Friday Download, 12/13: Herndon WinterMarkt, Del Ray Candy Cane Bar Crawl, Swissmas at the Swiss Bakery, and Occoquan s’mores

The weekend forecast and things to do, plus the week’s top Fairfax County headlines

(Asher Roth)

The Friday Download is your guide to the week and weekend in Fairfax and around the area. Subscribe today to get the next one in your inbox and support The Machine’s work.

Happy Friday, all. I’ve always been a last-minute gift-buyer, but I’m slightly ahead of the game for the holidays this year. If you need a kick, maybe this weekend’s craft markets can help.

Below are the week’s top local headlines, the forecast for the weekend and a dozen ways to spend it around NoVA and D.C. — from Del Ray’s Candy Cane Bar Crawl to the McLean Symphony’s Christmas concert to a Jungle Book adaptation at the Kennedy Center.

I’m also still rounding up ongoing holiday events (like Santa photo ops and regional park lights) through the season.

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Local news I read this week

Business and development 📈

• Comstock drops plan to redevelop downtown Herndon (FFXnow)

• Report: Fairfax County leads state in data centers near residential neighborhoods (FFXnow)

• Vienna Town Council postpones vote on proposed meals tax increase for second time (WUSA9)

Education 📖

• County could struggle to fund teacher raises agreed to in collective bargaining (FFXnow)

• Judge lets lawsuit challenging FCPS policies on gender identity proceed (FFXnow)

Government and politics 🏛️

• Rep. Gerry Connolly competing with AOC for top Dem spot on House Oversight Committee (NYT)

• Board of Supervisors approves judicial complex redevelopment plan (FairfaxCounty.gov)

History 🏺

• How the last 6 decades transformed Northern Virginia (NoVA Mag)

Other

• Beloved Springfield animal rescue pilot is buried with the puppy he tried to save (WaPo)

Sports 🏈

• ‘I am sorry’: Superintendent works to make amends following uproar over Hayfield football (FFXnow)

Transportation 🚍

• Bus in Fairfax crashes into parking garage, catches fire (WUSA9)

• W&OD Trail pedestrian bridge in Reston officially opens with rainy ribbon-cutting (Patch)

Weekend forecast (from the National Weather Service)

• Friday: Mostly sunny to mostly cloudy. Highs around 40, lows in the upper 20s. ⛅

• Saturday: Mostly sunny to mostly cloudy. Highs in the upper 30s, lows in the upper 20s. 🌥️

• Sunday: Mostly cloudy, with rain coming later in the day. Highs in the lower 40s, lows in the upper 30s. 🌧️

Things to do

🎤 Toast to Taylor Swift’s birthday at Settle Down Easy Brewing, in Falls Church (Friday, 5 to 9 p.m.; $10 cover)

🍫 Make s’mores around the firepits at Occoquan’s Firelight Night (Friday, 6 to 9 p.m.)

🎻 Watch the McLean Symphony’s annual Christmas Festival at Capital One Hall (Friday, 7:30 p.m.; $40 general admission, $5 for kids)

🎸Catch a Talking Heads tribute show at the State Theatre (Friday, 8:30 p.m.)

🐯 See The Jungle Book in opera (Friday through Monday) at the Kennedy Center

🖼️ Explore the Capital Art and Craft Festival at Dulles Expo Center, featuring the works of more than 200 artists (Friday to Sunday, 10 a.m. to late afternoon)

🎁 Shop this weekend’s local holiday markets, including:

• Arlington’s annual Winter Artful Weekend (Friday through Sunday)

• The Fairfax City Holiday Market (Friday through Sunday)

• The Old Town Alexandria Christmas Market and Holiday Craft Show (Saturday, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.)

• The PARC at Tysons’ Winter Market (Saturday, 12 to 5 p.m.)

• Mosaic Holiday Market (Saturday and Sunday, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.)

🍬 Enjoy food and drink specials around Del Ray at its annual Candy Cane Bar Crawl (Saturday, 12:30 to 6 p.m.; $15 advance tickets, $25 at the door)

⛸️ Ice-skate with Santa, Mrs. Claus and the Arlington Philharmonic at National Landing’s Winter Waterland event (Saturday, 4 to 8 p.m.)

🧀 Celebrate “Swissmas” at the Swiss Bakery with raclette, grilled sausages, and Swiss and German holiday goods at its Christkindl Market (Saturday, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.)

🔭 Stargaze at the Udvar-Hazy Center (Saturday, 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. and 5:30 to 7:30)

🎅 Meet Santa at Fairfax County parks:

• At Lake Accotink Park, with treats for humans and pets (Saturday, 12 to 2 p.m.; free with registration)

• At Colvin Run Mill, with hot chocolate, marshmallows, crafts and music (Saturday and Sunday; $10 tickets, or $40 for groups at the sensory-friendly event)

Ongoing holiday events

• Meadowlark Botanical Gardens’ Winter Walk of Lights (in Vienna), Bull Run Regional Park’s drive-through Festival of Lights (in Centreville) and Cameron Run Regional Park’s Winter Village (in Alexandria) are all operating through Jan. 5.

• Reston Town Center’s ice-skating rink is open through the end of January.

• Mount Vernon’s Winter Glow event is back Sunday to Thursday, before returning one last time Dec. 23.

• The DC Holiday Market (at Dupont Circle) and DowntownDC Holiday Market (in Penn Quarter/Chinatown) both run through Dec. 23, too.

• Take photos with Santa at the Fair Oaks Mall, Tysons Corner Center or Dulles Town Center through Dec. 24.

My plans

I’ll be picking through a neat estate sale in Reston tomorrow and stopping by Herndon’s classic WinterMarkt, then having dinner with family in Alexandria.

Otherwise, I’ve got a fun Q&A to pull together for you all. Look out for that early next week.