McLean's Farmers Markets Have Closed. Here Is What Fills Its Weekends Until New Year's

McLean's farmers market season ended on the last weekend of October. The Fairfax County-run McLean Farmers Market at Lewinsville Park, 1659 Chain Bridge Road, held its final Friday on Oct. 30. The McLean Fresh Farmers Market at 6888 Elm St. closed the next morning, Oct. 31, after a Saturday season that began May 9.

That leaves two empty market mornings each week, and for the next eight weeks the holiday calendar fills them. Most of it runs through one building, the McLean Community Center at 1234 Ingleside Ave. The calendar is also lopsided. Several weekends are quiet, while two days, Saturday, Nov. 21 and Sunday, Dec. 6, have events overlapping in the same few hours.

Groceries leave McLean, and gift shopping comes back

Neither McLean market has scheduled dates for November or December. The closest weekly farmers markets still open run on the FRESHFARM network:

• FRESHFARM Mosaic in Fairfax runs on Sundays, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., all year, with its last 2026 market on Dec. 27. Winter hours don't start until January 2027, so November and December keep the full 9-to-2 window.
• FRESHFARM Reston runs on Wednesdays all year, through Dec. 30. Its winter hours of 2 to 6 p.m. cover November 2026 through March 2027.

The Mosaic market is also the place to plan around. On two weekends, the Mosaic District holds its separate Holiday Village Market, with 65+ local artisans, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Nov. 21–22 and Dec. 12–13. On Sunday, Nov. 22 and Sunday, Dec. 13, the farmers market and the artisan market overlap from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., so one trip covers both vegetables and gifts.

November runs through Ingleside Avenue

The first big date after the markets close is the McLean Antiques Show & Sale at the community center. It opens Saturday, Nov. 14, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., and continues Sunday, Nov. 15, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. This is the show's 50th year, and admission is $11, with children 17 or younger admitted free. According to the Arts Fairfax listing, the community center organizes the show and dozens of dealers take part.

The Alden Theatre, inside the same building, has two November Sundays booked. The Judy Carmichael Trio plays Nov. 8 and the Duo Mosaic Piano Duo plays Nov. 22.

Saturday, Nov. 21 has three events in one morning

Nov. 21 is the first busy day of the season, and two of its three events start at 10 a.m.:

1. Holiday Gingerbread House Decorating, 10 a.m. to noon, McLean Community Center. The Old Firehouse provides a pre-built house, frosting, toppings and light refreshments. Pricing is per gingerbread house, and a parent or guardian has to supervise younger participants.
2. The 47th Christmas Bazaar at St. John the Beloved, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. The organizer's Eventbrite listing advertises free admission and 40+ indoor and outdoor vendors.
3. Holiday Village Market at Mosaic, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., the first of its two weekends.

The gingerbread session has the tightest window, so it comes first. The bazaar runs until 4 p.m. and is free, which leaves time to drop by after noon. Anyone who misses the Mosaic market on Saturday can go Sunday, Nov. 22, when it overlaps with the FRESHFARM market. That same Sunday afternoon, the Duo Mosaic Piano Duo plays at the Alden.

Sunday, Dec. 6 puts two downtown events in the same afternoon

The crowding on Nov. 21 comes down to scheduling. On Dec. 6, two of downtown McLean's biggest holiday events overlap by hours.

The McLean Holiday Art & Crafts Festival is a three-day indoor juried show with 80 regional artisans, managed by the Northern Virginia Handcrafters Guild. It runs 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Friday, Dec. 4 and Saturday, Dec. 5, then closes early on Sunday, Dec. 6, at 4 p.m. Admission is $5, and children 12 or younger get in free.

The McLean Revitalization Corporation's 2026 McLean Winterfest Parade & Block Party takes up the same Sunday afternoon, with food from 54+ vendors, local performers, and Santa. Here is how the day lines up, based on the two organizers' published schedules:

For three and a half hours, both events are open at once. The crafts festival's Sunday is also its shortest day. Saturday, Dec. 5 avoids the conflict, since the festival stays open until 6 p.m. and the parade hasn't happened yet. On Sunday, the morning before 12:30 is the one stretch when the festival has the day to itself. For anyone who wants Santa without much of a line, the Santa Claus Station doesn't open until 3 p.m., after the parade has finished.

As of late October, the Winterfest organizer had published parade times and locations but no road-closure notice or public parking instructions. The route touches Old Chain Bridge Road, Fleetwood Road, Beverly Road, Elm Street and Langley Shopping Center, so drivers crossing downtown that afternoon should expect delays near those points.

Dec. 11 to Dec. 21 is when people start decorating

After Dec. 6, the calendar turns toward homes. Registration for Light Up McLean!, the community center's holiday decorating contest, closes Friday, Dec. 11. Entry is open to residents and businesses in the McLean Community Center tax district, and residential entrants must be 18 or older. The residential categories are Best Overall, Most Creative/Original and Best Holiday Theme. Only residences qualify for prizes, and the public also selects a Best Overall business. Voting runs from Dec. 21, 2026 through Jan. 3, 2027. That gives a household ten days between the registration deadline and the start of voting to finish its lights.

Saturday, Dec. 12 falls inside that window and is a full day for families. Milk & Cookies with Santa at the community center offers two experiences, one from 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. and one from 1 to 2 p.m. The Alden has the Joyfully Jolly Jamboree on its schedule the same day, and the Mosaic Holiday Village Market opens its second weekend. The Alden's last holiday booking is Sounds of the Season: A Lil' Maceo Holiday on Saturday, Dec. 19. The center notes on its calendar that programs can change, so check the listing before heading out.

Where to eat and shop between events

The new places to eat and shop this fall opened on the Tysons side of McLean, not downtown. On Sept. 8, FFXnow reported that Open Road Outpost & Biergarten had opened at 8354 Broad Street in The Boro, in the space Él Bebe left when it closed Aug. 30. The new restaurant kept the outdoor biergarten and serves Tuesday through Sunday.

For holiday gifts, Tysons Corner Wine and Gourmet opened Sept. 14 inside MyFlorist at 1984 Chain Bridge Road. It sells specialty wines and gourmet food next to the florist's bouquets and gift baskets, according to FFXnow.

The restaurant news closest to downtown is still a year away. FFXnow reported in October that Glenwood's, a Maryland restaurant, signed a lease for about 7,000 square feet at Chesterbrook Shopping Center. It will be the company's first Northern Virginia location, with construction targeted for early 2027 and an opening in fall 2027. This season's events won't change because of it, but Chesterbrook may look different before next year's holiday season.

If your Light Up McLean entry has you looking at your house differently this December, the team at Barnes Real Estate Company is happy to talk about what McLean homes are worth today, from Chesterbrook to downtown. Get Your Instant Home Valuation, and call us when you want a local read on the numbers.