Burke Centre Festival Promises Food, Rides, Other Fun

BURKE, VA—The huge Burke Centre Festival returns for the weekend of Sept. 8-9 at the Burke Centre Conservancy festival grounds, 6060 Burke Centre Parkway, Burke. Each year it draws around 8,000 to 12,000 visitors. Admission is free.

The festival offers a wide variety of entertainment including rides, Midway-style games, pony rides, an arts and crafts show, karaoke, interactive wildlife shows, live entertainment and a hypnotist show. Numerous food vendors, community booths and Fairfax County Fire and Rescue and Fairfax County Police displays will be set up.

By tradition, the Burke VFW & Boy Scout Troop 1345 open the festival each year with a flag-raising ceremony at 9:30 a.m. The Legacy Brass Band will provide patriotic music ahead of the ceremony. Ticket sales and other festival entertainment will not begin until the ceremony ends at 10 a.m.

Hours are 9:30 a.m.-5 p.m. Saturday and 11 a.m.-5 p.m. A wine garden will be held afterward from 5 p.m.-10 p.m. Pets are not allowed.

Here are some other things to know about the festival

Parking and transportation

Parking will be available at Burke Centre Conservancy's five community centers: Commons Community Center, Landings Community Center, Oaks Community Center, Ponds Community Center and Woods Community Center.

A free shuttle bus will run to the festival with stops along Burke Centre Parkway. Bus hours are 9 .m.-6 p.m. Saturday and 10 a.m.-5:30 p.m. Sunday.

Stops include:

• Fairview Elementary School (5815 Ox Road) - Bus stop at Route 123 and Burke Centre Parkway)
• Oaks Community Center (5708 Oak Leather Drive) - Bus stop at Oak Leather Drive and Burke Centre Parkway
• Landings Community Center (6001 Cove Landing Road) - Bus stop at Cove Landing Road & Burke Centre Parkway
• Burke Centre Conservancy festival grounds (6060 Burke Centre Parkway)
• Ponds Community Center (9837 Burke Pond Lane) - Bus stop at Burke Pond Lane and Burke Centre Parkway
• Burke School (9645 Burke Lake Road) - Bus stop at Burke Lake Road and Burke Centre Parkway

See a map of stops here.

Entertainment

Saturday

• 9 a.m. - Legacy Brass Band
• 10:30 a.m. - Virginia Ballet Company: The Fairfax-based company offers contemporary dance instruction from ages 3 to adult.
• 11:15 a.m. - Dance Xone Extreme: These dance teams take classes in ballet, pointe, tap, jazz, lyrical, modern, poms, hip hop, musical theater, Irish dance and more. Dancers are of all skill levels.
• Noon - Axial Dancers: The children’s dance program presented by Burke Racquet & Swim Club started in in 2013. Kids learn dance in a non-competitive atmosphere during classes.
• 12:30 p.m. - Kikuyuki No Kai Japanese Dance: Watch the Onoe style Japanese classic dance as performers sport kimonos and traditional makeup.
• 1 p.m. - Nen Daiko Taiko Drummers: The group from Ekoji Buddhist Temple in Fairfax Station has performed in the DC area since 1994. Their kumi daiko, or ensemble drumming, highlights the energy and athleticism needed to perform. They have played at the National Cherry Blossom Festival, Sakura Matsuri, the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, the National Japanese American Memorial, the National Building Museum, the Sackler Museum, the Helen Hayes Gallery at the National Theatre and on television.
• 2 p.m. - Hawaiian All Stars: This fun group teaches visitors how to dance to hula and share the history of the dances.
• 3 p.m. - Delaney Hall Band: Guitarist Steve Delaney and bass guitarist Mark Hall have performed classic and original rock songs around Northern Virginia since 2005, with drummer Steve Keister joining in 2014. Their current lineup includes Eric Atwell on guitar, and Kathy Mancini on vocals.
• 4:30 p.m. - Donovan Field, hip hop singer

Sunday

• 11 a.m. - Rocknoceros: The Northern Virginia-based band has been performing for children in the DC area since 2005.
• 1 p.m. - Sub-Radio: The indie pop sextet offers high-energy performances and powerful vocals. Their songs have been recognized in national songwriting competitions, and they have played at Firefly Music Festival.
• 2 p.m. - Roanoke: This Nashville band performs folk and Americana music.
• 4 p.m. - Alex Rhoads: This Burke Centre native perform solo and with a band called Spectra. Her performances are a mix of alternative and classic rock favorites as well as original songs. In 2016, she released a full-length solo album entitled, "All This Time" which is available on iTunes.

Volunteers

Volunteers are needed for assignments ranging from set up to pony ride assistants and ticket takers. Shifts are for two hours unless otherwise noted. Fill out this form to volunteer.

For more information on the festival, click here.

Image via Ashley Ludwig/Patch