Herndon Festival to Impact Local Traffic This Weekend

The 31st annual Herndon Festival will begin this Thursday and will have a major impact on traffic in the town.

The free festival takes part in the downtown area through Sunday, surrounding the Herndon Municipal Center, 777 Lynn St.

The festival will feature local and national entertainment on three stages, a carnival, fireworks on Thursday night and Saturday night, a children’s hands-on art area, an arts and crafts show, business expo, 10K and 5K races and fitness expo, a K-9 Fun Walk and doggie expo and more.

Core streets in downtown Herndon will be closed starting Thursday afternoon through the entire weekend to accommodate the Herndon Festival. Lynn Street, Station Street, Center Street and others will be either partially or fully blocked off in the downtown area.

Those going to the festival can park their cars at Herndon High School or Worldgate Center and take a free shuttle bus to downtown Herndon. Buses will run every 10 minutes; Thursday 6-10 p.m., Friday 5-11 p.m.; Saturday 9:30 a.m. to 11 p.m.; and Sunday 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Detours will occur during peak points of the festival. On Thursday after the fireworks at Bready Park traffic delays can last for up to 45 minutes. Those who park at the Herndon Community Center may not be able to exit until the fire marshal allows it, which can be as much as 30-45 minutes after the show.

Traffic will also be impacted or delayed around the Herndon Community Center and downtown Herndon on Sunday from about 7:30 to 9 a.m. for the 10K and 5K events. Herndon Police and support team members will help direct traffic around the race route.

Pets are not allowed at the Festival. Blankets and lawn chairs can be brought to the festival to watch performances. Backpacks and other bags will be searched and no coolers, alcohol or glass containers may be brought into the festival. Smoking is discouraged and underage smoking is prohibited. The fire marshal will not allow anyone to be on the Herndon Centennial Golf Course from 8-10:30 p.m. on Thursday and Saturday during the fireworks shows.

The Herndon Community Center will be open all regular hours throughout Herndon Festival weekend. For more information visit www.herndonfestival.net, call 703-787-7300 or follow @herndonfestival on Twitter.

You can also come back and visit Herndon Patch right here, on Facebook or on Twitter for updates, photos, videos and more Herndon Festival information.