Tysons Corner Center is jumping into the abundant pile of local fall festivals.

The mall announced yesterday (Tuesday) that it will host a fall festival on its plaza from noon to 6 p.m. on Oct. 21, declaring that the event will be “one of our biggest” of the year.

The festivities will include pumpkin-carving demonstrations from Maniac Pumpkin Carvers, live entertainment, a “Spookie Poochie” pet costume contest and “bark park,” a beer bar from Barrel & Bushel, crafts, face painting, a fall market, a Candytopia photobooth and more.

Starting at noon, singer Scott Kurt and his Arlington-based band Memphis 59 will take the stage. At that time, attendees will also be able to register their pet for the costume contest.

The top three winners of the costume contest will be announced at 3 p.m.

More music will be provided at 3:15 p.m. by JParis, a cover band that plays rock and pop hits.

The fall festival will be free to attend, but the mall still encourages visitors to RSVP through Eventbrite.

This year, the Tysons area has had no shortage of festivals to celebrate the coming of autumn, though the season’s arrival has felt more theoretical than actual so far with temperatures lingering in the low 80s this week.

Oktoberfest came to The Boro and Shipgarten in Scotts Run last month, and the Mosaic District held its annual fall festival last weekend (Sept. 30-Oct. 1). The Town of Vienna is expecting thousands of attendees for its Oktoberfest this Saturday (Oct. 7).

Prepare for competing “interactive experiences” at Tysons Corner Center this winter, when the year of Mattel will continue with the worldwide debut of its Hot Wheels Champion Experience.

After making its mark on the summer box office with Greta Gerwig’s “Barbie,” the toy company will venture into immersive entertainment with a 16,000-square-foot exhibit and play area based on its 55-year-old model cars and race tracks.

The experience will open on Dec. 8, around the same time that the retailer Camp will unveil a new, permanent store and temporary “Encanto”-themed display at the mall.

Hot Wheels tickets are set to go on sale at noon this Thursday (Oct. 5), but those who sign up for a priority list can get access to presale tickets and pricing a day early.

“We aim to bring Hot Wheels to life in an entirely new way,” Julie Freeland, Mattel’s senior director of global location-based entertainment, said. “By combining technology, immersive design, and the unrivaled thrill of Hot Wheels, this attraction will ignite the imagination of fans and families alike.”

To develop the attraction, Mattel partnered with the traveling entertainment company SEE Touring Exhibitions, which will use an XSpace technology platform that provides immersive video projections and combines physical and digital elements to control sound, light, video and “personalized interaction,” according to a press release.

“We are thrilled to collaborate with Mattel and our esteemed partners on this groundbreaking project,” SEE Touring Exhibitions CEO Martin Biallas said. “Hot Wheels has been an inspiration to countless individuals across multiple generations, and this attraction will give fans the opportunity to dive into the world of Hot Wheels in a way they’ve never experienced before. We can’t wait to see the excitement and thrill it brings to visitors.”

Here’s more from the press release on what to expect from the Hot Wheels Champion Experience:

Hot Wheels fans of all ages will ignite their challenger spirit in this immersive experience that combines exhilarating physical and virtual interactions. Visitors will imagine, create, and experience Hot Wheels like never before and without headsets, goggles, or other equipment. Using the latest 3D multimedia projection technology, guests at Hot Wheels Champion Experience can accept the challenge and become:

• Hot Wheels Designers: Use creativity to design their own digital Hot Wheels car, watching it come to life on an interactive screen
• Tracker Builders: Build a custom Hot Wheels City inside an interactive Augmented Reality room
• Ultimate Heroes: Defeat monsters and creatures taking over Hot Wheels City
• Speed Machines: Race against the competition using physical body movements to digitally drive Hot Wheels cars
• Smash Champs: Stunt and compete as Monster Trucks on a monster-sized projection, dodging any hazards that come their way
• Virtual Drivers: An Augmented Reality experience, allowing guests to see themselves driving a Hot Wheels car
• Epic Winners: Pose on the winner’s podium, celebrating your accomplishments to become a Hot Wheels Champion
• Hot Wheels Central will also allow guests to track performance and collect digital memorabilia, videos, and tokens gathered during the experience, extending the fun past the event!

The attraction will be on the mall’s second floor next to Barnes & Nobles, a space previously filled by this summer’s Dr. Seuss Experience. It will stay at Tysons Corner Center for a limited time before moving to other locations.

Tysons Corner Center can move forward with new plans for its next phase of development.

After a public hearing on Tuesday (Sept. 26), the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors approved revisions requested by property owner Macerich that will build on the mall’s plaza, shift planned office space closer to Metro and pave the way for more street-level activity.

“A lot of work has gone into this, but we are seeing wonderful improvements and commitments, mainly the park and open spaces that would come with this, the ability to expand a very successful plaza [and] connecting that to the ground level,” Providence District Supervisor Dalia Palchik said. “…Having more retail and restaurant uses, I think, [is] very much something we and the community are looking forward to.”

Macerich submitted its new development plan for Tysons Corner Center in December 2021 after acquiring the former Lord & Taylor store in 2020. When the master plan was originally adopted in 2007, the clothing retailer had declined to participate, according to DLA Piper land use planner Brian Clifford, the developer’s legal representative at the hearing.

“We had a little bit of a hole in our donut there right next to the Metro,” Clifford told the board. “With the applicant’s acquisition in 2020, we had a chance to fill that hole in the donut and really provide some exciting connective tissue between phase 1, approved phase 2 and the Metro connection.”

The Lord & Taylor building has now been designated “phase 2A” and will be replaced by either a 26-story office building or a 34-story, 292-unit office and residential building. Both options include about 36,000 square feet of retail and a pedestrian connection from the mall’s ground level to the elevated plaza.

Phase 2B consists of a 20-story office building and a 27-story, 320-unit residential building that would be constructed on top of an existing four-level parking garage at the 78-acre property’s northwestern corner. This phase also calls for its own elevated plaza and a street-level, 1.8-acre linear park, featuring a dog park, children’s play areas and a path from International Drive to the Tysons Metro station.

In a change from the plan that Macerich initially filed, One Tysons Place will be relocated to the south side of the block, allowing access to the linear park from the new buildings without the interruption of a street crossing.

Palchik thanked the developer and county staff for working together to address the pedestrian safety concerns raised by the original design.

“I think you really hit it on the nail, and phase 2B cannot come soon enough, at least in my book,” she said.

In a separate project, the county is also working with Macerich and the Virginia Department of Transportation to add a street-level crosswalk on Route 123 (Chain Bridge Road) at the Tysons Blvd intersection.

No phase 3 changes were proposed, but the fourth phase of development has been reduced to two residential buildings and a retail building after its office space got moved to phase 2. Another retail building is planned on Leesburg Pike for the fifth and final phase.

The revisions won’t alter the size or density of the proposed development, which will exceed 6 million square feet when completed.

Clifford and Sharon Williams, a planner for the county, agreed that the application “was a fun one to work on.”

“That’s due in large part to their technical expertise, but [also it was a] very solution-oriented, open, honest, transparent process and conversation we got to have with staff, and the application’s much better for it,” Clifford said.

In recent months, Tysons Corner Center visitors have likely encountered a “coming soon” sign for a store that promises a hodgepodge of toys, games, gifts, slides, “schmutz” and “farts.”

Details about the incoming retailer have at last emerged, though flatulence doesn’t appear to be a planned offering.

Instead, the family-oriented company CAMP will open an interactive, “Encanto”-themed toy and entertainment store next to H&M during the first week of December — just in time for the upcoming winter holidays.

Described as “part toy store, part party venue, part immersive theater space,” the 10,730-square-foot store will feature 5,000 square feet of attractions inspired by the 2021 animated movie from Disney, which collaborated with Camp to create the experience.

“Families will climb up and around Antonio’s rainforest, spin through Isabela’s flower-filled room, slide down into the Courtyard and more,” a press release said. “Live Counselor-led singalongs to the film’s favorite tunes like ‘We Don’t Talk About Bruno’ and ‘Surface Pressure’ happen throughout the show.”

In a replica of the film’s town square, vendors will sell custom-made “Encanto” merchandise that isn’t available anywhere else, according to the website, where tickets are now available for purchase.

Unlike other “experiences” that have visited Tysons Corner Center, Camp will have a permanent presence in the form of a 5,000-square-foot “Canteen” selling toys, clothing and accessories. Also included are a “Schmutz Bar” where visitors can create slime, a “CAMPitheater” for live events and two party rooms available for birthdays.

“I can’t wait to see the smiles on faces when stepping into our newest CAMP location at the preeminent Tysons Corner,” Camp co-CEO Jenica Myszkowski said in a statement. “Our CAMP Canteen will be the ultimate holiday gifting destination this holiday season with the best selection of toys and books and so many playable moments for kids to enjoy while grown ups shop!”

Co-founded by entrepreneur and former Buzzfeed marketing chief Ben Kaufman, Camp opened its flagship store on Fifth Avenue in New York City in December 2018. The company will expand to nine stores with its Tysons location, which represents its first foray into the D.C. area.

The stores rotate through different themes, from the popular kids’ TV shows “Bluey” and “Paw Patrol” to “The Little Mermaid” — another Disney partnership. The “Encanto” show is currently at the New York City shop, where it’s scheduled to stay until Oct. 14.

Disney Encanto x CAMP will then stay in Tysons “for a limited time before moving” on to another location, the company says, though an end date hasn’t been announced.

“We love the Camp experience, and we know that our guests who come from all over the country and the world to spend time at Tysons Corner Center will adore this singular retail + theater + entertainment concept,” Doug Healey, senior executive vice president of leasing for mall owner Macerich, said in the press release. “Macerich focuses on bringing exciting, fresh experiences to our top-performing regional town centers, including Tysons Corner Center, and we know that Camp will be huge hit with families here.”

(Updated at 6:20 p.m.) Three people were arrested earlier this week for stealing thousands of dollars in merchandise from Tysons Corner Center businesses, police say.

At 9:09 p.m. on Tuesday (Sept. 19), a worker at Sunglass Hut in the mall reported that the store had just been robbed, according to the Fairfax County Police Department.

Using the mall’s surveillance cameras, detectives with the department’s Tysons Urban Team unit determined that there were three suspects and they were still inside. One man and two women — all New York residents — were located and arrested.

“Approximately $15,000 worth of stolen merchandise was recovered,” the FCPD announced yesterday (Wednesday). “The stolen merchandise was found to belong to several businesses inside Tysons Corner Center to include Express, H&M, Macy’s, Nordstrom, Victoria’s Secret, American Eagle, Guess, and Sunglass Hut.”

The 20-year-old man has been charged with two counts of grand larceny, petit larceny, larceny with intent to sell , and conspiracy to commit larceny, according to the police department. When not committed against a person, Virginia defines grand larceny as thefts of $1,000 or more.

The two women, who are aged 19 and 20, have been been charged with two counts of grand larceny, larceny with intent to sell, and conspiracy to commit larceny.

All three individuals are being held at the Fairfax County Adult Detention Center on no bond, police said.

The arrests came just days after the FCPD reported late last week that its detectives had “busted” three other people — also identified as New York residents — for allegedly attempting to use a stolen credit card to buy $21,000 worth of merchandise from Louis Vuitton in Tysons Galleria.

As part of a summer crime prevention initiative, the police department cracked down on retail theft in June, which it said resulted in a drop in cases countywide that month. Incidents at Tysons Corner Center have continued to decline from 103 in May to 62 so far in September, according to FCPD data.

“Since the Summer Crime Prevention Initiative in June, we have seen a decrease in shoplifting incidents at 1961 Chain Bridge Road,” the department told FFXnow. “We recognize that shoplifting tends to increase in the fall toward the holiday season and will take steps to address this trend.”

For its next phase, Tysons Corner Center is keeping its eyes on the ground.

Property owner and developer Macerich secured the Fairfax County Planning Commission’s support last Thursday (Sept. 14) for a proposal that concentrates future development at the D.C. area’s largest mall closer to the Tysons Metro station than previously planned.

By repurposing the building that Lord & Taylor vacated in 2020, Macerich hopes its second phase of development will better integrate the first phase — which was completed in 2015 and centered around an elevated plaza — with the street below, according to DLA Piper land use planner Brian Clifford, who represented the developer at last week’s public hearing.

“Part of the connective tissue we envision here is enhancing this pedestrian ground plane experience,” Clifford said. “Phase 1 and 2 as approved are mostly elevated, and now we have a chance really to fix that.”

Visitors coming to the mall from the Metro station or Route 123 are currently greeted by a blank white wall where Lord & Taylor once stood, Clifford noted, though the building has temporarily hosted a mass COVID-19 vaccination site and a Spirit Halloween store since the retailer closed.

Macerich has proposed revitalizing that portion of the 78-acre property by replacing the retail building with either a 26-story office building or a 34-story, 292-unit office and residential building. Both options would include about 36,000 square feet of retail at the plaza level.

The retail space will likely focus on food and beverage offerings, similar to Barrel & Bushel, Eddie V’s and other tenants that can be found on the Plaza at Tysons Corner Center, Clifford said.

On top of the adjacent four-level parking garage, phase 2B will add a 20-story, 306,600-square-foot office building and 27-story, 320-unit residential building with retail space. This phase also includes a private amenity terrace and a 1.8-acre park connecting International Drive to the Tysons Metro station.

Extending a quarter-mile along Tysons One place, the park will feature a dog park, a 10-foot-wide multi-use trail, a Metro plaza area and active recreation zones, including a children’s play area, according to the application. Read More

(Updated at 2:05 p.m. on 9/13/2023) The Commonwealth of Virginia will take center stage at Tysons Corner Center this Saturday (Sept. 16).

The first annual Celebrate Virginia festival will enliven the Plaza at Tysons Corner Center from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. with beer and wine tastings as well as live entertainment, an artisan market and a mural painted in real time.

“We are excited to bring the community together at our inaugural Celebrate Virginia event, which highlights everything that makes our home state special,” said Jesse Benites, the director of property management for the mall’s owner, Macerich. “We will be showcasing small Virginia-based businesses, artists, and talent and are thrilled with the support and collaboration from our public officials and community partners.”

Some of those officials are slated to make appearances, including Rep. Gerry Connolly, Fairfax County Board of Supervisors Chairman Jeff McKay, and representatives of the county’s police and fire departments and George Mason University.

Organized in partnership with Visit Fairfax — Fairfax County’s official destination marketing agency — and the Virginia Tourism Corporation (VTC), Celebrate Virginia will be generally open to the public and free to attend.

The only exception is the V.I.P. Wine and Wellness Tent, which requires $40 tickets. The tent will offer tastings from eight different Virginia wineries and access to a pop-up from the five-star resort and spa Salamander Middleburg, where attendees can create a personalized aromatherapy oil.

Proceeds from the ticket sales will go to the Merrifield-based nonprofit Food for Others.

As for the free attractions, there will be beer tastings from five breweries, including Chantilly’s Strange Fruit Brewing, Smartmouth Brewing from Hampton Roads and Brother Craft Brewing from Harrisonburg.

The musical line-up will feature:

• 11 a.m.-12:30 p.m. — DanYko (Alexandria)
• 1-2:30 p.m. — Tejas & Felix (Fairfax City)
• 3-4 p.m. — Zac Quintana & Shawn Cody (Manassas)

The Artisan Makers Market will be similarly stacked with vendors based in Virginia, including many in Fairfax County:

• Inner Loop Coffee Roasters (Falls Church)
• Mother Cluster’s (Fairfax)
• Snugabutter (Annandale)
• Nordic Knot (Reston)
• River Sea Chocolates (Chantilly)
• The Humble Hustle Company (Roanoke)
• Trupti’s Craft: Quilling Gifts (Fairfax)
• Alyssa Mae Crafts (Tysons)

Throughout the day, visitors can also help paint a community mural with Loudoun-based artist Kevin Bednarz, whose work mixes street art, graphics and “original styles,” according to Tysons Corner Center.

“The design will be pre-sketched, and event attendees will be able to paint and bring the mural to life throughout the event,” the mall said. “The final product will be a large piece painted by the community to be exhibited within the shopping center.”

There will also be a “Spin the Tysons Wheel” with limited edition “Virginia is for Shopping Lovers” custom shirts, beanie hats, picnic blankets and other merchandise as the prizes.

“Virginia’s artisan, craft beer, and wine industries have become important drivers of Virginia’s tourism economy, making the Commonwealth an ideal destination for travelers who are seeking authentic, experiential attractions,” VTC Director of Communications Andrew Cothern said. “This event will provide an excellent locally made experience of everything Virginia has to offer firsthand.”

Visit Fairfax President and CEO Barry Biggar said in a statement that the agency is “thrilled” to help celebrate “talented artisans, makers and musicians” from Fairfax County and across the state.

Organizers hope Celebrate Virginia will become a recurring occasion. It will likely return annually to Tysons Corner Center, which was the “brainchild behind this event,” according to a Visit Fairfax spokesperson.

“We hope residents and visitors alike will come out to see what this amazing destination is all about and even take home a unique piece of Virginia,” Biggar said.

(Updated at 7:15 p.m. on 9/13/2023) A Pakistani clothing store is opening what appears to be the international company’s first U.S. location.

Khaadi, a Pakistani clothing brand, is expected to open a 5,491-square-foot store on the second floor of Tysons Corner Center (1961 Chain Bridge Road), according to Fairfax County permits.

The company — which sells traditional and Western attire, including fabrics and ready-to-wear items — currently has locations in the United Kingdom, United Arab Emirates, Qatar and Bahrain.

Weaves Group operates the Khaadi brand. Shamoon Sultan founded the business in 1998 to “revive the ancient craft of the handloom and popularizing the traditional medium in a contemporary manner,” according to the company’s website.

The company has more than 45 brick-and-mortar stores just in Pakistan, along with U.K. and Middle East locations. It also ships around the world through its online store.

Khaadi expects to open the new store by the end of this year, CEO Rehan Syed said in an announcement by Cushman & Wakefield, the real estate firm that represented the retailer in leasing negotiations.

The store will be located in Suite M11U near Barnes & Noble and Urban Outfitters.

The Tysons Corner Center location will mark the launch of ambitious expansion plans for Khaadi, which hopes to open “as many as 30 stores in the U.S. and Canada, as well as distribution and eCommerce centers.”

“Khaadi is one of the world’s most exciting fashion brands, producing unsurpassed quality and a fusion of style to compliment both East and West,” Cushman & Wakefield Managing Director Eric Lestin said in a statement. “Tysons Corner, with its strong demographics and location, offers an excellent launching point for the brand in the U.S., and we look forward to continuing our growth-partnership across North America.”

The food court at Tysons Corner Center has a new dining option for shoppers looking to chow down on some ‘za.

My Own Pizza opened a stall in the mall’s third-floor food court about three weeks ago, filling a vacant space next to California Tortilla. The new location is the first expansion for the business outside of its flagship restaurant at Federal Center Plaza (400 C Street SW) in D.C.

Specializing in New York-style pizza, the restaurant was inspired by the small family pizzerias and Italian cafes that owner Peter Tabibian grew up with, according to My Own Pizza’s website.

When talking about My Own Pizza, Tabibian emphasizes its use of “very high-quality ingredients” and an on-site brick oven, rather than a metal oven with a conveyer belt.

“Business is booming,” Tabibian told FFXnow. “This is as close as you can get to New York pizza. We’ve been getting a really good response.”

The menu includes cheese and pepperoni pizzas, along with specialty options like Hawaiian. Slices can be purchased on their own or in combos with a soft drink.

Tabibian and his business partner, Kevin Ejtemai, also own the Persian restaurant Maman Joon, which opened a Tysons Corner Center location in April.

Still to come for the pair is a Z-Burger in Vienna. The burger and milkshake joint will be located at 541 Maple Avenue West in a former Pizza Hut.

Ejtemai says the team has been “working diligently” to open the new location, which will be Z-Burger’s fourth in Virginia after additions in McLean, Alexandria and Arlington. The permitting process has been a challenge, in part because they need to deal with both Fairfax County and the Town of Vienna, but he estimates the restaurant could be ready to open in about 30 days.

(Updated at 11:20 a.m.) Time is tick-tick-ticking away to catch The Dr. Seuss Experience before it leaves Tysons Corner Center.

The pop-up attraction where kids can interact with characters and worlds out of Theodor Giesel’s classic picture books will conclude a nearly five-month stop at the mall on Labor Day (Monday, Sept. 3), Tysons Corner Center confirmed to FFXnow.

Located on the second floor next to Barnes & Noble, the pop-up launched on April 7 with nine life-sized recreations of scenes from Dr. Seuss books, including “The Cat in the Hat,” “Horton Hears a Who” and the debut of a 1,300-square-foot mirror maze inspired by the short story “The Sneetches.”

Produced by the live entertainment companies Kilburn Live and Fever, The Dr. Seuss Experience was initially slated to continue through Memorial Day, but it has stuck around, along with the “immersive” pop-up Candytopia, which opened in March.

Candytopia will remain “for a couple more months,” a Tysons Corner Center spokesperson said.

Tickets for The Dr. Seuss Experience can still be purchased online. The attraction’s typical operating hours are:

• Wednesday: 10 a.m.-1 p.m.
• Thursday: 10 a.m.-3 p.m.
• Friday and Saturday: 10 a.m.-4 p.m.
• Sunday: 10 a.m.-5 p.m.

The pop-ups are part of a shift at shopping centers in Tysons toward “experience-based recreation,” which was identified as a gap in the local retail market by a study that the Tysons Community Alliance released on Aug. 4.

A different kind of pop-up will move into Tysons Corner Center on Sept. 1, when the online fashion store Rent the Runway will host a 25-day sample sale with clothing, bags and other items from designer brands.