Labor Day at Shipgarten

A Free Cookout in a Yard Full of Shipping Containers

Shipgarten throws a free grill out on Saturday, September 5, from 1 to 6pm. Burgers and hot dogs off the grill, a cornhole tournament at 2, a water pong tournament at 4, and live music starting at 3:30. Getting in costs nothing and so does parking, which is not a combination you find often around Tysons.

Set your expectations first, because this is a beer garden and not a playground. It is a big open outdoor space built out of shipping containers, with food tents, long communal tables and a lot of room between them. On a holiday afternoon it fills with adults. That open ground is also exactly why it works with kids: they can move around while you actually sit down, and the outdoor games are open to whoever wants a turn.

Go early in the window. The 1 to 4 stretch is the family part of the day. Once the tournaments wrap the crowd shifts, the music gets louder, and by 8 it has turned into a DJ night that is not for children. One more thing worth knowing: the address says McLean even though everyone calls the place Tysons, and the free lot is a short walk away on Old Meadow Road.

Parent Tips 💡

• ✓Come between 1 and 4. That is the family stretch. The crowd changes character later in the afternoon.
• ✓Know what you are walking into. It is a beer garden with a grill, not a kids' event. Plenty of families go, but it is not built around them.
• ✓Free to enter, not free to eat. Bring a card for the food tents.
• ✓Let them play cornhole. The games are open to anyone waiting for a turn, tournament or not.
• ✓Leave before the DJ. The evening turns into a late night party at 8. That is your cue.