McLean has two farmers markets, and both close for the year this weekend. The Fairfax County market at Lewinsville Park holds its last Friday morning tomorrow, Oct. 30. McLean Fresh Farmers Market on Elm Street holds its last Saturday on Oct. 31. Neither one lists any November or holiday pop-up dates.
McLean's weekends keep going after that, but they move to a short list of addresses. From November through mid-December, most of the calendar runs through two buildings operated by the McLean Community Center, plus one shopping center on Old Dominion Drive. Then, on the first Sunday in December, the Winterfest parade starts at the corner where the Elm Street market had its car entrance. If you know that sequence now, the next seven weeks are easy to plan.
The Last Market Weekend Runs on Two Days, Two Streets
The two markets are easy to mix up because they share a name and a season. They don't share a schedule:
- Friday, Oct. 30, 8 a.m. to noon: The Fairfax County Park Authority's McLean Farmers Market at Lewinsville Park, 1659 Chain Bridge Road. This is its final Friday of the 2026 season, which began May 1.
- Saturday, Oct. 31, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.: McLean Fresh Farmers Market at 6888 Elm St., on the same street as the McLean post office. You drive in from Fleetwood Road. The market has about 30 on-site parking spaces plus street parking.
- Saturday, Oct. 31, 5 to 8 p.m.: The Old Firehouse at 1440 Chain Bridge Road hosts its free Festival of Frights & Trunk or Treat, with live music, games, food, contests and candy. Children under 10 need an adult with them.
So Saturday has a morning on Elm Street and an evening on Chain Bridge Road, a few minutes apart. The Old Firehouse is one of the two buildings that carry McLean's calendar into November, and the Halloween festival is its handoff from the outdoor season.
Chesterbrook Added a Counter the Same Week
The one new place to eat this fall is at the other end of town. Surfside Taco Stand was scheduled to open last Thursday, Oct. 22, at 10:30 a.m. at Chesterbrook Shopping Center, 6218 Old Dominion Drive. FFXnow reported the day before that it's the first Virginia location for the D.C. brand, which started with a D.C. storefront in 2008. The space is about 1,700 square feet, right next to the Sweetgreen that opened in December 2025.
It's built for the kind of in-between hours the market calendar used to fill. FFXnow reports that the McLean location is a taco stand rather than a full-service restaurant like the Tenleytown flagship. The menu covers tacos, enchiladas, fajitas, quesadillas and bowls, plus nacho and fajita boxes that serve up to 10 people. There are kids' meals, margaritas and soft-serve. It opens at 10:30 a.m. every day. Closing time is 9:30 p.m. Monday through Thursday, 8:30 p.m. on Sunday, and 2 a.m. on Friday and Saturday.
"Many neighbors have been stopping by over the last few days to welcome us and we can't wait to meet more of them starting on Thursday."
That's Bo Blair, founder and CEO of Georgetown Events Hospitality Group, the company that owns Surfside, in a statement quoted by FFXnow. Federal Realty, which owns the center, told FFXnow that a grand opening celebration is planned for November. The date hasn't been set yet.
Surfside is one more step in a longer remake of Chesterbrook. The center finished an $8.5 million renovation last fall and has added Sorn Thai and the Sassanova boutique. The longtime Chesterbrook Barber Shop moved next door to 6262-F Old Dominion Drive. The next big addition is a year out. FFXnow reported on Oct. 14 that Glenwood's, a Maryland restaurant serving sushi, steak and American fare, has signed a lease for about 7,000 square feet at the south end of the center, near Small Door Veterinary. It will be Glenwood's first Northern Virginia location. Construction is expected to start in early 2027, and the target opening is fall 2027. Plans include nightly live entertainment, a patio and valet parking. For this winter, Surfside is the only new place at Chesterbrook.
November Moves to Ingleside Avenue
Once the markets close, nearly every November date on McLean's public calendar is at one of two addresses. One is The Old Firehouse at 1440 Chain Bridge Road. The other is McLean Community Center at 1234 Ingleside Ave., home of the Alden Theatre.
The month starts with music. The Judy Carmichael Trio plays the Alden on Sunday, Nov. 8, at 2 p.m. The Old Firehouse hosts Family Fun Bingo on Friday, Nov. 13, from 7 to 9:30 p.m. Registration is required for bingo, and it costs $30, or $20 for MCC district residents.
The biggest weekend of the month follows. The McLean Antiques Show & Sale runs Saturday, Nov. 14, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Sunday, Nov. 15, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. The community center calls this year's show its 50th anniversary. Admission is $11 and free for anyone 17 or younger. For Saturday-morning regulars who just lost their market, this is the closest thing November has to a browse-the-tables weekend, and it's indoors.
The month ends with Holiday Gingerbread House Decorating at the community center on Saturday, Nov. 21, from 10 a.m. to noon. That's the same morning slot the Elm Street market held all summer.
December Brings the Crowd Back to Elm and Fleetwood
The first weekend of December is the busiest of the off-season, and it runs in two places at once.
- Friday, Dec. 4, through Sunday, Dec. 6: The McLean Holiday Art & Crafts Festival fills McLean Community Center. It's open 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Friday and Saturday and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Sunday. McLean Fresh doesn't allow arts-and-crafts vendors at its market, so this festival is the town's main handmade market of the year.
- Sunday, Dec. 6, from 12:30 p.m.: The Winterfest Block Party opens along the parade route at Langley Shopping Center, with pre-parade entertainment.
- 1:30 p.m.: The McLean Winterfest Parade starts at Fleetwood Road and Old Chain Bridge Road. Check-in for participants is at Beverly and Elm, and the lineup is at Beverly and Old McLean Village Drive.
- 2:45 p.m.: The parade ends.
- 3 p.m.: The Santa Claus Station opens at the block party, which runs until 4:30 p.m.
Look at the map and the season comes full circle. On Oct. 31, cars turn off Fleetwood Road to reach the last Elm Street market. Five weeks later, on Dec. 6, the parade starts at Fleetwood and Old Chain Bridge, and check-in is at Beverly and Elm. Winterfest is organized by volunteers. Anyone from high school age up who wants to help can email [email protected].
After that, the calendar goes back to Ingleside Avenue for one more Saturday. On Dec. 12, the community center hosts Milk & Cookies with Santa, with sessions from 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. or 1 to 2 p.m. The Alden stages the Joyfully Jolly Jamboree the same day, at 11 a.m. and 4 p.m.
If Saturday Still Needs Produce
The community center calendar covers events, not groceries. If you want a farmers market every week this winter, the closest options are outside McLean:
| Market | Address | Winter schedule |
|---|---|---|
| City of Falls Church Farmers Market | 300 Park Ave., Falls Church | Year-round Saturdays. The city lists 9 a.m. to noon as its January to March winter hours, with weekly dates through March 27, 2027 |
| FRESHFARM Arlington | 1400 N. Courthouse Rd., Arlington | Saturdays through Dec. 26, 2026, at 8 a.m. to noon, then 9 a.m. to noon from January to March 2027 |
Check Falls Church's start time before you go. The city's calendar gives 9 a.m. to noon as its winter hours, but it lists individual late-2026 and early-2027 market dates as starting at 8 a.m. Visit Falls Church lists the year-round market at 9 a.m. to noon. FRESHFARM's Arlington page lists a 2026 season of Jan. 3 through Dec. 26, so that market doesn't take a winter break. Both McLean markets are seasonal. Fairfax County's McLean market page describes the Lewinsville Park market that way, and McLean Fresh lists its 2026 dates as May 9 through Oct. 31.
We keep track of McLean's seasons because the neighborhood shows differently in each one. Downtown is quieter on a December Saturday than in June, and Chesterbrook keeps changing. If you're planning a sale around those rhythms, or just want to know how your home fits into them, The Pearl Team would be glad to talk it through with you. Schedule your free home strategy, and visit our McLean neighborhood page for more on the area.
