Free Events in August in NoVA to Round Out Your Summer

If you’re looking for events that won’t empty your wallet, here are seven things to do in Northern Virginia.

By Kate Oczypok • Posted August 1, 2024 at 8:36 a.m.

Reston Cardboard Boat Regatta (Photo by Charlotte Geary, courtesy the Reston Museum)

For families who want to budget before the busy fall begins while still enjoying the waning days of summer, here are free events or things to do with free admission in August. They include a concert series in Herndon, a cardboard boat regatta in Reston, and a festival of crafts and kites in Leesburg.

Friday Night Live Concert Series in Herndon

Fridays, 6:30–10 p.m.

The outdoor concert series on the Town Green in Herndon brings popular local acts from up and down the East Coast to play a variety of genres. In August, see Shake the Room + Legal in the District (August 2), Social Call + Pool Boys (August 9), Doc Marten and the Flannels (August 16), and JunkFood (August 23). The concerts are produced by the Dulles Regional Chamber of Commerce and title sponsor is MainStreet Bank. Herndon Town Green: 777 Lynn St., Herndon

Middleburg Sidewalk Sale

August 2–4, 10 a.m.–5 p.m., Sunday hours posted by individual shops

If you’re an avid window shopper, check out Middleburg’s 18^th Annual Sidewalk Sale. Admission is free, but area boutiques and shops would love it if you bought something. Downtown Middleburg

Cardboard Boat Regatta

August 10, noon–5 p.m.

The Lake Anne Cardboard Boat Regatta does charge a fee to participate, but watching the race is free. Thousands come to watch participants try their handmade cardboard boats in timed heats. The event is rain or shine. Reston Museum: 1639 Washington Plz. N., Reston

Leesburg Festival of Crafts & Kites

August 17, 11 a.m.–5 p.m.

This free admission, family-friendly event includes live entertainment, moon bounces, kite flying, and more. There will be food vendors on hand and a showcase of handmade arts and crafts too. Ida Lee Park: 60 Ida Lee Dr. NW, Leesburg

Around the World Cultural Food Festival

August 24, 11 a.m.–7 p.m.

This free admission and pet-friendly event includes over 20 ethnic food vendors offering global cuisine. To eat you will have to pay, but there will be cultural performances that showcase traditional dances and rhythms. The event will be rain or shine. Oronoco Bay Park: 100 Madison St., Alexandria

2024 Children’s Summer Reading Festival at Chantilly Regional Library

August 18, noon–3 p.m.

Celebrate summer reading with a free outdoor event featuring a mini zoo, caricature artist, photo booth, popcorn, cotton candy, face painting, and more. The second annual celebration hopes to encourage younger readers to be enthusiastic about summer reading. 4000 Stringfellow Rd., Chantilly

Feature image of the Cardboard Boat Regatta by Charlotte Geary, courtesy the Reston Museum

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Kate Oczypok

Contributing Writer

Kate Oczypok has been a freelance writer since 2011, and is proud to be a regular contributor to Northern Virginia Magazine in digital and print since 2020. Her bylines have appeared in The New York Times, People.com, Better Homes and Gardens, and locally The Georgetowner and Washingtonian Magazine, among others. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Print Journalism from American University and a M.Ed. in Education from Penn State. She also teaches virtual piano lessons in the after school hours and does portrait photography on weekends.