McLean Day Festival Returns to Lewinsville Park

Posted on Thursday, May 8 |

County of Fairfax, Virginia
The McLean Community Center
1234 Ingleside Avenue, McLean, Va. 22101
www.mcleancenter.org

Media Contact:
Sabrina Anwah, Director of Communications
703-790-0123, TTY: 711
571-230-5197 (work cell)
sabrina.anwah@fairfaxcounty.gov

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Monday, May 5, 2025
025-025

A Free Family Fun Day in the Park --- McLean Day 2025 is Saturday, May 17

McLean, Va.— McLean Community Center’s annual party in the park, McLean Day, returns to Lewinsville Park on Friday, May 16 and Saturday, May 17. A free event that offers activities for all ages, it has been “the place to be” for more than 100 years. Beginning with Friday Night Carnival Rides from 2-10 p.m. on Friday, May 16, and continuing from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday, May 17, this year’s festival includes enhancements in celebration of MCC’s 50^th Anniversary. Admission to the festival is free; ride tickets, food and beverages will be for sale. The park is located at 1659 Chain Bridge Rd.

Celebrating Its 110^th Anniversary
McLean Day has been in existence for 110 years. It began in 1915 as a school and community fundraiser put on by the McLean School and Civic League at Franklin Sherman School. Over the years, a host of community organizations kept it going until the mid-1970s when MCC began producing it and then moved it to its current home, Lewinsville Park, in 1988.

Vote for MCC Board Candidates
The McLean Community Center’s 2025 Governing Board Election will be held at the festival on Friday, May 16, from 4-8 p.m. at the Friday Night Carnival Rides, and on Saturday, May 17, from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the festival. Fifteen Dranesville Small District 1A residents are running for seats on the board. Six adults are vying for three vacant adult seats, and nine teens are vying for two vacant student seats (one for the Langley High School boundary area and one for the McLean High School boundary area). Only residents of Dranesville Small District 1A are permitted to vote in the election. For more information, visit MCC’s website, mcleancenter.org.

Friday Night Carnival Rides
Patrons can enjoy carnival rides on Friday, May 16, from 2 p.m. to 10 p.m. at the park. Ticket prices vary, and some rides have height requirements. The rides are in two areas of the park, near the main entrance and toward the back of the park, where small carnival rides are located. Additionally, patrons can enjoy free bubble ball and field games on Friday night. Ride tickets and wristbands can be purchased in advance from Cole Rides through a link on the center’s website, mcleancenter.org, or onsite on Friday and Saturday.

50^th Anniversary Celebration Continues
In recognition of the McLean Community Center’s 50^th Anniversary, several enhancements are planned for this year’s festival. Virginia State Delegate Rip Sullivan and Dranesville District Supervisor Jimmy Bierman will present 50^th Anniversary resolutions on the stage at the start of the event. A special 50^th edition t-shirt will be offered to patrons who fill out an event survey. A 50^th photo opportunity will be in the park and a free reusable water bottle will be distributed to patrons at the four information booths while they last. For more information on MCC’s 50^th, visit mcleancenter.org.

Festival Activities
Carnival amusements and rides are a big draw at McLean Day. Large rides are in the parking lot near the main entrance. The Kids’ Way area of the park offers ticketed rides especially for younger children. Popular costumed characters will be available to interact with patrons and pose for photos on the porch of the white house. Other free activities include bubble ball, two rock-climbing walls, balloon twisters, a magician jugglers and a petting zoo.

Live Performances Onstage
Free performances will be offered throughout the festival on the Community Stage, which is centrally located. Students enrolled in dance classes at MCC will open the show at 11:05 a.m. by performing several routines they have learned. At noon, (the) Unruly Theatre Project, The Alden’s teen improv group, will perform. MCC dance students will return to perform again at 12:30 p.m. At 2:15, The Sounds of Soul will perform the first of three sessions. Performing a combination of Motown classics mixed with some of the greatest pop and R&B hits ever written, the outstanding singers, dancers and songwriters of this group maintain a performance schedule of more than 325 shows per year. The show features hits from The Temptations, The Four Tops, Aretha Franklin, Whitney Houston, The Supremes, Lionel Richie, Tina Turner, Barry White, and more! McLean Citizens Association will present the Teen Character Awards at 3 p.m. followed by the return of The Sounds of Soul for a second show at 3:15 p.m. and a final performance at 4:15 p.m. There is also a Jugglers’ Stage, located in the children’s ride area, with free performances throughout the event.

Food and Beverage Options Abound
Returning this year is the McLean Day Beer and Wine Garden, offering a variety of beer and wine for patrons age 21 or older. In addition, some of the area’s best gourmet food trucks will be on hand to serve the crowds in the food court.

Transportation Options Abound
Parking is not available at Lewinsville Park on the day of the festival. Patrons can take free Fairfax Connector shuttles from three satellite locations to McLean Day. Free shuttle buses will run from the parking sites to the park starting at 10:25 a.m. and running through 6 p.m.

Shuttle Satellite Routes are as follows:
Red - McLean Baptist Church, 1367 Chain Bridge Rd, McLean, VA 22101, McLean, VA 22101. Patrons should meet the buses at the church entrance in the parking lot.
Yellow - McLean Community Center, 1234 Ingleside Ave., McLean VA 22101. Patrons should meet near the main entrance of the center where signage indicates.
Blue – Redeemer Lutheran Church, 1545 Chain Bridge Rd., McLean, VA 22101. Patrons should meet the buses at the church entrance in the parking lot.

Patrons can also take Fairfax Connector Route 721 to stop ID 5429 for just $2 each way. All Fairfax Connector Shuttles to McLean Day are air-conditioned, ADA and wheelchair accessible, have low floor ramps or are lift-equipped. They also have two bike racks and allow service animals. For more information, visit the MCC website, mcleancenter.org.

Sponsors Help Make McLean Day Happen
McLean Day is produced by the McLean Community Center. Community-minded local businesses enhance festival offerings. To date, this year’s sponsors are: Wheat’s Landscaping (Park Beautification), Fairfax County Connector (Event Transportation); Fairfax County Park Authority (Venue), MARS, Inc. (Marketplace), McLean Properties (Picnic Tent - Food Court), Johns Hopkins Community Physicians (Picnic Tent – Kids’ Way), Northwest Federal Credit Union (Balloon Twisters) and Lafayette Federal Credit Union (Climbing Walls).

Clean and Comfortable for All
For a third year, MCC has taken efforts to help McLean Day stay clean and green by hiring a company to manage and process all the waste and recyclable materials generated at the event. Patrons are encouraged to help by using the proper bins when disposing of items throughout the event.

Additional Information
Patrons are encouraged to be aware of their surroundings and report suspicious activities to MCC staff, Police and Fire personnel. Balloons and controlled substances are not permitted on the park grounds. Only alcohol purchased from the MCC contracted beer and wine garden will be permitted onsite and within the designated area. Patrons are requested not to smoke cigarettes or vape on park grounds. Political candidates, exhibitors and other venders must contain their activities to their assigned booths. Soliciting or pamphleting is not allowed on the grounds of the park during McLean Day.

For festival updates, driving directions, shuttle bus stop locations and a festival area map, visit: mcleancenter.org/special-events or call MCC at 703-790-0123/TTY: 711. The center’s telephone will be answered from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on the day of the festival.

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The McLean Community Center, an agency of Fairfax County Government, is committed to a policy of nondiscrimination on the basis of disability in all programs, services and activities. We will provide reasonable accommodations upon request. To request special accommodations, call the Center 14 working days in advance of the event.

To request this information in an alternate format, call 711.