Clifton Day Festival

Clifton Day 2026

Clifton is a two-street town about 25 miles southwest of DC, and one Sunday every October roughly 15,000 people show up. More than 150 antique dealers, vintage sellers and artisans set up along Main Street. Entry is free. For kids there is a petting zoo, pony rides, food stands and live music, which is enough to hold them while you dig through boxes of old things.

The genuinely fun part for a lot of families is getting there. VRE runs a special train for the festival out of Manassas, and the ride in is free, with the return trip $5 for adults and kids and free for babies under two. Riding a real train to a festival and back is usually the thing kids talk about afterward, not the antiques.

Parent Tips 💡

• ✓Take the VRE if you can: It skips the parking problem entirely and the train ride is the part kids remember. Check the schedule in advance, since it runs on a special festival timetable, not the weekday one.
• ✓Get there by 10am: Doors are 9am and the first hour is pleasant. Parking lots and the shuttle line both back up mid-morning, and by noon Main Street is slow going.
• ✓Skip the umbrella stroller: Gravel side streets, grass lots and curbs. A wagon or a carrier handles Clifton better than small wheels do.
• ✓Bring cash for the small dealers: Plenty of the antique sellers still run cash-only, and there is no ATM worth waiting for in a town this size.
• ✓Set a spending rule before you walk in: Every third booth has something a kid wants. Deciding on one purchase each, up front, saves a lot of negotiating later.
• ✓Pack water and snacks: Food stands exist but lines get long around lunch. Having your own snacks keeps you from eating on the festival's schedule.