AM Real Estate Ahmed MakkiyahNorthern Virginia Guide

Weekly · every Thursday

What's Up, NoVA?The good news, the weekend, and the weather across Fairfax, Loudoun, Prince William and Arlington. No politics. No crime.

Issue 3Thursday, October 22, 20264 minute read

By Ahmed Makkiyah, REALTOR® · Douglas Realty of Virginia

Good news only

Rosslyn, ArlingtonThe Marine Corps Marathon runs through Rosslyn and over Key Bridge on Sunday.

Artist's renderings of real places.

Get official county alerts: Fairfax Alerts Fairfax City Alert Falls Church Alerts Arlington Alert Alexandria eNews alerts Alert Loudoun PWC Alert Alert Manassas Manassas Park alerts

Today in Northern Virginia

Today in NoVA · Thursday, October 22, 2026

An ordinary day on the calendar.

Coming up Friday, October 23

Good to know Voter registration deadline

Last day to register or update your registration to vote a regular ballot on Nov. 3, and the 5 p.m. deadline to apply for a mailed absentee ballot. Source

Just for fun · not a holiday National Boston Cream Pie Day

A day for the custard-and-chocolate classic. Source

This month in NoVA October 2026

  1. Federal holiday Columbus Day

    Federal offices and Post Offices are closed, with no regular mail; the Federal Reserve is closed (check your bank's hours); the stock market is open.

    Virginia state holiday Columbus Day and Yorktown Victory Day

    Virginia legal holiday (its official name for the second Monday in October); state offices are closed.

    Good to know Arlington County offices open on Columbus Day

    Arlington County Government offices are closed on all federal holidays except Columbus Day, so they are open today.

    Good to know No school: Fairfax, Loudoun, Prince William and Arlington public schools

    No classes for students.

  2. Just for fun · not a holiday National Dessert Day

    Any excuse for something sweet after dinner.

  3. Just for fun · not a holiday National Boss's Day

    A day to say thanks to a good boss.

  4. Just for fun · not a holiday National Pasta Day

    A Saturday made for a big bowl of pasta.

  5. Good to know Sunday early voting

    Local voter registration offices are open for early in-person voting on Sunday, Oct. 18 (new for 2026); check your locality for hours.

    Just for fun · not a holiday National Chocolate Cupcake Day

    A day for chocolate cupcakes.

  6. Just for fun · not a holiday National Chicken and Waffles Day

    Sweet-and-savory brunch gets its own day.

  7. Just for fun · not a holiday National Apple Day

    Peak apple season; a good week for picking or baking.

  8. Good to know Voter registration deadline

    Last day to register or update your registration to vote a regular ballot on Nov. 3, and the 5 p.m. deadline to apply for a mailed absentee ballot.

    Just for fun · not a holiday National Boston Cream Pie Day

    A day for the custard-and-chocolate classic.

  9. Good to know Saturday early voting; same-day registration begins

    Registrar offices are open for Saturday early voting; anyone registering and voting at once from today on casts a provisional ballot.

  10. Good to know Sunday early voting

    Local voter registration offices are open for Sunday early in-person voting.

  11. Just for fun · not a holiday National Pumpkin Day

    Carve one, bake one, or both.

  12. Just for fun · not a holiday National Chocolate Day

    A whole day for chocolate.

  13. Good to know No school: Loudoun County public schools

    Loudoun students are off Thursday and Friday, Oct. 29 and 30.

    Just for fun · not a holiday National Cat Day

    A day to celebrate (and adopt) cats.

  14. Just for fun · not a holiday National Candy Corn Day

    Love it or hate it, it's candy corn's day.

  15. Good to know Last day of early in-person voting

    Early in-person voting ends at 5 p.m. today (Saturday).

    Good to know Halloween

    Halloween falls on a Saturday this year; it is not a holiday, so nothing closes for it.

Federal and Virginia holidays, dates worth knowing, and the light “national days”, which are just for fun and are not holidays. Every date is checked against its source.

Your town's weather and what to wear

Loading the forecast…

Forecast: National Weather Service, Sterling office.

Good morning, NoVA. The Marine Corps Marathon fills Arlington's roads on Sunday morning, Mount Vernon holds its harvest days, and Del Ray's Halloween Parade turns 30. Next week is Halloween week, from Vienna's 80th parade on Wednesday to trick-or-treat across the region, and clocks fall back on Sunday, November 1. Here is the week, town by town, with the weather and what to wear.

In short

  • Sun Oct 25: Marine Corps Marathon, 7:20 am start; Arlington roads close from about 3 am to 6 pm.
  • Oct 24 and 25: Fall Harvest Family Days at Mount Vernon. Sun Oct 25: Del Ray Halloween Parade, 2 pm.
  • Sun Nov 1: clocks go back one hour at 2 am as daylight saving time ends.

This weekend

Saturday and Sunday, October 24 and 25

ArlingtonArlington

The Marine Corps Marathon runs on Sunday, so plan around the road closures

The 51st Marine Corps Marathon starts at 7:20 am on Route 110 near the Pentagon, runs through Rosslyn and over Key Bridge, and finishes at the Marine Corps War Memorial. Wheelchairs and hand cycles start at 7:05 am. Southbound Route 110 closes from Washington Boulevard to Route 1 at about 4 pm Saturday, and many Arlington and Crystal City roads close from about 3 am to 6 pm Sunday, including parts of Wilson Boulevard, Lynn Street, Fort Myer Drive and Army Navy Drive. Free to watch.

Sun Oct 25 · Arlington County

FairfaxMount Vernon

Fall Harvest Family Days on George Washington's farm

Wheat treading the 18th-century way, open-hearth cooking and soap making at the farm at George Washington's Mount Vernon, 3200 Mount Vernon Memorial Highway, 9:30 am to 4:30 pm both days. Included with general admission.

Oct 24 and 25 · George Washington's Mount Vernon

Prince WilliamWoodbridge

Trick or Treatment at Prince William's water plant

Halloween activities, trick-or-treat tables and tours of the H.L. Mooney Advanced Water Reclamation Facility, 1851 Rippon Boulevard, 10 am to 2 pm. Free. Park at Mary G. Porter Traditional School, 15311 Forest Grove Drive, and take the free shuttle; the last one to the event leaves at 1:30 pm.

Sat Oct 24 · Prince William Water

City of Alexandria

The Del Ray Halloween Parade turns 30

Costumed children, pets and decorated strollers march down Mount Vernon Avenue from Bellefonte Avenue, then live music and costume awards at the Mount Vernon Recreation Center field, 2 to 4 pm. Free.

Sun Oct 25 · Alexandria Living

LoudounAshburn

A Halloween Bark Bash for pets at One Loudoun

Pet trick-or-treating, costumes, music and adoptable dogs from local rescue groups, noon to 3 pm.

Sat Oct 24 · One Loudoun

City of Manassas Park

Manassas Park's trunk-or-treat

Decorated cars with open trunks and candy in the lot at the Manassas Park Community Center, 99 Adams Street, noon to 2 pm. Free; sign up online.

Sat Oct 24 · Prince William Living

Mark your calendar

Halloween week and after

FairfaxVienna

Vienna's Halloween Parade marches for the 80th time

Floats and marching groups head down Maple Avenue from Branch Road to Center Street at 7 pm, rain or shine, for about an hour and a half. This year's theme is Haunted History: 250 Years of America.

Wed Oct 28 · Town of Vienna

City of Alexandria

Trunk-or-treat with Alexandria's police and firefighters

Children collect treats from decorated police, fire and emergency vehicles and meet local first responders at Alexandria Police Headquarters, 3600 Wheeler Avenue, 5 to 7 pm. Free.

Thu Oct 29 · City of Alexandria

Prince WilliamWoodbridge

Prince William County's first trunk-or-treat

Collect candy from trunk to trunk, with staff from several county agencies, at Chinn Aquatics and Fitness Center, 13025 Chinn Park Drive, 2 to 4 pm. For ages 6 months to 12 years. Free.

Thu Oct 29 · Prince William County

Prince WilliamTriangle

Haunted mini golf at Locust Shade Park

An 18-hole Halloween course at Locust Shade Park, 4701 Locust Shade Drive, 10 am to 5:30 pm each day.

Oct 29 to 31 · Potomac Local

ArlingtonArlington

Halloween day at Arlington's libraries and Courthouse Plaza

A scavenger hunt at Central Library from 10 am to 5 pm, a Howl-O-Ween pet party at Courthouse Plaza from 11 am to 1 pm, and a Halloween bark party at Glencarlyn Library from 2 to 4 pm. Arlington sets no trick-or-treat hours; it usually starts around sunset, just after 6 pm.

Sat Oct 31 · Arlington County

LoudounPurcellville

A Halloween Bash at the Purcellville Library

Games and activities for kids and families in the Robey Meeting Room, 2 to 4 pm. Come in costume.

Sat Oct 31 · Loudoun County Public Library

Good news

Wins around Northern Virginia

ArlingtonArlington

The new Crystal City Metro entrance wins a national design award

The new entrance to the Crystal City Metro station, due to open in spring 2027, received an Envision Silver award for sustainable design from the Institute for Sustainable Infrastructure. It is the first project in the Metro system and in Arlington County to earn an Envision award.

Oct 20 · Arlington County

City of Manassas

Work starts on a $41 million control tower at Manassas airport

After nearly 26 years of planning, local, state and federal officials broke ground on a new air traffic control tower at Washington Manassas Airport. It will rise 145 feet, with a 9,000-square-foot base building that includes a training simulator room, and should take about two years to build.

Oct 20 · InsideNoVa

ArlingtonArlington

Arlington honors 477 volunteers who gave 100 hours or more

Volunteer Arlington's annual Arlington Cares event honored 477 volunteers who each gave at least 100 hours in the past year, about $1.76 million worth of service. Volunteer Arlington is run by the county government and the Leadership Center.

Oct 13 · ARLnow

City of Alexandria

Two community groups win Alexandria's archaeology awards

The Alexandria Archaeological Commission gave its annual Ben Brenman Archaeology in Alexandria Awards to the Friends of Frederick Douglass Memorial Cemetery and the Social Responsibility Group at the October 13 City Council meeting.

Oct 13 · ALXnow

ArlingtonArlington

Arlington opens $1.2 million in grants for local nonprofits

Arlington County is taking applications for $1.2 million in grants for nonprofits that serve the community. The last round gave nearly $1.7 million to 31 nonprofits. Applications are due December 11.

Oct 19 · Patch

Fall color

Color keeps building, brightest along the river parks

No new northern report this week: Virginia State Parks' latest for its northern region is still the October 15 report, which finds color steadily building, with bright reds, golds and oranges along the roads and trails at Leesylvania State Park in Prince William and vibrant patches at Seven Bends. On October 8 the region was at about 10 to 15 percent. The parks' western region posted a new report on October 22, so a northern update may follow soon.

Source: Virginia State Parks.

Market minute

Northern Virginia home prices held steady in September

From the NoVA Index, Ahmed's monthly report: the median Northern Virginia house or townhouse that closed from September 1 to 30, 2026 sold for $785,000, the same as in September 2025, and 29 percent of homes sold for more than their asking price, down from 33 percent a year earlier. Condos are not included.

Closed sales from September 1 to 30, 2026, against September 1 to 30, 2025, houses and townhouses, condos not included, Bright MLS, pulled by Ahmed Makkiyah on October 6, 2026. The NoVA Index for September 2026.

Know something good happening in your town?

A festival, a new park, a school win, a trail opening. Send it and it may be in next Thursday's issue.

WhatsApp Ahmed

Earlier weeks: Thursday, October 15, 2026, Saturday, October 10, 2026.

Every item links to its source. Headlines and summaries are written here; no article text or photos are copied. Events are listed as a service to readers and never as paid placements. Weather: National Weather Service forecast for each town, read in your browser.

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