Holy Transfiguration Melkite Greek-Catholic Church is turning its McLean grounds into a two-day celebration of Middle Eastern food, music, and dance for the 33rd year running, with the festival kicking off Saturday and continuing through Labor Day weekend. Families, food lovers, and visitors from across the region are expected to converge on the parish at 8501 Lewinsville Road for homemade specialties, cultural exhibits, and live entertainment that organizers say has become a fixture of the community calendar over more than three decades.
The 2026 Middle Eastern Food Festival runs Saturday, Sept. 5, from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m., and Sunday, Sept. 6, from 12:30 p.m. to 5 p.m., rain or shine, according to FFXnow. Admission and parking are both free, and organizers are offering online food ordering through the festival's official website so attendees can pre-order dishes for pickup, per Patch. Festival co-chairs Jen and Chris Kanakry joined Good Morning Washington to preview the event, telling the show that visitors should plan ahead for parking and arrival, and that organizers recommend checking the festival's official website for admission details, entertainment schedules, and highlights, according to WJLA.
Homemade Dishes and a Saturday Night Dance Party
Food remains the centerpiece of the festival, with homemade Middle Eastern specialties prepared by community members alongside new additions joining crowd favorites this year, per the station's report. The menu includes specialty regional desserts such as Atayef, a pistachio-filled pancake pastry soaked in rose-water syrup, and Knafeh, a warm cheese pastry drenched in syrup and topped with pistachios, the same Patch account notes.
Saturday evening's marquee event is the Hafli at 6:30 p.m., an outdoor Arabic celebration built around live music and social dancing, including the traditional Levantine Dabke folk line dance, as Patch reports. Shopping, cultural exhibits, and activities for all ages round out the schedule, with tickets still available ahead of the weekend, per the WJLA segment.
Petting Zoo and Moon Bounces for Younger Visitors
Kids aren't an afterthought at this festival. A dedicated children's zone includes a petting zoo, two moon bounces, an 18-foot slide, face painting, and interactive games, according to TysonsToday.
A Byzantine Parish's Biggest Fundraiser
Beyond the food and festivities, the event serves a financial purpose for its host. Proceeds from the annual festival directly support Holy Transfiguration's operating budget, its religious education programs, and community charitable endeavors, according to the church's own festival website. The parish operates under the Melkite Catholic Eparchy of Newton and practices the Eastern Byzantine Rite, and festivalgoers can take guided tours of the church itself during the weekend, per FFXnow. Rt. Rev. Mark Melone serves as pastor, overseeing the church and its annual cultural outreach, per information published by Holy Transfiguration Church.
The scale of preparation behind the festival has historically been massive. In prior festival years, parish volunteers prepared over 900 pounds of chicken, beef, and lamb for shawarma and kebabs, along with 200 pounds of butter and hundreds of pounds of nuts for handmade pastries, according to the Arlington Catholic Herald. That volume of hands-on cooking, done from scratch by community members, is part of what has kept the McLean festival drawing crowds from across the region for more than 30 years.
