The Fairfax County Board of Supervisors unanimously passed a resolution Tuesday, Aug. 25, honoring the Reston Multicultural Festival as it approaches its 25th year. The resolution called the event a "cherished community tradition" and thanked the volunteers, performers and sponsors who have sustained it, according to Patch.

Hunter Mill District Supervisor Walter Alcorn read the resolution at the board meeting, tracing the festival's origins to residents Ellen Graves and Margaret Boyd, who approached the late Hunter Mill District Supervisor Catherine Hudgins with an idea for a celebration of Reston's diversity. Alcorn said the festival has become a cherished tradition and expressed hope for another 25 years.

The festival started at Lake Anne before moving to Reston Town Center, where it drew more than 12,000 attendees in 2025. Over a quarter century it has featured music, dance and arts from cultures around the world, including performances by National Endowment for the Arts National Heritage Fellows.

Board Chairman Jeff McKay noted the event pulls visitors from across Fairfax County, not just Reston, and credited the organizers and volunteers whose work happens largely out of public view.

A post-9/11 gathering

Reston Community Center Executive Director BeBe Nguyen told the board the anniversary represents more than 25 festivals. She recalled how the event's meaning deepened after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, when planning committee member and Reston resident Norma Khan was killed aboard American Airlines Flight 77, which crashed into the Pentagon.

Organizers faced a choice: cancel or gather. The community chose to gather, making the festival Reston's first public assembly after the attacks and a place to honor Khan.

"When fear could have divided us, Reston chose connection," Nguyen said.

Nguyen, who came to the United States as a refugee, said the festival reflects Reston founder Robert E. Simon's vision of a community where people of different ages, incomes, cultures and backgrounds could live together. She said the anniversary holds personal significance for her as someone who knows what it means to leave one home and be welcomed into another.

Sept. 19 at Reston Town Center

The 2026 festival is scheduled for Saturday, Sept. 19, from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. at Reston Town Center. Reston Community Center and the Reston Town Center Association will present the event in partnership with BXP and Reston Association.

Last year's festival featured the Howard University Choir, National Heritage Fellows Shaka Zulu and Peniel Guerrier, and master performers from the Virginia Folklife Program. More than 40 vendors and community organizations lined Market Street across three stages.

The 2026 lineup has not yet been announced. Details will be posted on the Reston Community Center website.

Upcoming: The Reston Multicultural Festival takes place Saturday, Sept. 19, 11 a.m.–6 p.m., Reston Town Center. Free admission.