This like most of the other Greek festivals in the US, is a fundraiser for the local church (in…read morethis case, the Holy Apostles Greek Orthodox church) in Sterling. (Currently, their church is in a warehouse.) The festival is usually over the Presidents' day weekend beginning at 4pm Friday and 11-9 Saturday and 11-7 Sunday. (webpage: https://www.facebook.com/TasteOfGreeceAshburn ). Traditionally, in Greece, festivals center around the church on important church days, and are day long outdoor events for the whole family that go late into the evening. Taste of Greece is held in the old Ashburn firehouse until they can get land and have a more traditional and larger outdoor festival. There is free parking with attendants to help. The atmosphere is warm, lively, the music traditional, there's a stunning collage of pictures of Greece on a screen, the decorations very tasteful and give a feel for the warm friendly culture. Go with friends and family, to spend several hours, relax, drink coffee or beer and have a good time There are 100-150 families trying to raise money to build a traditional home for the church, so the number of people that plan and execute the festival is very small. For such a small community this festival is amazingly well done and will certainly grow. It has become so popular that they are outgrowing the firehouse, so go and help them get their church built sooner so they can make the festival even better! The operation is very well planned, efficiently run, the food is plentiful, the dishes authentic, the music, costumes and dancing uplifting and festive. There is a raffle with multiple prizes. Local greek restaurants provide the kitchen services and cook staff and the church members serve their guests. The menu includes 3 tradition dishes gyros (pronounced YEE-ro not gii-ro) which is meat roasted on a spit and sliced into a pita with lettuce, tomato and thick tzatziki (or cucumber yogurt garlic dip); moussaka ( pronounced moo-sa-KA) which is potato, eggplant and ground meat, baked under a bechamel (white) sauce. Pastitsio (pronounced pas-TI-tsi-o) long hollow pasta in a lasagna like sauce, also baked under a bechamel layer. Both dishes are rich and flavorful. There's Baklava and Greek coffee for dessert. My personal favorite is the spinach pie (spa-na-KO-pita) Food can also be taken to go, an option if you go during peak lunch and dinner hours, when it's so crowded it's hard to find seats. The church has other fundraisers just before Thanksgiving where the women's group makes and sells pans of spanakopita and tiropita (cheese pie) and another before Christmas when they sell tsoureki ( pronounced ts-oo-REK-ee) a sweet bread with a lucky coin somewhere in the cake for new years.

To understand the Taste of Greece, one first has to understand the location of Ashburn in Loudoun…read moreCounty. About 40 years ago it was mostly the farmlands. Its population doubled in last 20 years. Ashburn is a part of Loudoun County, which is a wealthy county and about an hour away from Washington, DC (on a good day). Out of over hundred local ethnic festivals I have visited, this is the first one that was held in Loudoun County! The 8th Annual Taste of Greece was a rare opportunity to have an ethnic festival where the houses came well before schools, churches and recreational centers. It was held in the county firehouse, nestled among thousands of (over 2,000SF) houses. It is a fairly new church community (most of the things in Ashburn are fairly new) fundraiser and it is easy to understand how in this neighborhood the Taste of Greece can charge $12 for Gyro or $5 for a small piece of baklava. Good for the church, I say! The energy and desire of the "Greek Ladies" was contagious. They are kind and willing to talk about anything, and very agreeable. The space was too small, especially when the families started coming (after soccer games) with their children. The plastic forks and knives were positioned in the furthest possible spot to reach; wait for food was 10-15 minutes, parking was not available and seats were scarce. The food was good but not the best ever. There was music and dance. The crowd was diverse (like the county) and they took this rare opportunity to have a true ethnic food in the form of ethnic food festival in their county - without a long drive that they probably experience every working day. Taste of Greece is certainly a big deal for Loudoun County and I was happy to support the Greek American community with my Gyro meal and Mythos (Greek) beer. I hope they will grow and that many other ethnic festivals will follow soon.

Such a good time. Hubby and I went for a "date day" got to try so many different flavors and…read morevendors were so nice! Lots of people, but it didn't feel super crowded. Soo much coffee! And took home some good tea and, chili paste and BBQ sauce .

Very well planned and set up was better than last year-seemed more spacious. 10 rows of chocolate…read moreor coffee, salsa, jewelry, etc. We spent 3hours there today and bought bars, jewelry and dips. Definitely had a caffeine high after 2 rows of chocolates and coffee samples.

The Thai New Year's Day is 13 April every year. If your New Year resolution did not pan out as you…read moredesired, you can always start new one with the Chinese, Vietnamese, Persian or Thai New Year. The Songkran, Thai New Year in Sterling temple exceeded my expectations. I did not expect that it will feel like you are on the street of Bangkok. Food and smiles everywhere! There is a food that you can find in a Thai restaurant and the one that you may not find in a Thai restaurant. I had grilled squid and Beef noodle soup that was made right there in front of me. Choice of noodles - noodles get dipped in the boiled water and 30 seconds later your noodles are done. Choice of meat - liver and other parts get put in. Green plants (lemongrass), salt and been sprouts and sauce is added and then another scoop from another boiling pot and your broth is poured over your ingredients with peanuts and spices on top of it all. I could not find Thai doughnuts and tasty curry puff was under $1 (6 for $5). At least 30 different meals (including a lot of fish) were offered. Besides eating Thai delicacies, you could listen Thai music, buy clothing or jewelry or get inspired by the Buddhist monks in orange clothes. Free parking, affordable food cost and jovial surroundings makes it an enjoyable festival.

I have been going to the Loudoun County Fair basically all of my life. It is THE thing to do for…read moresummer fun for all ages in Leesburg. I had a blast with my son and my friends. I look forward to enjoying the fair for the years to come! I really enjoyed the vendors, the animals, the events, and the games. Didn't go on any rides this year but I've enjoyed the rides here several other years. My favorite fair to go to in the summer!

Pathetic excuse for a fair. Even a small county fair…read more I love fairs. Big and small. I knew this one was small, so I had low expectations, but you can see the entire fair in about 7 mins. And....it's costs $15 to get in. And $5 to park. So $20 bucks for the world's smallest fair. I went soon after the fair opened, and none of the rides were operating and only half the food vendors were open. What did I get for my $20? Very very little.

Nice free festival to go to. We were able to take the shuttle bus from Herndon high school. At…read morefirst there are arts & crafts as well as other tents with food vendors. Then there's an area for drinks and enjoying the live entertainment. Further in there's a bunch of rides. Overall cute smaller local summer festival to go to if you're in the area.

Located in Old Town Herndon, this festival is usually in the beginning of June. Been here 2 years…read morein a row only because it's something fun to do on a Friday night, eat mediocre food and some live entertainment. It's free to go in but you do have to pay for the rides and food. Theres a few art/jewelry vendors that sells some cute accessories and the rest is mostly food and a whole carnival area with rides. Food is on the expensive side, I mean its everything greasy and oily imaginable under the sun. I mean yeah I can't lie deep fried Oreos is a must but theres fried cheesecake, fried reeces, fried snickers like anything you can think of. A small cup of beer is about $6 and food usually varies from $5-$12 depending on where you go. It is mostly tweens and alotta kids, but its just something fun to do and to get out. It does get crowded on Friday and Saturday nights but not overcrowded where you can barely walk. Not bad to get in for free its your discretion how much you want to spend.

Why wouldn't that have a shady area or more cooling stations…read more Non gender porta potty's - gross. Very little choices for picky kids, vegan or other diets- maybe pack your own stuff. Fair food.

The Fairfax Fair is a Northern Virginia social institution!…read more Most people's first initiation into this yearly carnival is sometime around high school when they hold hands with a certain special someone on the ferris wheel or if they took the group date route, had worn matching tee shirts emblazoned with their crew's name in neon grafitti writing. Either way, the Fairfax Fair is the start of many, many blissful summer memories. A few of mine include: 1) The time I volunteered for a major sponsor of the event to dress up as the Cow from Cartoon Network's "Cow & Chicken". All of these little kids tried to pull my udders and punch me in the eye (which was conveniently located through Cow's open mouth). 2) The time my best friend performed on the Budweiser stage with her hs sign language choir. It was like an awkward scene out of Napoleon Dynamite that I will cherish in my heart forever. Whatever your age, gender, race, or socio-economic class the Fairfax Fair has something for everyone. Meat on a stick? Check. Laser light shows and fireworks? Check. Carnival rides? Check. Crazy circus carneys? Double check. Burnt out music artists from the 80's? QUADRUPLE CHECK!!! Musical guests have included eighties wonder kids Rick Springfield, Pat Benatar, Rob Base, Flava Flav, and more! I am secretly hoping that the Backstreet Boys will be hitting the county fair circuit soon so I can take care of some unfulfilled high school dreams. So anyways, what are you waiting for? The Fairfax Fair is coming to town this Friday, Saturday and Sunday!! Buy your tickets now -- the Fairfax Fair is your chance to do the Hump with Digital Underground himself. PS: If you don't know how to do the Humpty Dance here are a few rules: #1) Limp to the side like your leg is broken #2) Shake and twitch kinda like you're smokin'

I'm going to say it.......I think my kiddos had more fun here than at Cox Farms, which is…read moreconsistently held to as the premiere Fall event in NOVA. Rather than focus on slides (of which there are two) Pumpkin Village has moon bounces. We first went to the giant pumpkin inflatable, followed by the corn bin and the zip line. My son loved the castle inflatable and the train inflatable. Several also were more obstacle course with corn and animal themes. We had lots of fun on the pedal cars and the giant pumpkin pillow too.We spent time indoors as well doing arts and crafts and playing in the indoor playground. That was nice to have given how windy it was. While you don't get a pumpkin like Cox Farms, it's still fun and worth the trip.

Best fall place for kids. with an animal farm tied to it and indoor space for kids, what else could…read moreyou want? The slides (tons of independent playground equipment structures and 3 slides built into the hill), inflatables (6 or 7, i think) , mazes, tractor ride, zip line, sandbox, feeding pond, snack truck (free with cider and apples), indoor area - giant play area with trampoline and slides and climbing/netting, play floor area, there is just so much to do, it is crazy. the open/interactive area with the goats, pigs, alpacas, and donkeys was great, too. The animals are gentle and my son didn't get his fingers chomped from feeding them incorrectly. It was a great, great place. definitely a late sept-oct staple for us now.

A waste of money as it is a small display. Go to Meadowlark Garden instead for less money and a…read morebetter display.

Overpriced for 20mins walk. We drove about an hour and a half for what we aren't expected.read more

Brought the family back here for the festival of lights. First I would recommend buying the…read moretickets online as they are cheaper online than at the gate. It was a little bit of a hike as we were coming from Bethesda but we had heard a lot about it so we decided to check it out. After getting off the highway there was a lot of time on 2 lane roads that made the trip feel longer. The tickets are for specific times so we picked a time that supposedly had the most ticket availability and therefore less crowded but that ended up not being the case (not that we went 4 days before Christmas). I felt like it was bumper to bumper traffic all the way through. The light displays were pretty good but felt like there were spots where there were noticeable gaps. We prefer these drive through light shows that allow you to stay warm in the car. Now what Bull Run has that some of these others don't have is the carnival at the end. There are rides, all types of carnival food, petting zoo and camel rides. Stopped at the carnival to pick up some funnel cake for the family to munch on during the ride back home. Overall it was a good experience.

Awesome experience, loved the lights, carnival and petting zoo…read more Even open area with fire pit was awesome for s'more's and to get warmed up during cold evening. Love it.

My family and I wandered into this festival, thinking it was a farmers market or street fair. Boy,…read morewas I excited when I found out it was a beer festival. It took me a while though--I first ran into The Gypsy Catwalk mobile boutique, which was next to a homebrewers' association tent. So I'm talking to the super nice woman, thinking if I donate some money, I get some beer tastings. She had to explain to me that it was a whole festival. The brew part: you can walk around for free. There's food trucks and other vendors, which is great. If you want to taste, it is $25 for five pours (ten tickets) and a small glass. There's a VIP option as well, but I didn't look into that. The blues part: different blues bands playing in one section of the park, and people brought blankets/chairs. The website lists over 20 different breweries, but I didn't count while I was there. However, I did find some new favorite beers, such as Pale Fire's Smokin' Scottish and Troegs' DreamWeaver Wheat. Each brewery was offering two different beers, and each pour was two tickets each. Plus, the homebrewers' association was offering tastings, and you didn't have to use your tickets (but I did donate). I tried a seasonal one from them and loved it, and got a pretzel necklace. I enjoy the blues, and the band we heard (Hypnotic Willie, I believe) was great. I could've stayed there all day, and would love to make a day of it (or weekend) and return next year. Yes, it's not as big as something like Snallygaster, but it's also not as crowded and I had a fantastic time. If I lived nearby, I definitely be here yearly, and if you are planning to visit, or need a day trip, you might want to time it around Brew and Blues.