events | FFXnow

Published April 10, 2025 at 11:30AM

Singer Alessia performs in front of the U.S. Capitol Building at the 2018 D.C. Pride Festival (courtesy Capital Pride Alliance)

Organizers of the WorldPride 2025 celebration coming to the D.C. region on May 31 through June 8 are reevaluating their attendance expectations, especially among international participants.

Event organizers have anticipated upwards of 2 million visitors for the LGBTQ community celebration, but with foreign travel to the U.S. plunging amid reports of visitors being detained and the Trump administration barring changes to the gender marker on passports, they may not meet that figure — another potential setback for an economy already facing multiple headwinds.

Around Town

Capital One Hall announces latest season of ‘Broadway in Tysons’

By Angela Woolsey

Published April 8, 2025 at 1:15PM

Jayna Elise as Tina Turner in Tina - The Tina Turner Musical, coming to Capital One Hall in Tysons in March 2026 (photo by Julieta Cervantes)

Good news for anyone turned off by the Trump administration’s overhaul of the Kennedy Center: you don’t have to cross the Potomac River to get a taste of Broadway in the D.C. area.

Yesterday (Monday), Capital One Hall (7750 Capital One Tower Road) unveiled a new slate of shows dominated by 20th-century throwbacks for its fifth “Broadway in Tysons” season.

Around Town

People to rappel ‘over the edge’ of Reston Station office building for fundraiser

By Angela Woolsey

Published April 4, 2025 at 8:15AM

Looking down the office building at 1900 Reston Station Blvd (courtesy Comstock)

Over the next two days, residents and visitors at Reston Station will be treated to the sight of people rappelling down a 17-story office building for charity.

The Google-anchored building at 1900 Reston Station Blvd will be the site of an Over the Edge fundraiser tomorrow (Saturday) to benefit the National Military Intelligence Foundation (NMIF), a Clifton-based nonprofit that supports national security and intelligence workers through professional development and student scholarships.

News

Vienna’s Patrick Henry Library gets fond farewell ahead of closure this spring

By Angela Woolsey

Published April 1, 2025 at 1:15PM | Updated April 2, 2025 at 7:14PM

Fairfax County Public Library organized a farewell celebration for Vienna's Patrick Henry Library on March 29, 2025 (staff photo by Angela Woolsey)

Wistful remembrances mingled with excitement for the future, as local elected officials, library staff and community members gave Patrick Henry Library in Vienna an early send-off over the weekend.

The 13,800-square-foot library building, which has stood at 101 Maple Avenue East since 1971, is set to be replaced this summer. When the branch reopens in about two years, it’ll feature not only expanded and upgraded facilities, but also an entirely new name — the Vienna-Carter Library.

Around Town

Free concert series Friday Night Live! set for 2025 return to Herndon

By Angela Woolsey

Published March 28, 2025 at 9:45AM

Doc Marten and the Flannels perform at Friday Night Live! on Aug. 16, 2024 (staff photo by Angela Woolsey)

Spring is in the air, which means another Friday Night Live! season is on the horizon.

The free outdoor concert series will return to the Town of Herndon for its 31st year on May 2. Highlights of the upcoming season include the first-ever introduction of a non-alcoholic beer option and a “special reunion show” by the D.C. area party band Gonzo’s Nose, according to Friday Night Live! Chairman Laura Poindexter.

Sports

McLean Little League prepares to open its 70th anniversary season

By Dave Facinoli

Published March 26, 2025 at 2:30PM

McLean Little League opening day (courtesy of MLL)

McLean Little League will kick off the competition for its 70th anniversary season on Saturday, April 5 with the traditional 9 a.m. parade from McLean High School to the league’s three-field complex on Westmoreland Street.

“We are expecting an exciting day of events, starting with the parade,” league official Autumn Price told FFXnow. “It will be a fun morning and day.”

Around Town

Founder’s Day returns to Reston with new name, same celebratory spirit

By Angela Woolsey

Published March 24, 2025 at 3:00PM

The boardwalk at Lake Anne Plaza in Reston (staff photo)

Founder’s Day is out, Celebrate Reston! is in.

The annual festival honoring Reston founder Robert E. Simon’s birthday will return to Lake Anne Plaza on April 5 from 11:45 a.m. to 4 p.m. under a new name that organizers believe more clearly conveys the event’s “spirit of enjoyment and celebration,” Reston Museum Executive Director Lisa Watts says.

News

FCPS graduate ‘excited’ to return home with reinvented circus in tow

By Vernon Miles

Published March 20, 2025 at 3:45PM

Show at Ringling and Barnum & Bailey's Circus (courtesy photo)

The last time Brandon Glass was at George Mason University’s EagleBank Arena (4500 Patriot Circle), it was for his high school graduation. Now, Glass is returning with the circus later this month.

Glass has taken a circuitous route from Springfield’s Robert E. Lee High School — now the John R. Lewis High School — to touring public relations manager at Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey.

Around Town

Hello Kitty Cafe Truck celebrating 10-year anniversary at Tysons this weekend

By Vernon Miles

Published March 20, 2025 at 8:15AM

Hello Kitty Cafe (courtesy photo)

The iconic all-pink Hello Kitty Cafe Truck will be making its annual return to Tysons Corner Center this weekend.

The truck is scheduled to set up at the Events Plaza at Tysons Corner Center (1961 Chain Bridge Road) from 10 a.m.-7 p.m. this Saturday, March 22.

Around Town

Women’s Storytelling Festival returns to Fairfax City this week for a sixth year

By Angela Woolsey

Published March 18, 2025 at 3:45PM

Andrea Kamens from Boston performs at the 2024 Women's Storytelling Festival (courtesy Better Said Than Done)

More than a dozen female spoken-word artists, authors and performers from around the country will convene in Fairfax City this week for the 2025 Women’s Storytelling Festival.

Now in its sixth year, the festival organized by local nonprofit Better Said Than Done serves as a showcase for the art of storytelling, which is defined as any performance of a story — a personal narrative or folk tale, for example — in front of a live audience.