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Fairfax County and neighboring communities have packed the winter calendar with concerts, films, cultural programs, theater, family activities and Black History Month observances. Events begin in late January and continue into May 2025.

Seasonal food and art

Participating TOUS les JOURS locations in Arlington, Burke, Chantilly and Centreville will offer the “Fall in Love with Chocolate” collection Feb. 1-14. The initial menu includes a Heart Chocolate Cake, a Chocolate Lovers Cake made with Valrhona chocolate, and a Red Velvet Bliss cocoa latte.

Three more desserts arrive Feb. 7: White Chocolate Raspberry Cake, Valentine’s Cloud Cake with fresh berries, and a miniature red velvet cake with cream cheese frosting.

Falls Church Restaurant Week runs Jan. 31-Feb. 9 with more than 40 restaurants, including international, immigrant-owned and recently opened businesses.

Original artwork priced at $150 or less will be available during the Valentine Sweetheart Deal at Church of the Covenant, 2666 Military Road in Arlington. A reception is scheduled from 5-8 p.m. Feb. 7, followed by sale hours from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Feb. 8 and noon-4 p.m. Feb. 9.

“The Creative Quest: Three Generations of Intuitive Painting” remains on view Feb. 4-March 2 at the Jo Ann Rose Gallery, 1609-A Washington Plaza North in Reston. The exhibition brings together 30 works by Judith Forst, her students and their students. Pieces by Forst and 17 other intuitive painters explore an uninhibited, process-centered practice she began teaching locally in 2001.

Fairfax City programs

Funday Monday offers free programming for preschoolers and other children from 10:30-11:15 a.m. at the Stacy C. Sherwood Center, 3740 Blenheim Blvd.

The Bonita Lestina Old Town Hall Performance Series, now in its 35th season, presents free 8 p.m. concerts at the Sherwood Center unless otherwise noted:

  • Feb. 14: The Cathedral Brass, “Winter Brass Festival”
  • Feb. 28: Mason Jazz Vocal Night
  • March 14: Baltimore Composers Forum, “Intersegmental 38”
  • March 28: Dr. John “JJ” Mitchell organ recital at Truro Anglican Church
  • April 11: Bobby J and the Hot Lanes

The free ARTScreen series opens its doors at the Sherwood Center at 6:30 p.m., with films beginning at 7 p.m. Admission includes popcorn, candy and refreshments. “Amazing Grace” screens Feb. 21 in recognition of Black History Month, followed by “Field of Dreams” on March 7.

Versa-Style Street Dance Company presents a free lecture and demonstration at 7 p.m. Feb. 11 at the Sherwood Center. Reservations are required. The Los Angeles troupe, celebrating its 20th anniversary, will combine movement and discussion while examining hip-hop, street dance, culture, education and the experiences of Los Angeles’ BIPOC communities.

Black History Month

A legal panel at 7 p.m. Feb. 6 at the Sherwood Center examines the origins and importance of Loving v. Virginia, the 1967 Supreme Court decision that invalidated state bans on interracial marriage. Mary Bauer, executive director of the ACLU of Virginia, is among the planned participants. Constitutional scholars, practicing attorneys, judges or other specialists are also expected, followed by a brief audience question-and-answer session. The free program requires reservations and supports Virginia Opera’s world-premiere production of Loving v. Virginia, co-commissioned by the Richmond Symphony.

Other Fairfax City Black History Month programs include:

  • Feb. 9: “AfroTales: Then and Now,” 11-11:45 a.m. at the City of Fairfax Regional Library, for ages 4-10
  • Feb. 10: Funday Monday featuring the AX Experience, 10:30-11:15 a.m. at the Sherwood Center
  • Feb. 11: Versa-Style Street Dance Company lecture and demonstration, 7 p.m. at the Sherwood Center
  • Feb. 20: “Carter G. Woodson Streamlined Live,” 2-3 p.m. at the City of Fairfax Regional Library, for adults
  • Feb. 21: Amazing Grace, the Aretha Franklin documentary, 7 p.m. at the Sherwood Center
  • Feb. 22: Alison Crockett’s “The Evolution of Jazz,” 11 a.m. at the City of Fairfax Regional Library, for teens and adults
  • Feb. 22: “The Civil War Defenses of Washington, D.C. and the Role of the United States Colored Troops,” 2 p.m. at Historic Blenheim
  • Feb. 22: A talk by illustrator Tequitia Andrews, 2:30-3:30 p.m. at the City of Fairfax Regional Library, for ages 7-12

Fairfax County Park Authority programs include “Black History Month at Historic Frying Pan Church,” a free event from noon-3 p.m. Feb. 15 at Frying Pan Farm Park; “Remembering Metilda—An Enslaved Child at the Mill,” from 1-2 p.m. Feb. 22 at Colvin Run Mill, costing $9; “Paths of Freedom Seekers,” from 3-4 p.m. Feb. 23 at Ellanor C. Lawrence Park, costing $8; and “Enslaved Lives and the Legacy of Slavery,” from 1-2 p.m. Feb. 27 at Historic Huntley, costing $12.

Additional regional observances include a 1 p.m. screening of How It Feels to Be Free on Feb. 13 at the McLean Community Center. Based on Ruth Feldstein’s book, the 113-minute PBS documentary profiles Lena Horne, Abbey Lincoln, Nina Simone, Diahann Carroll, Cicely Tyson and Pam Grier.

Historic Vienna presents a virtual program about Elizabeth Honest and Vienna’s Honesty family at 7:30 p.m. Feb. 18. Historian and former Fairfax Circuit Court Historic Records Center archivist Heather Bollinger will discuss how Virginia’s slavery and servitude laws shaped the choices confronting Honest, an indentured woman with a young mixed-race family, and her descendants. A related poster exhibition will be displayed at the Vienna Community Center.

Theater, dance and live music

Rajiv Joseph’s The Lake Effect runs Jan. 30-Feb. 16 at 1st Stage in Tysons Corner. Set during a severe Cleveland winter storm, the drama follows estranged siblings brought together by their father’s death and the closing of his struggling Indian restaurant. Performances begin at 7:30 p.m. Thursdays and Fridays, 2 and 7:30 p.m. Saturdays, and 2 p.m. Sundays. General admission ranges from $25 to $55, while student, educator and military tickets cost $15.

Sterling Playmakers stages The Last Five Years Feb. 7-9 and Feb. 14-16 at Seneca Ridge Middle School in Sterling. The musical traces a five-year relationship in opposite directions: Cathy tells the story backward while Jamie moves chronologically, with their timelines meeting at their wedding. Performances begin at 7:30 p.m., with Sunday matinees at 2 p.m.

The Czech National Philharmonic performs at 8 p.m. Feb. 7 at George Mason University’s Center for the Arts in Fairfax during its first U.S. tour. Founded in 1908 and reconstituted after World War II in 1945, the orchestra is known for Eastern European repertoire and works by composers including Dvořák, Smetana, Martinů, Beethoven, Brahms, Mozart and Schubert.

The Black Opry Revue comes to the McLean Community Center at 7 p.m. Feb. 8. The all-ages concert highlights the connections among country, blues, folk and Americana through performances by Acisse Jay, Sug Daniels, Mel Washington and Justin Golden.

Jody Marshall performs traditional Celtic music at the Old Brogue Irish Pub, 760-C Walker Road in Great Falls, at 4:30 and 6:30 p.m. Feb. 9. She will play hammered dulcimer alongside Paul Nahay on keyboard, Jim Queen on fiddle and guitar, and Susan Queen on bass. Advance tickets cost $21.

Singer-songwriter Crys Matthews performs at 7:30 p.m. Feb. 15 at the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Sterling, 22135 Davis Drive, Suite 104. The Nashville musician blends country, Americana, folk, blues and bluegrass with lyrics centered on social justice.

Versa-Style returns for a full performance at 8 p.m. Feb. 15 at George Mason University’s Center for the Arts. Its 20th-anniversary program, “Rooted Rhythms,” draws on whacking, popping, house dance, salsa and West African styles.

Kinnfolk, the Roanoke husband-and-wife duo of Josh and Julie Kinn, performs traditional Celtic music at the Old Brogue at 4:30 and 6:30 p.m. Feb. 16. Advance admission is $21.

Bill Blagg brings a 90-minute interactive magic and illusion show to the McLean Community Center at 7 p.m. Feb. 21 and 4 p.m. Feb. 22.

Pianist Barron Ryan presents “Classic Meets Cool” at 2 p.m. Feb. 23 at the McLean Community Center. The all-ages program combines classical music, jazz and pop arrangements, and Ryan’s original compositions.

Aurora Dance Fest begins at 4:30 p.m. March 9 at Capital One Hall in Tysons Corner. Hosted by Gin Dance Company, the event features 10 companies and 16 choreographers presenting contemporary ballet, modern dance and flamenco.

Community events and activities

Fairfax County’s fire and rescue chief and police chief face off in the Chief vs. Chief Adoption Bowl Feb. 6-9. Adoption fees will be waived for dogs weighing at least 45 pounds, and each adoption earns one point for the chief’s team.

Assistance League of Northern Virginia holds a fundraiser Feb. 6 at Panera Bread, 12120 Fairfax Towne Center. The restaurant will donate 25% of qualifying dinner orders to the volunteer nonprofit, which provides food, clothing and books to children at local Title I elementary schools. Online pickup orders can use the code FUND4U.

The McLean Community Center screens the French film The Intouchables at 1 p.m. Feb. 6. The R-rated, two-hour film follows the friendship between a Parisian aristocrat who became quadriplegic after a paragliding accident and the young man hired as his live-in caretaker.

The State of Centreville program begins with networking and a continental breakfast at 8:30 a.m. Feb. 7 at Chantilly National Golf and Country Club, 14901 Braddock Road. The formal program starts at 9 a.m., with Fairfax County Supervisor Kathy Smith as keynote speaker. Topics include possible Orange Line Metro stops, Centreville Regional Library improvements, land-use changes, bicycle and pedestrian projects, and the county’s Centreville Task Force. Admission costs $20.

Children and their parents or guardians can attend the Sweetheart Parent & Child Dance from 7-9 p.m. Feb. 7 at the McLean Community Center. The all-ages event includes a DJ, photo booth, crafts and light refreshments. Each participating adult and child must register.

The Clifton Betterment Association’s free 2025 Ping Pong Tournament runs from 9 a.m.-2 p.m. Feb. 8 at Clifton Town Hall, 12641 Chapel Road. Players of every age and experience level are welcome, and advance registration is required.

State Sen. Saddam Salim and Del. Holly Seibold hold a town hall meeting at 9:30 a.m. Feb. 8 at Vienna Town Hall, 127 Center St. S.

A Lunar New Year celebration takes place from 6-8 p.m. Feb. 8 at Twin Lakes Golf Course, 6201 Union Mill Road in Clifton. The evening includes music, dance, cultural presentations, crafts, games and Asian food sold by local food trucks.

Tabletop N-scale model trains will operate from 1-4 p.m. Feb. 9 at the Fairfax Station Railroad Museum, 11200 Fairfax Station Road. Admission is free for museum members and children 4 or younger; $3 for ages 5-12; $5 for visitors 13 and older, or $6 during special events; and $4 for seniors and active-duty or retired military personnel.

The Sully District Police Station, 4900 Stonecroft Blvd. in Chantilly, offers personal-safety classes for teens and adults from 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m. and 6:30-8 p.m. Feb. 10. Topics include crime prevention, situational awareness, recognizing surroundings, reducing attack risks, developing an action plan and deciding when force is appropriate. The class does not include physical drills, and advance registration is required.

Residents can meet Sully Police Station commanders during a Community Advisory Committee meeting from 7-8 p.m. Feb. 12 in the station’s community room. MPO Scott Richards and Little Rocky Run Neighborhood Watch leader Marjorie Ham will explain neighborhood-watch programs.

Northern Virginia NTRAK members bring another N-scale model-train display to the Fairfax Station Railroad Museum from 1-4 p.m. Feb. 16. Regular museum admission rates apply.

The virtual Journey Within: Self-Discovery Book Club meets from 6-7:30 p.m. Feb. 19 through Reston Library. Life coach Shabnam Curtis leads a discussion of Gail Honeyman’s Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine, focusing on character development and its connections to readers’ lives.

A Monopoly tournament benefiting the Lorton Community Action Center begins at 9 a.m. Feb. 22 at Moose Lodge, 9612 Fernedge Lane in Lorton. Players age 8 and older will compete in three timed rounds, with those holding the most assets advancing. Cash prizes are $500 for first place, $250 for second and $100 for third, with trophies and door prizes also planned. The $35 advance fee rises to $50 at the door. Continental breakfast and lunch are included.

The Burke Historical Society meets from 3-4:30 p.m. Feb. 23 at Pohick Regional Library, 6450 Sydenstricker Road in Burke. George Mason University professor Larrie D. Ferreiro will discuss Brothers at Arms: American Independence and the Men of France and Spain Who Saved It, his 2016 Pulitzer Prize finalist.

The 44th Annual Spring Civil War Mosby Bus Tour takes place May 10. “Mosby and the End of the War,” led by Kevin Pawlak and Rob Orrison, follows Mosby’s Rangers through the Civil War’s closing actions and their disbandment at Salem. Tickets cost $80 for Stuart-Mosby Historical Society members and $90 for nonmembers. Lunch is not included, and refunds will not be available after May 1.