The McLean Community Center’s annual McLean Day festival is returning later this month with food trucks, carnival rides, a petting zoo and more to celebrate the event’s 110th birthday.
The festival is scheduled for Saturday, May 17, from 11 a.m.-5 p.m. at Lewinsville Park (1659 Chain Bridge Road).
The annual celebration typically draws a crowd of over 10,000 patrons, the McLean Community Center (MCC) said in the event listing.
The event is set to feature a variety of activities, including:
- A new beer and wine garden
- Gourmet food trucks
- 100+ exhibitors and sponsors
- Balloon animals
- A magician
- Petting zoo
- Large and small carnival rides
- Live performances by the Motown tribute band The Sound of Soul
The event is free to attend, but advance “unlimited ride wristbands” are available for $21.25 if purchased in advance of the event or $25 if purchased at McLean Day.
In addition to the events, McLean Day includes in-person voting for adult and youth candidates to the McLean Community Center governing board.
This year, six adults and nine teens are seeking to join the board, which has three open seats for adults, one for a teen to represent the Langley High School boundary area, and one for a teen to represent McLean High School.
With no parking allowed at Lewinsville Park, free shuttles from parking lots secured for the event by the McLean Community Center will be provided from 10:25 a.m. to 6 p.m.
- McLean Community Center (1234 Ingleside Avenue): Patrons meet the shuttle at the front entrance.
- Lutheran Church of the Redeemer (1545 Chain Bridge Road): Patrons should meet the shuttle near the front entrance to the church.
- McLean Baptist Church (1367 Chain Bridge Road): Patrons should meet the shuttle in the parking lot at the church entrance.
According to MCC, McLean Day began in 1915 as a fundraiser for Franklin Sherman School, which was Fairfax County’s first consolidated and integrated public school. Initial iterations of the event included activities like “a baby contest and jousting on horseback.”
More from MCC on McLean Day’s history:
McLean Day was created in 1915 as a fundraiser for Franklin Sherman School by the McLean School and Civic League and the McLean Volunteer Fire Department. Originally, it was a week-long festival, and for years it was held on the Saturday preceding the Democratic Primary in August. In ensuing years, the festival took on a variety of forms and acquired several sponsoring organizations. In 1973, MCC cosponsored McLean Day with SHARE of McLean and eventually became its sole producer.
