Falls Church will mark the country’s 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence with a new community celebration, Civic Jam, on Friday, July 3, 2026, from 6 to 10 p.m. at Cherry Hill Park.
The rain-or-shine event will celebrate the City’s diverse community and civic engagement with local food and drink, live music throughout the evening, and interactive activities hosted by local nonprofits and community groups.The event will not include fireworks, sparklers or other flammable items, which are banned in the City.
Civic Jam will also include community booths, a beer garden, all-ages inflatable games and interactives (including a mechanical bull, axe throwing and a bounce house), a photo booth, free cotton candy, and yard games.
A central part of the event will be the Civic Cup Competition, an all-ages team challenge with relays, races and booth activities. Teams of up to four people, including at least one adult age 18 or older, may pick up a Civic Cup Scorecard beginning at 6 p.m. No pre-registration is required. The first Civic Cup game begins at 6:15 p.m. Teams will earn points by completing activities listed on the scorecard, visiting community booths and participating in games. Activities will carry varying point values, and bonus points will be awarded for team spirit, including festive or coordinated costumes, and for winning certain activities.
The Civic Cup schedule includes a Watermelon Roll from 6:15 to 6:45 p.m., a Water Balloon Toss from 6:55 to 7:25 p.m., a Sack Race from 7:35 to 8:05 p.m., and a Three-Legged Race from 8:15 to 8:45 p.m. Accessible adjustments and alternatives will be available through staff at the Civic Cup Competition area.
The Civic Cup trophy ceremony will take place from 8:45 to 9 p.m. The team with the most points will receive the Civic Cup, Civic Jam T-shirts for the whole team, and other commemorative items.
Live music at the event will include Villains and Saints, an all-veteran rock band from the City of Falls Church, from 6 to 7 p.m.; Historically Close Friends, a high-energy pop group from Washington, D.C., from 7:30 to 8:30 p.m.; and Ocho De Bastos, a Latin pop-rock party band from Northern Virginia, from 9 to 10 p.m.
At 9 p.m., attendees can pick up a free light-up VA250 giveaway and glow sticks before the final musical performance of the evening. Beer garden last call is scheduled for 9:45 p.m., and festivities end at 10 p.m.
Participating community groups and activities include the Asian Community Service Center with lotus craft and meditation demonstrations; Creative Cauldron with a theater masks display; Falls Church Arts with spin art; Falls Church Climate Action Network with an all-electric dollhouse, climate trivia and an electric vehicle; Falls Church Indivisible with button, sign and rock painting; Friends of Cherry Hill Foundation with farmhouse artifact exploration and graces games; and the League of Women Voters of Falls Church with civic trivia at 7 p.m. in the beer garden.
Other participating organizations include Bike, Walk, and Roll Falls Church; Falls Church Community Television; Mary Riley Styles Public Library; Northern Virginia Transportation Authority; The Center for Spiritual Enlightenment; The Learning Quest; The Falls Church 250 Committee; The Shepherd’s Center of McLean-Arlington-Falls Church; The Tinner Hill Heritage Foundation; The Village Preservation and Improvement Society; Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 9724; Victorian Society at Falls Church; and We the Neighbors Initiative.
Visitors are encouraged to plan ahead for parking. Portions of the Falls Church Community Center parking lot will be closed beginning at noon on Friday, July 3, through 10 p.m. for the event.
The Kaiser Permanente Parking Garage at 201 N. Washington St. and the lower level of the George Mason Square Garage, accessed via South Maple at 103 W. Broad St., will be open all day to the public and are recommended for free public parking.
Free parking is also available on many side streets, though visitors should check posted signs for time limits. Attendees are reminded not to park in private lots marked with “No Parking – Towing Enforced” signs, as those lots are reserved for business customers and may be enforced on weekends and holidays.
Accessible parking will be available next to the Falls Church Community Center at 223 Little Falls Street. Civic Jam participants are encouraged to walk, bike or use public transportation.
