Ahoy! Pirate Fest Set to Return Saturday to Reston

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Pirates and privateers, brigands and buccaneers will come ashore for Pirate Fest at Lake Fairfax Park in Reston, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday, May 2. You’re invited to join this high adventure and explore life at sea and in a port town.

Pirates will share stories of the high seas and lead pirate boat tours on Lake Fairfax. The air will be filled with the sounds of Ship’s Company Chanteymen and John Durant, the Old World Troubadour, singing sea chanteys, tavern tunes and broadside ballads. Members of Moody Crewe will demonstrate the use of pirate weapons and direct you in a pirate skills challenge. Swordsmen from the European Martial Arts Academy will provide exciting fencing maneuvers.

Try your hand at the rain gutter regatta to see if your boat can be the first to cross the finish line. Find your way around Pirate Fest with a compass challenge, and go on a treasure hunt.

A Kids Kove will feature sailing and science. It will be as wild as a ship in a storm, with pirate-themed activities, crafts, and special puppet shows by the Recycling Pirates.

Don your flashiest pirate gear and enter one of the costume contests. There will be prizes in different categories, so whether you choose to be scary, colorful or truly authentic, swagger across the stage and do your best swashbuckling for the judges.

After the English colonized Virginia, they imported fine goods from Europe to furnish their homes and dress their families in high style. These were just the sort of plunder pirates were looking for when they attacked ships at sea. Pirates plied the Chesapeake Bay, dropping anchor near towns along the shore to hide their treasure or spend their gold and silver on food and drink, games of chance, and more.

At Pirate Fest, see samples of textiles and porcelain, silver and spices that made the trip from exotic foreign ports to Virginia. Hear about local archaeological digs and how artifacts from the past help us learn about daily life 200 or more years ago.

Adventure awaits you! This special event, sponsored by the Fairfax County Park Authority and Fairfax County Park Foundation, promises to be memorable. The festival will be held rain or shine. For more information, visit http://bit.ly/FXCOPirateFest.

Lake Fairfax Park is located at 1400 Lake Fairfax Dr. in Reston, Va. Tickets to Pirate Fest are $10 and are available online at http://bit.ly/FXCOPirateFest or by calling 703-222-4664.

For more information contact Barbara Ziman at 703-708-0861.