Burke Centre Festival Has Something for Everyone

This weekend's thirty-ninth annual Burke Centre Festival features fun and food for all ages. "It's a special time for everyone," said Jeannie Winslow, administrative director of the Burke Centre Conservancy.

The festival is held on the grounds of the .  Admission is free, but some activities have a cost.

Along with live performances, puppet shows by Kamp Kreatures and interactive wildlife shows by the , highlights include a huge arts and crafts show, face painting, pony rides, a climbing wall, scout activities, and displays by Fairfax County police and fire departments. 

The festival runs 10 a.m. - 5 p.m. on Saturday, and 11 a.m. - 5 p.m. on Sunday.

On Saturday from 5 to 10 p.m., the festival is open to those 21-years and older for a wine garden with live music.

A 10:30 a.m. Sunday, a 9/11 Wreath Laying Ceremony will precede the 11 a.m. festival opening.  The ceremony will be held at the flagpole in front of the community center, which is accessible by the Johnson-Sabin Pathway, leading up from Burke Centre Parkway. The pathway is named for Lieutenant Colonel Dennis Johnson and Charles Sabin, the two Burke residents who lost their lives at the Pentagon on 9/11.

Parking is available along Burke Centre Parkway, and on neighborhood streets, but organizers ask that drivers not park in driveways or block mailboxes. 

On Saturday only, parking also is available at ,at the intersection of the Burke Centre Parkway and Burke Lake Road. 

Free shuttle bus service is available Saturday 9:30 a.m. - 5 p.m., and Sunday 10:30 a.m. - 5 p.m. at these stops:

• Fairview Elementary School (5815 Ox Rd) - Bus stop @ Rt. 123 & Burke Centre Pkwy)

• Oaks Community Center (5708 Oak Leather Dr) - Bus stop @ Oak Leather Dr & Burke Centre Pkwy

• Landings Community Center (6001 Cove Land- ing Rd) - Bus stop @ Cove Landing Rd & Burke Centre Pkwy

• Festival Grounds (6060 Burke Centre Pkwy)

• Ponds Community Center (9837 Burke Pond Ln) - Bus stop @ Burke Pond Ln & Burke Centre Parkway

• Burke School (9645 Burke Lake Rd) - Bus stop @ Burke Lake Rd & Burke Centre Pkwy

• All Metro Bus Stops on Burke Centre Pkwy

The Burke Centre Festival has its beginnings in the formation of the community.  The area was originally slated for construction of Dulles Airport. After a lengthy lobbying campaign by area residents, Dulles was instead built near Chantilly, making way for the 1700-acre Planned Residential Community (PRC) located in Burke, known as Burke Centre.

The Burke Centre Festival has been a community tradition for more than three decades.