, only bigger.

Admission is free and the festival runs rain or shine, with no backup date. The city said the full 2026 vendor list would go up in September, but the page still read "more information coming" when we last checked. The city also hasn't posted a street-by-street closure list for 2026 in its page text, so use the official event map and the city's text alerts rather than last year's route. To get alerts, text FALLFEST to 888-777.

October 10, planned like a local

Most festival pages bury the details that decide whether your Saturday goes well. Here they are, in roughly the order you'll need them.

1. Leave the car outside downtown. Free, ADA-accessible shuttles run from 9:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. from GMU's Rappahannock Parking Deck at 4400 University Drive and from Fairfax High School at 3501 Lion Run. The city says parking at the Rappahannock Deck is free.
2. Bike in, then valet it. Bikes and scooters aren't allowed inside the festival. A free bike and scooter valet operates east of Old Town Square.
3. Leave the dog home. The city discourages pets other than service animals.
4. Know your landmarks. The ATM is at University Drive and Sager Avenue. Lost and found is at spaces 069/070 at University Drive and South Street. First aid is at Fire Station 3, and there are three free water stations inside the footprint.
5. Budget for the rides. An all-you-can-ride wristband costs $30, and single rides take $3 or $5 tickets. Riders need a signed waiver and a wristband, and rides depend on the weather.
6. Watch the beer garden clock. All three gardens are open 10:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. The last tickets sell at 4:30 and the final pour is 4:45. You'll find them at the Main Stage at 4103 Chain Bridge Road, at Old Town Square at 10415 North Street, and at Food Court 1 at University Drive and Sager Avenue.

The 3 p.m. problem

The stage schedule has one real conflict. Every stage saves its headliner for the same two hours.

On the Main Stage, sponsored by Fair City Mall, the Northern Virginia Shag Club dances in short sets at 10, 1 and 2. La Unica plays 10:30 to 12:30, and Herr Metal, an '80s-style arena-rock act, closes from 3 to 5. Over at the Old Town Square Stage, sponsored by Renewal by Andersen, the Main Street Band opens at 10, Fletcher Roberts Magic performs at 11:30 and again at 2:15, Highway Legends plays 12:30 to 2, and Keeton finishes from 3 to 5.

The Children's Stage, sponsored by Bond Vet, fills the day with Legacy Irish Dance Academy, Valhalla, Village EDU, Dance with Cheong, The Center for Ballet Arts, Melina's Dance Company and Fletcher Roberts Magic. From 2:30 to 5 it hands over to Cruel Summer, a Taylor Swift tribute sponsored by Invest529.

So a family that wants Cruel Summer and a group that wants Herr Metal will be on different stages from mid-afternoon on. Pick a meeting spot before 2:30. The morning is the better time to wander together.

The quieter half of the day

Several of the best stops on festival day are indoors and don't charge admission. Sparky's Harvest Bash at Fire Station 3, 4081 University Drive, runs 10 to 5 with fire-safety activities and an open house. The City of Fairfax Museum and Visitor Center at 10209 Main Street is open 11 to 4. Legato School Museum on Chain Bridge Road opens 10 to 2.

Fall for the Book's October 10 programming for young readers brings five authors into Paradise Games & Gifts at 10385 Main Street. The festival also has a table in front of Old Town Hall. Fall for the Book's schedule also warns of significant street closures that day.

Two established Main Street spots sit close to the festival's busiest stretches. De Clieu Coffee & Sandwich is at 10389 Main St., at the corner of Main and University. Bellissimo Restaurant is at 10403 Main Street. We couldn't confirm which storefronts end up inside the barricades, so check the event map before you count on a sit-down lunch.

Where the new food actually stands

This is where the month's calendar gets less certain. Every new restaurant tied to fall 2026 in the city is still announced or "coming soon," and each target is a month, not a day.

• S&P Burger, 11055 Main St. The halal smash-and-pressed burger business that owner Kais Abawi launched in August 2025 as a food truck is building its first permanent shop. On August 21, Northern Virginia Magazine reported that the business said construction was nearly complete and it hoped to open in October, with no exact date announced.
• Chin's Xi'An Style Restaurant, inside 99 Ranch Market at 10780 Fairfax Blvd. In early August it was forecast to open August 7. The company's locations page now says "Opening Sept 2026" and still lists Fairfax as "Coming soon." FFXnow reported that it plans takeout plus seating inside the grocery store.
• Roll Play, 10955 Fairfax Blvd., Suite 100. The fast-casual Vietnamese spot is moving into the former Moe's Southwest Grill, which closed July 31. As of September 17, FFXnow reported a November target and buildout still underway.

One familiar spot has closed. Ornery Beer Company shut its Fairfax City pub at 3950 University Dr., Suite 106, on July 26. The Herndon brewpub and Bristow taproom are still open.

Chin's slipping from August to September is ordinary for restaurant openings. It's also why this guide puts S&P Burger's October target in the "maybe" column. If S&P opens before the 31st, the month gets a bonus. If it doesn't, the October 23 and October 31 events don't change.

Closing out the month

Rock the Block brings Groovalicious and food vendors to Old Town Square on Friday, October 23, from 6:30 to 9:30 p.m. On October 31, the last Saturday of the month, the Fairfax Funky Flea at 4031 University Dr. has vendors selling antique finds. It runs from April through November, so October isn't its last date of the year, and Washingtonian notes that area restaurants and food trucks cater each market. For regular trips downtown outside event days, the Old Town Fairfax Business Association says its designated public garages and surface lots are generally free.

For more on the city beyond October, our Fairfax neighborhood page covers the bigger picture.

If you've spent a few Fall Festivals at the corner of Main and University and you're starting to wonder what that location is worth to you over the long run, Coral Gundlach is happy to talk it through over coffee, with no pressure. Book a Consultation and bring your festival map.