Friends of Franklin Park Arts Center

CALL FOR ENTRY: Cabin Fever Film Festival
2025-11-06 - 2026-01-10
Filmmakers who live in Purcellville or Loudoun County, VA or have personal ties to Loudoun County, are invited to submit films for the 9th Annual Cabin Fever Film Festival to be held on January 30 and 31, 2026. (See separate event listings). Entries must be received by January 10, 2026 at 5:00 pm.
Please review entry form and guidelines here:
Film Fest Entry Form 2026 for web

EXHIBIT: Gingerbread Dreams
2025-11-21 - 2026-01-04
This annual exhibit features painted Gingerbread houses, created from a blank wooden house shape. Community members, CASA afterschool sites and Adult Day Center programs contribute to this colorful and delightful display that fills the gallery with sparkling joy! If you are interested in creating a gingerbread house for this exhibit, call us 540-338-7973 to reserve one.
Gallery is open Monday-Friday from 9:00am to 5:00pm and 1 hour prior to performances.

Laser Light Show: Winter Holiday Adventure
2025-12-30 15:00 - 16:00 (America/New_York)
Step inside our theater for this 40-minute laser sing-along show. The stage will be bursting with colorful animations set to a medley of holiday classics and recent smash hits! Meet the star of the Winter Holiday Adventure, our friend Squeaky the laser penguin. Wear your New Year’s Eve party attire and start the count down early.
PURCHASE TICKETS HERE

Barefoot Puppets: Little Red & the Gingerbread Man
2026-01-07 10:00 - 11:00
(Ages 2+) This show combines two well-loved, classic tales to create an original, fun-filled romp through fairy tales. Join Little Red and she pursues a mischievous Gingerbread cookie through the woods to Grandma’s house. Original music, snowy scenery, and everyone’s favorite Big Bad Wolf make up this seasonal favorite for our youngest audiences.
Photo Credit: Warren Johnson (photo is of the wolf puppet with the cookie)

Purchase Tickets Here

Music For Dessert 2026 Subscription
2026-01-21 - 2026-02-06 | Franklin Park Arts Center, 36441 Blueridge View Lane, Purcellville, VA, 20132, United States
One ticket – 6 concerts!
Your subscription to the Music For Dessert series includes six live music concerts that you can enjoy in-person or watch our livestream from home. We’ll have your name on the list, so no need to worry about a ticket — just join us each Wednesday night at 7:00 pm for a different music concert. Here is the schedule:
January 21 — Quentin Walston Trio, jazz
January 28 — Rigatoni Quartet, Italian Serenade
February 4 — Loud ‘N Clear, Dulles Senior Center rock n’ roll band
February 11 — Brandon Kennedy, one man Irish band
February 18– Scott Ainslie, acoustic blues guitarist
February 25– Junwen Liang, classical piano
Single tickets to each concert are $15, so this is a savings of $30 if you buy the subscription.
CLICK HERE TO PUCHASE SUBSCRIPTION

Music For Dessert: Quentin Walston Trio
2026-01-21 19:00 - 20:00
We are pleased to welcome Quentin Walston Jazz Trio once again to our stage. Quentin Walston is a active pianist, composer, and music educator active in the Mid-Atlantic region. He performs with his jazz trio and as a solo pianist, blending memorable melodies and striking rhythms with adventurous improvisations. His original music has been featured on NPR, PBS, and multiple radio stations and podcasts. He is a Virginia Commission for the Arts “Teaching Artist” with a Jazz Studies degree from James Madison University and has over a decade of professional teaching and performing experience.
The concert will be 45-60 minutes without an intermission. No refreshments are served — let the music be your dessert!
We welcome audiences in-person and watching our livestream from home. All ticket holders will be emailed a livestream link prior to the concert.
PURCHASE TICKETS HERE

Music For Dessert: Rigatoni Quartet
2026-01-28 19:00 - 20:00 | Franklin Park Arts Center, 36441 Blueridge View Lane, Purcellville, VA, 20132, United States
The theme of this Rigatoni Quartet concert is Italian Serenade – a perfect date night preview for Valentine’s Day! Featuring mandolins, guitar, accordion and voice, the Rigatoni ensembles explore traditional Italian folk melodies and songs enjoyed by early 20th-century Italian American communities.
The concert will be 45-60 minutes without an intermission. No refreshments are served — let the music be your dessert!
We welcome audience members in-person to watching our livestream from home. All ticket holders will be emailed a livestream link prior to the concert.
CLICK HERE FOR TICKETS

Cabin Fever Film Festival- Friday Evening
2026-01-30 19:00 - 21:00 | Franklin Park Arts Center, 36441 Blueridge View Lane, Purcellville, VA, 20132, United States
CLICK HERE FOR FRIDAY NIGHT TICKETS
The ninth annual Cabin Fever Film Festival, co-hosted by the Franklin Park Performing and Visual Arts Center and the Town of Purcellville Arts Council, highlights films made by Loudoun County residents. Break that cabin fever and enjoy the 9th year of Purcellville’s only film festival! Please note that while we promote this as a family film festival, these films are not rated. We will add information in the film descriptions about sensitive material so audiences can make informed choices.
Tickets are $10 for Friday (including reception after screening) and $5 for Saturday (see separate listing)
Here is the Slate of Films, the schedule for films being screened at our Festival on Friday and Saturday.
Friday, January 30, 2026 7:00 pm
The films who opted for consideration for the “Best Friend in Nature” film will be shown on Friday evening in this order:

“Blue Between Us” Evan Jackson, 17 minutes
“John Muir’s Story” Tara Roberts Zabriskie, 11 minutes
“Just Driving” Josh Ryan, 3 minutes
“Treasure Hunt – Misfortune” Josh Ryan, 23 minutes

Screening time: 54 minutes total
The prize for “Best Friend in Nature” will be awarded on Friday evening and then there will be a small reception in the lobby. In addition, audiences will be able to vote for one of these films as “Audience Favorite” at the conclusion of the screening and these films are not excluded from consideration for other Festival prize categories.
Saturday, January 31, 2026 10:00 am- 12:30 pm

“But Did It Happen” Jonathan Wymer, 12 minutes
“Joanna Sanders Documentary” Josh Ryan, 15 minutes
“A Rook’s Tale” Bakhtawar Chaudhary, 7 minutes
“The Impossible Stitch” Phil Erickson & Penny Hauffe, 18 minutes

Screening time: 52 minutes
*****Intermission 5-10 mins******

“Isabel Mayer Testimony & RAW Ministries” Josh Ryan, 4 minutes
“My Friend Margaret” JoJo Apfeldorf, 24 minutes
“An Honest Conversation” Josh Ryan, 4 minutes
“Bandida” Rikki Elizabeth Stinnette & Drew Broadhurst, 11 minutes

Screening time: 43 mins
Voting for Audience Favorite (to be combined with votes from Friday evening) and Remarks, as well and presentation of awards will follow.

Best in Theme – Independence
Audience Favorite
Most Likely to Break Cabin Fever

Cabin Fever Film Festival - Saturday
2026-01-31 10:00 - 12:30 | Franklin Park Arts Center, 36441 Blueridge View Lane, Purcellville, VA, 20132, United States
CLICK HERE FOR SATURDAY TICKETS
The ninth annual Cabin Fever Film Festival, co-hosted by the Franklin Park Performing and Visual Arts Center and the Town of Purcellville Arts Council, highlights films made by Loudoun County residents. Break that cabin fever and enjoy the 9th year of Purcellville’s only film festival! Please note that while we promote this as a family film festival, these films are not rated. We will add information in the film descriptions about sensitive material so audiences can make informed choices.
Tickets are $10 for Friday (including reception after screening) and $5 for Saturday.
Here is the Slate of Films, the schedule for films being screened at our Festival on Friday and Saturday.
Friday, January 30, 2026 7:00 pm
The films who opted for consideration for the “Best Friend in Nature” film will be shown on Friday evening in this order:

“Blue Between Us” Evan Jackson, 17 minutes
“John Muir’s Story” Tara Roberts Zabriskie, 11 minutes
“Just Driving” Josh Ryan, 3 minutes
“Treasure Hunt – Misfortune” Josh Ryan, 23 minutes

Screening time: 54 minutes total
The prize for “Best Friend in Nature” will be awarded on Friday evening and then there will be a small reception in the lobby. In addition, audiences will be able to vote for one of these films as “Audience Favorite” at the conclusion of the screening and these films are not excluded from consideration for other Festival prize categories.
Saturday, January 31, 2026 10:00 am- 12:30 pm

“But Did It Happen” Jonathan Wymer, 12 minutes
“Joanna Sanders Documentary” Josh Ryan, 15 minutes
“A Rook’s Tale” Bakhtawar Chaudhary, 7 minutes
“The Impossible Stitch” Phil Erickson & Penny Hauffe, 18 minutes

Screening time: 52 minutes
*****Intermission 5-10 mins******

“Isabel Mayer Testimony & RAW Ministries” Josh Ryan, 4 minutes
“My Friend Margaret” JoJo Apfeldorf, 24 minutes
“An Honest Conversation” Josh Ryan, 4 minutes
“Bandida” Rikki Elizabeth Stinnette & Drew Broadhurst, 11 minutes

Screening time: 43 mins
Voting for Audience Favorite (to be combined with votes from Friday evening) and Remarks, as well and presentation of awards will follow.

Best in Theme – Independence
Audience Favorite
Most Likely to Break Cabin Fever

Music For Dessert: Loud 'N Clear
2026-02-04 19:00 - 20:00 | Franklin Park Arts Center, 36441 Blueridge View Lane, Purcellville, VA, 20132, United States
Rock Band Loud ‘N Clear was formulated in November 2023 at Dulles South Senior Center. Today, the band has 13 members including guitars, bass guitar, drums, along with cajon drums, trombone, keyboard, harmonica, ukulele and sitar. They play a variety of popular songs from the 1960’s, ‘70’s and ‘80’s with an occasional current song thrown into the mix. Warning: you may be compelled need to stand up and dance during this performance!
The concert will be 45-60 minutes without an intermission. No refreshments are served — let the music be your dessert!
We welcome audience members in-person or to watch our livestream from home. All ticket holders will be emailed a livestream link prior to the concert.
CLICK HERE TO PURCHASE TICKETS

Music For Dessert: Brandon Kennedy
2026-02-11 19:00 - 20:00 | Franklin Park Arts Center, 36441 Blueridge View Lane, Purcellville, VA, 20132, United States
An international performer, multi-instrumentalist, and award winning songwriter, his dynamic act harnesses the magic of the Emerald Isle. From blazing reels to melancholy ballads, this “modern Celtic master” uses a loop pedal to create ethereal arrangements of vocals, guitar , bouzouki and fiddle. Having cut his teeth in the pubs of Galway and County Clare, his modern take on Celtic classics weaves a majestic tapestry that will leave you awakened and spirited.
The concert will be 45-60 minutes without an intermission. No refreshments are served — let the music be your dessert!
We welcome audiences in-person and those watching our livestream from home. All ticket holders will be emailed a livestream link prior to the concert.
CLICK HERE FOR TICKETS

Music For Dessert: Scott Ainslie
2026-02-18 19:00 - 20:00 | Franklin Park Arts Center, 36441 Blueridge View Lane, Purcellville, VA, 20132, United States
Steeped in traditional music from both sides of the color line, Scott Ainslie is a renowned acoustic blues guitarist, singer and songwriter. He learned southern old-time ballads, banjo and fiddle from senior musicians in North Carolina and West Virginia and blues from his black elders in North Carolina, Virginia, South Carolina, Georgia and Mississippi: his roots are deep. He is a masterful and thoughtful historian, storyteller, and musician.
Ainslie transcribed the original recordings and published a book on Delta blues legend Robert Johnson [Robert Johnson/At The Crossroads (Hal Leonard, 1992)], and has an instructional DVD on Johnson’s guitar work [Robert Johnson’s Guitar Techniques (Hal Leonard, 1997)]. Ainslie has six solo CDs to his name and maintains an active recording, performing, and teaching schedule that carries him around the country, to Canada, and to Europe.
The concert will be 45-60 minutes without an intermission. No refreshments are served — let the music be your dessert!
We welcome audiences in-person and those watching our livestream from home. All ticket holders will be emailed a livestream link prior to the concert.
CLICK HERE TO PURCHASE TICKETS

Lunar New Year Celebration
2026-02-28 15:00 - 17:00 | Franklin Park Arts Center, 36441 Blueridge View Lane, Purcellville, VA, 20132, United States
CLICK HERE FOR TICKETS
This event will include drumming, music demonstrations and cultural education on the traditions surrounding Lunar New Year and the Year of the Horse. Make a craft and sip hot tea in our lobby after the show while viewing the art exhibit “Freedom”. All ages welcome.

Plein Air Sketch & Hike
2026-03-01 13:00 - 15:00 | Franklin Park Arts Center, 36441 Blueridge View Lane, Purcellville, VA, 20132, United States
(Ages 18+) Meet at a different Loudoun County Park each month, take a guided hike to a beautiful site, and sketch your surroundings! Hikes will be 1-3 miles round trip. Dress for hiking and pack your backpack with sketching supplies, a water bottle and snack. Contact Franklin Park Arts Center for details.
Sunday, March 1 Lovettsville Park 1:00 – 3:00 pm
Thursday, April 2 Bles Park 1:00 – 3:00 pm
Friday, May 1 Banshee Reeks Nature Preserve 9:00 – 11:00 am
Click here to register for this free program

Arts For All: Alice In Wonderland JR
2026-03-13 - 2026-03-15, 2026-03-19 - 2026-03-22 | Franklin Park Arts Center, 36441 Blueridge View Lane, Purcellville, VA, 20132, United States
When young Alice finds herself slipping down a rabbit hole into a strange world where everything seems upside down, she must find her way home…and find herself along the way. As she travels through Wonderland, she encounters all of the iconic characters that audiences have come to love: including the ever-tardy White Rabbit, the grinning Cheshire Cat, a cool Caterpillar, the wacky Mad Hatter, and the hot-tempered Queen of Hearts. Visit the Arts For All visual arts exhibit while you are here! ” Arts For All Loudoun’s mission is to provide exceptional opportunities in Loudoun County, VA, for artists and performers with disabilities to participate in a creative, inclusive community. Run time approximately 60 minutes, plus intermission.
Friday & Saturday performances at 7:00 pm, Sunday performances at 3:00 pm
Thursday, March 19 performance 7:00 pm
Click here to Purchase Tickets

Call for Entry: Courage and Bravery
2026-03-23 - 2026-03-24
Artists in all mediums are invited to enter artwork that explores, depicts or celebrates the theme of Courage and Bravery. What do these words mean to you and how can you reflect them in your artwork? Will you bravely try a new technique or courageously explore a new inspiration? This exhibit can be artwork that visually shows bravery or courage – or artwork that shows your bravery or courage in creating.
Entry fee $20/artist for up to 3 pieces: pay at drop off by cash, credit card or check (payable to County of Loudoun).
Exhibit dates: March 25 – April 12, 2026
Drop off dates: Monday, March 23 and Tuesday, March 24 from 9:00 am – 5:00 pm
Artwork pick up: Monday, April 13 from 9:00 am – 5:00 pm
Courage and Bravery Entry Form

Planetarium Program: Gassy Giants
2026-03-29 13:00 - 17:00 | Franklin Park Arts Center, 36441 Blueridge View Lane, Purcellville, VA, 20132, United States
(Ages 4+) Step inside our inflatable dome planetarium to travel to the coldest parts of our solar system to learn about our four gas planets! We will visit Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune and learn about their fascinating history and mysterious moons. Programs begin promptly on hour and late arrivals will not be admitted.
Show times are 1:00 pm, 2:00 pm, 3:00 pm, 4:00 pm
Click here to purchase tickets

Tanglewood Marionettes: The Fairy Circus
2026-04-01 10:00 - 11:00
(Ages 2+) Featuring over twenty beautifully hand-crafted marionettes, The Fairy Circus is a showcase for turn-of-the-century-style trick puppetry. The puppets will dance, play instruments, juggle, contort, transform, and fly through the air with the greatest of ease, all to the best-loved music of favorite composers. This title is perfect for younger children and family audiences.
The presentation includes a lively puppetry demonstration prior to the show, and a Question and Answer session following the performance. Part of our monthly puppet shows series to introduce young children to the theater. All ages are welcome; under 2 years admitted free with paying adult.
CLICK HERE FOR TICKETS

Plein Air Sketch & Hike
2026-04-02 13:00 - 15:00
(Ages 18+) Meet at a different Loudoun County Park each month, take a guided hike to a beautiful site, and sketch your surroundings! Hikes will be 1-3 miles round trip. Dress for hiking and pack your backpack with sketching supplies, a water bottle and snack. Contact Franklin Park Arts Center for details.
Thursday, April 2 Bles Park 1:00 – 3:00 pm
Friday, May 1 Banshee Reeks Nature Preserve 9:00 – 11:00 am
Click here to register for this free program

Make Your Own Quilt Block
2026-04-08 12:00 - 16:00
(Ages 2-100) We provide the materials; you create your own quilt square! As we continue to honor the upcoming 250 anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, we invite you to visit the arts center, view the “Courage & Bravery” Art exhibit hanging in our gallery, and then create like Betsy Ross! No sewing involved, parental supervision required for this drop-in program.
Reserve your spot for this program

Art Discovery Trip: Middleburg Sporting Library & Museum
2026-04-09 09:00 - 17:00
(Ages 18 – 100) Explore the art scene in Middleburg, VA beginning with a private tour of the Sporting Library and Museum. After lunch on your own in town, we’ll visit the AIM Gallery to take in their latest exhibit. Extensive walking. Pick up and drop off: Franklin Park Arts Center parking lot.
Fee includes transportation and tour tickets.
Click Here to Register

GOLD STAR CONCERT: Kavita Shah Quintet
2026-04-11 19:30 - 21:30 | Franklin Park Arts Center, 36441 Blueridge View Lane, Purcellville, VA, 20132, United States
“Amazing! What she’s doing is something completely new.” NPR ALL THINGS CONSIDERED
Kavita Shah is an award-winning vocalist, composer, researcher and polyglot who makes globally-minded music that is deeply engaged with the jazz tradition. Her winding path back to her ancestral homeland is embodied in the title of the Kavita Shah Quintet’s forthcoming album, All Roads Lead to Home, coming in Winter 2026. A lifelong New Yorker of Indian origin hailed for possessing an “amazing dexterity for musical languages” (NPR), Shah incorporates her ethnographic research on Brazilian, West African, and Indian traditions into her original music, and she regularly tours her music on six continents. Her latest album, All Roads Lead to Home, features a global cast of established New York musicians. Joining her in Virginia are pianist/ keyboardist Leo Genovese (Argentina), guitarist Vinícius Gomes (Brazil), bassist François Moutin (France), and drummer Ferenc Nemeth (Hungary). The band’s performance credits collectively include the biggest names in jazz and world music, including Esperanza Spalding, Wayne Shorter, Milton Nascimento, Miguel Zenon, Lionel Loueke, Rudresh Mahanthappa, Jack Dejohnette, and Lionel Loueke.
The Quintet’s music is brimming with complex rhythms and soulful songs that carry stories of the natural world and the hidden songlines connecting seemingly disparate cultures — from a Gujarati lullaby about sparrows to an Argentine novelist in exile in Paris; from a Brazilian sea goddess to the peacocks roaming freely on Shah’s ancestral farmland. All Roads Lead to Home marks a clear arrival of Shah’s lyrical and compositional voice — one that seamlessly blends global folk music into the language of modern jazz.
PURCHASE TICKETS HERE

*postponed* Planetarium: Sky Stories
2026-04-19 13:00 - 17:00
This event has been postponed due to equipment issues. Please stay tuned!
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(Ages 4 +) Step inside our inflatable dome planetarium for a LIVE interactive program! The enchanting night sky and sparkling constellations will be the theme for this month’s program. Hear ancient stories and meet the mythical characters behind those bright stars.
Program times: 1:00pm, 2:00pm, 3:00pm, 4:00pm
You will be seated on the floor with a cushion; chair seating and other accommodations can be arranged with advance notice by calling the box office 540-338-7973. The program lasts about 40 minutes. We begin planetarium programs on-time and late arrivals can not be admitted as it will ruin the experience. Please plan to arrive 10 minutes before showtime; NO REFUNDS will be issued for late arrivals. This experience is not suitable for children under age 4 years.

Goose Creek Players: Annie
2026-04-24 - 2026-04-26, 2026-05-01 - 2026-05-03 | Franklin Park Arts Center, 36441 Blueridge View Lane, Purcellville, VA, 20132, United States
Goose Creek Players presents its first full length musical, the famous Broadway musical “Annie”.
This is a family friendly musical about a young, optimistic orphan named Annie who lives in a bleak
orphanage during the Great Depression in New York City. Despite her circumstances, Annie holds onto
hope that her parents will one day return for her. Her life takes a turn when she’s chosen to spend a week
with billionaire Oliver Warbucks, and she ends up building a new, loving family with him and his staff. The
musical explores themes of hope, resilience, and the power of love and family. Presented by community theater actors.
April 24 @ 7:30 pm, April 25 @ 2:00pm and 7:30 pm, April 26 @ 2:00 pm
May 1 @ 7:30 pm, May 2 @ 2:00pm and 7:30 pm, May 3 @ 2:00 pm
Tickets: $25 General Admission
CLICK HERE TO PURCHASE

Storytelling Open Mic Night: Revolutionary
2026-04-30 18:00 - 20:00
(Ages 12-100) The mic is yours! Bring a prepared story that is 5-7 minutes in length in any format and step up to the mic to share it with others in this community series. Listeners and storytellers are welcome! Let’s hear your stories about times when you were revolutionary or saw/experienced something revolutionary — your personal tales, stories about others or even stories from your imagination.
Storytellers will sign up when arriving and if there are more tellers that time, we’ll draw names at random for a turn at the mic.
Click Here to Purchase Tickets

Canceled: Plein Air Sketch & Hike
2026-05-01 09:00 - 11:00
This program has been canceled due to staffing. We apologize and look forward to rescheduling.
(Ages 18+) Meet at a different Loudoun County Park each month, take a guided hike to a beautiful site, and sketch your surroundings! Hikes will be 1-3 miles round trip. Dress for hiking and pack your backpack with sketching supplies, a water bottle and snack. Contact Franklin Park Arts Center for details.

Life Model Sketching Class
2026-05-04 11:00 - 14:00
(Ages 21-100) Artists can further develop their skills in sketching the human form. With some guidance from instructor and professional artist Carmen Barros Howell, participants will sketch from both short and long poses. Bring your own supplies; a limited number of easels will be provided and tables/chairs will be set up for those not able to use an easel. Class is limited to 9 students. You must be 21+ to participate in this class.
Thank you to Friends of Franklin Park Arts Center for sponsoring the model fee.
CLICK HERE TO REGISTER
Click here for tips on using PRCS Connect

Blue Sky Puppets: Bananas!
2026-05-06 10:00 - 11:00
(Ages 2+) Little Red’s banana puppet helps teach him the difference between healthy food and unhealthy food with plenty of hilarity along the way and LOTS of audience sing-a-longs! Our monthly puppet shows are family-friendly entertainment and a great introduction for younger children to experience live theater.
Purchase tickets here
