Reston's Holiday Season Happens in Three Places This Year. Here's How the Calendar Lines Up.

For years, the holidays in Reston meant Reston Town Center. The parade came down the streets, the big tree lit up, and the Pavilion turned into an ice rink. That still happens. Since 2023, though, Reston Association's Winterfest has grown fast enough to make Brown's Chapel Park a second center of the season. FFXnow reports that more than 10,000 people came over three days last year. Lake Anne Plaza has its own December events on top of that.

Those three places used to keep to their own weeks. In 2026 they overlap. From Thursday, Dec. 3 through Sunday, Dec. 6, the biggest events of the season fall back to back, and on Saturday, Dec. 5, all three places have something going on. Here's how the calendar fills in, from the first skate to that weekend and after it.

Town Center Opens the Season a Day Earlier

The Reston Town Center rink opens Friday, Nov. 6, and runs through March 14, 2027, weather permitting. Last season it opened on Friday, Nov. 7, so this year's start is one day earlier. General admission on the rink's ticket page starts at $10, and skate rental is added during checkout. Groups of 10 or more pay $15 per person with skates included. Town Center says public skating runs daily with longer hours around the holidays. Check the session times on its site before you go.

The weekend after the rink opens, Public Art Reston runs a Public Art Walking Tour at Town Center on Saturday, Nov. 7, from 2 to 4 p.m. On Wednesday, Nov. 11, Veterans Day, the Run for Valor 5K goes from 8 to 10 a.m.

The biggest day at Town Center is Friday, Nov. 27, the day after Thanksgiving. The Reston Holiday Parade & Tree Lighting has the parade at 11 a.m. and the tree lighting at 6 p.m. Reston Community Center lists the parade as free from 11 a.m. to noon. It says Santa visits and photos, a sing-along and carriage rides follow later in the day, ahead of the lighting. That leaves about six hours between the two main events, and the rink, shops and restaurants fill that time.

Town Center's restaurants look a little different this year. Clarity opened its second location on July 24 at 1996 Opportunity Way in RTC Next, after starting in Vienna. It's a 4,500-square-foot restaurant with indoor seating and a patio, owned by Viswanath Vasireddy, according to FFXnow. This is its first holiday season here. Meanwhile, True Food Kitchen served its last meal at 11901 Democracy Drive on Oct. 4, after more than five years. FFXnow notes that the Merrifield location is still open. If that was your usual stop between the parade and the tree lighting, you'll need a new one.

Brown's Chapel Park Became the Second Center in Four Years

Winterfest started in 2023. This year it returns to Brown's Chapel Park, 1525 Brown's Chapel Road, for a fourth year, Thursday through Saturday, Dec. 3 to 5, from 5 to 9 p.m. each night. The regular features are back. There's the half-mile "Light Up the Park" walk through thousands of lights, a Vendor Village for holiday shopping, and the Enchanted Forest of decorated trees sponsored by local businesses, residents and community groups. After the festival, every Enchanted Forest tree is donated to a Reston family in need, with support from the nonprofit Friends of Reston. Sponsor sign-ups are open now.

New this year is a Polar Play Park with ice carvings and interactive ice games. RA spokesperson Cara O'Donnell told FFXnow that the play park came from community feedback asking for more for kids to do. She added, "We also will have a DJ and snowmaking at different times of the evening in the polar play park (provided Mother Nature doesn't give us her own snow)." Santa will be there for free photos, and Grinch's Village is back. You can roast marshmallows at the fire pits.

RA has confirmed eight food trucks:

• Big Cheese
• Caffeine Machine
• Himalayan Soul Foods
• Kay's Mini Doughnuts
• Lupita's Taqueria
• Maryland Brat & Butcher Co
• Travelin' Tom's Coffee
• Two Smooth Dudes

Tickets went on sale Oct. 15. They cost $20 for nonmember adults and $10 for kids ages 3 to 17. RA members, recreation passholders and children 2 and under get in free. Everyone needs a ticket to get in, including the free groups. RA members should reserve theirs through the Winterfest page the same way everyone else does. With more than 10,000 people last year and RA expecting more this year, the free tickets are worth claiming early.

Lake Anne Has Its Own Smaller Season

Lake Anne Plaza's season is smaller and closer together. The Reston Farmers Market runs Saturdays from 8 a.m. to noon, and its last listed date is Nov. 21. That's the Saturday before Thanksgiving, so it's the last chance for market shopping before the holiday meal.

Two weeks later, Jingle on the Lake fills the plaza on Saturday, Dec. 5, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Public Art Reston lists it as one of its festival art activations. Reston Art Gallery and Studios opens its "Holiday Sparkle" show on Dec. 1 and holds a free reception on Sunday, Dec. 13, from 2 to 4 p.m., according to Reston Community Center's Lake Anne calendar.

The plaza also has a new shop for holiday gifts this year. Kinship Wine + Wares, owned by Jennifer Monago, had a soft opening over July 4th weekend at 1635B Washington Plaza North. It held its formal ribbon-cutting on Sept. 17 and a community celebration two days later, FFXnow reported. Like Clarity at Town Center, it's going into its first December, and it's a few steps from where Jingle on the Lake takes place.

The Weekend When All Three Overlap

Here's where the three calendars run into each other. From Thursday night to Sunday morning, the season's biggest events pile up, and on Saturday all three places have something on the schedule:

Saturday is the day that takes planning. Jingle on the Lake ends at 4 p.m. and Winterfest's last night starts at 5 p.m., so you can do both with an hour in between. That hour is enough for an early dinner or a stop at Kinship. The next morning, Town Center's Run with Santa 5K starts at 8 a.m. Families aiming for all three should expect a late Saturday night followed by an early Sunday start.

Thursday and Friday are the better nights for Winterfest if you'd rather skip the Saturday crowds. They have the same lights, the same Polar Play Park and the same food trucks, and nothing else in Reston is competing for those evenings. The Saturday crowd is also the one most likely to arrive straight from Lake Anne.

What Comes After the Overlap

Things slow down in mid-December, but the season keeps going. The Reston Art Gallery and Studios reception at Lake Anne is Sunday, Dec. 13, from 2 to 4 p.m. Town Center's monthly Dog Strut meets Saturday, Dec. 19, at 9:30 a.m. The rink stays open well after the decorations come down, through March 14. That makes it the one part of the season that lasts into spring.

Here's the full run, in order:

1. Nov. 6: Town Center rink opens
2. Nov. 7: Public Art Walking Tour, Town Center, 2 to 4 p.m.
3. Nov. 11: Run for Valor 5K, Town Center, 8 to 10 a.m.
4. Nov. 21: Last listed Reston Farmers Market at Lake Anne, 8 a.m. to noon
5. Nov. 27: Holiday Parade at 11 a.m., tree lighting at 6 p.m., Town Center
6. Dec. 1: Holiday Sparkle opens at Lake Anne
7. Dec. 3 to 5: Winterfest, Brown's Chapel Park, 5 to 9 p.m.
8. Dec. 5: Jingle on the Lake, Lake Anne Plaza, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
9. Dec. 6: Run with Santa 5K, Town Center, 8 to 10 a.m.
10. Dec. 13: Holiday Sparkle reception, Lake Anne, 2 to 4 p.m.
11. Dec. 19: Dog Strut, Town Center, 9:30 a.m.

Thinking about what your Reston home is worth while you're planning the holidays? At 15 West Homes, we keep track of the same calendar you do. If you're wondering what your place near Lake Anne, Town Center or Brown's Chapel would sell for this season, request your free home valuation and we'll put together the numbers before the parade.