Pirate Fest Sails Back to Lake Fairfax Saturday

Tickets are going fast for Saturday’s Pirate Fest at Lake Fairfax Park in Reston.

The annual festival, which runs from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., celebrates Virginia’s seafaring and port trading past.

Activities include:

• Sea chantey sing alongs, tavern tunes and pirate ditties.
• Learn nautical skills and experience the life of a sailor as you make your way around the port town.
• Wear your most dashing pirate clothes and enter our costume contest.
• Pirate-themed treasures to purchase.

Author Robert Prather will discuss his book The Strange Case of Jonathan Swift and the Real Long John Silver. Prather says recent discoveries indicate that Treasure Island’s notorious Long John Silver may have been based on the real-world exploits of legendary pirate and silver miner Jonathan Swift, who once lived in Alexandria, VA and who may have owned the land that Lake Fairfax Park now occupies.

Tickets are $10 available online.

There are a couple of add-ons to the main event for 2016, says the Fairfax County Park Authority.

A pirate boat ride on Lake Fairfax. Boat rides are $4 with festival admission. These tickets sell fast, so purchase in advance if you are considering the boat ride. Boat rides run every 20 minutes.

New this year: a Pirate Fest Feast at 5 p.m. $10

O’Sullivan’s Irish Pub of Herndon will provide a hearty pirate meal at the lakeside pavilion. Tickets cost $10 per person. Make reservations and pay in advance online.

Pirate Fest at Lake Fairfax/file photo