Weekend Pick: 25th Northern Virginia Fine Arts Festival

Market Street will be lined with works by painters, sculptors, jewelry makers and other artists as the Northern Virginia Fine Arts Festival returns to Reston Town Center May 21 and 22 its 25th year.

More than 200 festival artists from across the nation have been selected by jurors to exhibit and sell their works.

Complete list of festival artists.

Among the artists: 28 artists from the D.C. metro region, including Reston-area artists Ann Barbieri, Laura Edwards, Dana Ann Scheurer, and Connie Slack.

Festival organizers say about 30,000 visitors are expected to check out the festival this year, though the forecast is for lots of rain on Saturday. Here is what you need to know:

Hours and Prices — The festival is open from 10:00 a.m. until 6:00 p.m. on Saturday, May 21, and 10:00 a.m. until 5:00 p.m. on Sunday, May 22 at Reston Town Center, 11900 Market Street, Reston, VA 20190. A gate donation of $5 to GRACE is suggested and provides a festival program and dining certificates for local restaurants. Parking is free.

Launch Party — There will be a Festival Launch Party in the Reston Town Center Pavilion on Friday, May 20 from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. The party will feature fun food and beverages and a silent auction. Tickets are limited, so purchase soon if you want to attend. Tickets are $100 each and can be purchased online.

Special Souvenirs — To commemorate the 25th anniversary, Greater Reston Arts Center has commissioned past festival award winners Jeremy and Chelsea Griffith to create handmade limited-edition, spill-proof, stemless wine glasses.

For $150, you can purchase a set of two “wobbling” glasses inscribed with “2016 GRACE Fine Arts Festival.”  The glasses rotate on a pivot point but do not fall over. Proceeds benefit GRACE programs. Order online on the festival website.

Family Fun — There will be free art activities for the whole family. The Family Art Park in the Pavilion features four hands-on art projects inspired by the GRACE Art program, which offers supplemental art enrichment to over 35 area schools.

Live Entertainment – The festival will include special dance performances sponsored by Reston Community Center at Hyatt Park and Town Square Park, utilizing Reston Town Center’s major public art works.

Dance groups include Gin Dance Company, Ravel Dance Company, Classical Ballet Theatre and GroundShare Arts Alliance. Visit the festival website to see theschedule of performances.

Event sponsors include Lindsay Volkswagen of Dulles, Reston Community Center, Reston Town Center Association, The M Group, and Reston Town Center.

Photo: 2015 Northern Virginia Fine Arts Festival