At 1:30 p.m. on Sunday, Dec. 6, marching bands and floats will step off from Fleetwood Road and Old Chain Bridge Road for the McLean Winterfest Parade. At that hour, the last day of the McLean Holiday Art & Crafts Festival will still have two and a half hours left at the McLean Community Center on Ingleside Avenue. These two events are the biggest crowds of McLean's holiday season. Two different organizations run them, and they share one afternoon.
That overlap says a lot about how the season is put together. McLean's November and December calendar comes from a short list of local groups. The McLean Community Center runs the crafts festival, the Alden Theatre shows and the house-decorating contest. The McLean Revitalization Corporation, which runs on volunteers, puts on Winterfest. A parish runs a bazaar that is now in its 47th year. Each sets its own dates, and together they make up the whole season. The calendar starts with an antiques show in mid-November, peaks on Dec. 6, and ends in early January with a public vote on which houses in the community center's tax district are decorated best.
Sunday, Dec. 6, by the Clock
The 2026 McLean Winterfest Parade & Block Party runs from 12:30 to 4:30 p.m. The McLean Revitalization Corporation describes it as an annual winter celebration with local performers and food from more than 54 vendors. The Holiday Art & Crafts Festival is open 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. that Sunday, its third and final day. Here is the afternoon in order:
- 10 a.m. The crafts festival opens at McLean Community Center, 1234 Ingleside Ave.
- 12:30 p.m. Parade check-in starts at Beverly and Elm. The Winterfest Block Party and the pre-parade entertainment begin at Langley Shopping Center.
- 1 p.m. Parade units line up at Beverly and Old McLean Village Drive.
- 1:30 p.m. The parade starts at Fleetwood Road and Old Chain Bridge Road.
- 2:45 p.m. The parade ends.
- 3 p.m. The Santa Claus station opens at the block party.
- 4 p.m. The crafts festival closes for the year.
- 4:30 p.m. The block party ends.
The festival's ticket pricing takes some pressure off that Sunday. Admission is $5, free for children 12 and under, and one ticket is good for all three days. The festival runs 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Friday, Dec. 4, and Saturday, Dec. 5. If you browse the 80 regional artisans on Friday or Saturday, the same ticket gets you back in Sunday morning before the parade. The Northern Virginia Handcrafters Guild manages the show.
Winterfest has one new feature this year. An online pet photo contest opens for entries on Nov. 6, and the winners will be announced at the block party. The parade is built from local groups. The organizers invite civic organizations, businesses and families to enter a vehicle or a group of marchers, take a table at the block party, or both. Volunteer roles are open to anyone of high school age and up.
November Starts Indoors, With Older Traditions
Before the parade, the season starts with two indoor sales that have been around for years. The first is the antiques show on Nov. 14 and 15.
| Event | Date and hours | Location | Admission |
|---|---|---|---|
| McLean Antiques Show & Sale | Sat., Nov. 14, 10 a.m.–5 p.m.; Sun., Nov. 15, 11 a.m.–4 p.m. | McLean Community Center, 1234 Ingleside Ave. | $11, good for both days; free for ages 17 and under |
| Muffins & Mimosas preview | Sat., Nov. 14, 9–10 a.m. | McLean Community Center | $20, includes show admission |
| St. John the Beloved 47th Christmas Bazaar | Sat., Nov. 21, 10 a.m.–4 p.m. | 6428 Linway Terrace | Free; donation-based |
| Holiday Gingerbread House Decorating | Sat., Nov. 21, 10 a.m.–noon | McLean Community Center | Register through MCC |
The antiques show has a discount tied to a local cause. Bring a show postcard or a canned-food donation for SHARE of McLean and you get $1 off admission. The Muffins & Mimosas ticket gets you in before the doors open, along with reserved seating at the show's antiques lecture. The mimosas are for guests 21 and older. DFShows, the show-management company run by promoter Dordy Fontinel, lists McLean among its show stops.
One week later, Nov. 21 has two events. Gingerbread decorating at the community center takes the morning. Meanwhile, the St. John the Beloved Christmas Bazaar runs all day on Linway Terrace, with more than 40 indoor and outdoor vendors expected. Holding a bazaar 47 times means it started long before most of McLean's current shops opened.
The Alden Holds the Middle of December
After the Dec. 6 crowds, the season moves back indoors to the community center's theater. The next Saturday is aimed at families with young children:
- Mike & Cookies with Santa, Saturday, Dec. 12, 10 a.m.–2 p.m., with two ticket options.
- The Joyfully Jolly Jamboree, Saturday, Dec. 12, at 11 a.m. and 4 p.m. The 11 a.m. show includes a Santa photo session from noon to 1 p.m. The center's fall guide lists the 11 a.m. performance with ASL.
- Sounds of the Season: A Lil' Maceo Holiday, Saturday, Dec. 19, at 7 p.m.
The Alden's holiday calendar has the full listings and tickets. Between Dec. 12 and Dec. 19, the holiday season slows down, and the next event is one residents put on themselves.
The Season Ends on Front Lawns
Light Up McLean is the McLean Community Center's holiday decorating contest. It is open to residents and businesses in the MCC tax district, and the community votes on the winners. There are three categories:
- Best Overall: an attractive, unique and complete design that uses its space and resources well
- Most Creative/Original: creative ideas with lots of originality in the design
- Best Holiday Theme: eye-catching decorations built around a fully developed theme
This is the first year businesses in the tax district can enter. Only home entries are eligible for prizes, but the public will also pick a Best Overall business. Registration for homes and businesses closes Friday, Dec. 11. Voting runs from Dec. 21, 2026, to Jan. 3, 2027.
The contest has run before, and the community center has kept building on it. For the 2023 contest, the center produced a route map so residents could drive past the decorated houses. That year's winners received a Swarovski ornament and a White House tree ornament. With storefronts now able to enter, the 2026 contest takes in the same downtown blocks that host Winterfest earlier in the month.
The calendar works out neatly. Registration closes the day before the Alden's Dec. 12 shows. Voting starts two days after Sounds of the Season and runs through Jan. 3.
Where Dinner Fits In
Most of these events are close to the town's other holiday errands. Chesterbrook Shopping Center has had a busy year. FFXnow reported in October that Glenwood's, a Maryland restaurant known for sushi, steaks and burgers, signed a lease for a restaurant of about 7,000 square feet at the south end of the center. It will be the brand's first Northern Virginia location. Construction is expected to start in early 2027, with opening targeted for fall 2027. The planned space seats about 170 people and includes a patio, nightly live entertainment and a private dining room.
Glenwood's won't be ready for this season. FFXnow reported that Federal Realty set Oct. 22 as the opening date for Surfside, a beach-themed taco stand paired with Sweetgreen in a freestanding building at 6218 Old Dominion Drive. The Chesterbrook Barber Shop is still part of the same block. It moved next door to 6262-F Old Dominion Drive when the center's tenants changed.
Thinking about entering Light Up McLean before the Dec. 11 deadline? The same eye for light, symmetry and a strong first impression is what Diana Foster brings to every Design Consult. If a winter listing is in your plans, start with an Instant Home Valuation, and we can talk about how your home will look at its best this season.
