Reston Multicultural Festival Celebrates 25 Years
Music, Dance, Art and Storytelling Return to Reston Town Center
RESTON, VA – September 15, 2026 – The Reston Multicultural Festival celebrates 25 years of bringing people together on Saturday, September 19, 2026, from 11:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. at Reston Town Center. Thousands are expected to gather for a day of music, dance, art and cultural exchange. The festival began with a vision from Reston residents Ellen Graves and Margaret Boyd to create a celebration that reflected the community’s growing diversity. A quarter century later, that vision has become one of Reston’s signature traditions, creating a welcoming space for people to share their cultures, experience new traditions and connect with one another.
The Fairfax County Board of Supervisors recognized the milestone with an August 25, 2026 proclamation honoring the festival’s role in advancing Reston’s values of diversity, inclusion and community connection.
“As someone who came to this country as a refugee, this means something very personal to me,” said BeBe Nguyen, RCC Executive Director, when accepting the proclamation on RCC’s behalf. “I know what it means to leave one home and to be welcomed into another. I know the power of belonging and I believe deeply that community is not something we simply inherit; it is something we choose to nurture and build together.”
This year also offers a timely connection to America’s 250th anniversary. “Music from the Crooked Road,” featuring Elsa Howell, Gina Dilg and the Mustard Cutters and Eddie Bond & the New Ballards Branch Bogtrotters, showcases musical traditions deeply rooted in Virginia. Other featured artists, including the New York Korean Performing Arts Center, Billy McComiskey, Patrick Olwell, Gerry Milnes and CULTURE featuring Kenyatta Hill, reflect a broader American story shaped by traditions carried across generations and from cultures around the world.
That spirit of connection will be on full display throughout this year’s festival, one of the largest to date, featuring:
- Three performance stages – the Pavilion Stage, Park Stage at Reston Town Square Park and Cultural Conversations Stage on Library Street, with more than 20 performances and opportunities for festivalgoers to engage directly with artists.
- More than 60 artisan vendors and community organizations along Market Street offering crafts, cultural activities and family-friendly experiences.
- Pop-up performances along Market Street throughout the day.
The festival begins at 11:00 a.m. with an Opening Ceremony featuring the Presentation of the Colors and the national anthem performed by the South Lakes High School Chorus. Reston Community Center Board of Governors Chair Bill Bouie will offer opening remarks, joined by honored guests Senator Jennifer Boysko, Delegate Karen Keys-Gamarra, Hunter Mill District Supervisor Walter Alcorn, Fairfax County School Board member Melanie Meren, Fairfax County Executive Bryan Hill and Reston Town Center Association Executive Director Robert Goudie. Beverly A. Cosham will conclude the ceremony by leading “God Bless America.”
The Reston Multicultural Festival is presented by Reston Community Center (RCC) in partnership with Reston Town Center Association (RTCA) and co-hosted by BXP at Reston Town Center. Volunteer coordination is provided by Reston Association, with artistic support from the National Council for the Traditional Arts and the Virginia Folklife Program.
RCC invites the entire community to participate in this year’s Multicultural Festival. For a full schedule, vendor list and community activities, visit www.restoncommunitycenter.com/mcf.
About the Reston Multicultural Festival
The Reston Multicultural Festival celebrates the diversity and community spirit that defines Reston, bringing people together each year to honor and share the rich tapestry of cultures that shape our community. Reston Community Center is proud to present the Reston Multicultural Festival in partnership with the Reston Town Center Association. It is co-hosted at Reston Town Center by BXP. Volunteer coordination is provided by Reston Association. For more information visit www.restoncommunitycenter.com/mcf.
About Reston Community Center
Reston Community Center provides a wide range of programs in aquatics, arts, enrichment and lifelong learning for all ages. RCC creates and sustains community traditions through special events, outreach activities and facility rentals enjoyed by all of Reston. RCC has been enriching lives and building community for more than 45 years. For more information visit www.restoncommunitycenter.com or contact us at 703-476-4500.
About BXP/Reston Town Center
Reston Town Center is an acclaimed urban development located in the heart of Northern Virginia. Owned and managed by BXP, Reston Town Center is home to more than 50 retailers, 30 restaurants, more than 2,000 residential homes and 4 million square feet of Class A office space. Since becoming one of the nation’s first developments of its kind in 1990, Reston Town Center offers residents and visitors an innovative and energizing experience with outdoor recreation spaces, dynamic seasonal traditions and events.
About the Reston Town Center Association
Reston Town Center Association (RTCA) is the mixed-use, governing association for the Reston Town Center, which is not only Reston’s downtown but a major employment and amenity center for the region. The association’s services benefit all those who live, work, play, and visit here. Core aspects of its mission include design review, support of transit-oriented development, and a strong commitment to the arts and community programming, all in furtherance of Reston Town Center’s destination proposition.
About the National Council for the Traditional Arts and the NEA Heritage Fellows
The National Council for the Traditional Arts (NCTA) is a non-profit organization dedicated to the presentation and documentation of folk and traditional arts in the United States. The NCTA continually strives to expand awareness and appreciation of the richness of America’s multicultural, living heritage through exciting, thoughtfully curated live programs that create dynamic cultural encounters between artists and the public. Since 1983, the NCTA has organized the celebration of the National Endowment for the Arts National Heritage Fellowships. The Fellowships, awarded annually, are the highest honor in folk and traditional arts. The program recognizes recipients’ artistic excellence, lifetime achievement, and contributions to our nation’s traditional arts heritage. Reston Community Center is honored to partner with the NCTA and to host Fellows year after year.
About the Virginia Folklife Program of Virginia Humanities
Virginia Folklife Program works to document, sustain, present, and support cultural traditions across the Commonwealth. Whether sung or told, hand-crafted or performed, Virginia’s Folklife refers to those “arts of everyday life” that reflect a sense of traditional knowledge and connection to community. Virginia’s folkways include creative expressions rooted in the Commonwealth for centuries, as well traditions brought here more recently.
Enriching Lives. Building Community.
Media Contact:
Lorna Campbell Clarke, IOM
Director of Communications
703-390-6158
Lorna.Campbell-Clarke@fairfaxcounty.gov
