For two days next month, Capital One Center in Tysons will give the arts precedence over traffic.
The mixed-use development will close its streets on Oct. 4-5 for the first-ever Celebration of the Arts, a free outdoor festival that will offer exhibits, workshops, live music, food vendors and more.
Set to unfold from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. on both days, the festival will feature interactive installations and workshops for a range of skill levels from regional artists and arts organizations.
The Virginia Museum of Fine Arts’ Artmobile is also expected to stop by, bringing with it the traveling exhibition “Love, Laughter, Tears: An Artist’s Guide to Emotions.” The show includes paintings, photos and other artistic works from the Richmond-based museum’s collection that span 6,000 years of world history.
For visitors looking to indulge in the auditory or culinary arts, the festival will have a full schedule of musical performances — though the lineup hasn’t been released yet — as well as a food and beverage district with vendors, workshops, and beer and wine tastings.
The food district will naturally highlight the dining options currently available at Capital One Center, including Sisters Thai, Ometeo, Stellina Pizzeria and Starr Hill Brewpub.
According to Capital One Arts administrator Anne Fletcher, the upcoming event expands on an existing partnership between the financial corporation and Reston’s Tephra Institute of Contemporary Art (Tephra ICA), a nonprofit that organizes an annual arts festival at Reston Town Center.
“Capital One is proud to deepen our partnership with Tephra ICA through this new celebration of creativity at Capital One Center,” Fletcher said in a press release. “From local artists to iconic institutions like the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, this festival reflects our ongoing commitment to enriching our community through experiences that inspire and connect.”
For the festival, Tephra has curated a virtual reality art installation by Arden Bendler Browning that will be on display in the Vault, the 225-seat black box theater inside Capital One Hall. The piece blends “contemporary painting with cutting-edge virtual reality to create a singular expression of immersive creativity,” according to the release.
“We’re thrilled to bring our curatorial vision and community-driven programming to Tysons,” Tephra ICA Executive Director Jonell Logan said. “Building on the success of our annual Reston festival, this new collaboration allows us to introduce bold, engaging art experiences … while celebrating the creative voices that define our region.”
The Celebration of the Arts festival will be free to attend, but Capital One Center is encouraging guests to register in advance and make a donation at the event to support Tephra ICA.
Festival sponsors will get access to a VIP art tour and reception before the actual event on Oct. 3.
Covering 35 acres near the McLean Metro station, Capital One Center is based around Capital One’s corporate headquarters, but after years of development, it’s now also home to Capital One Hall, the Perch, the Watermark Hotel and a baseball stadium.
The campus is dotted by a number of artistic installations, and a pair of urban parks are under construction, potentially finishing this year. Over the summer, the development hosted its inaugural Culinary Week, a four-day showcase promoting its restaurants.
