Artists paint outdoors in Falls Church City
September 5-26, 2025
Plein Air Festival and Quick Draw Event
Saturday, September 27, 2025
(rain date: October 4)
free and open to the public, 9 am to noon
Come see all the art – Vote on People’s Choice Award
Juror: TBA
Plein Air Festival Judging
Participating artists check in and submit their competition works between 8 and 9 am.
Quick Draw Competition – 8 am to 11 am
Quick Draw is open to all levels and all ages. Artists register ($15 entry fee) at the Quick Draw table on September 27,
create their plein air works between 8 am and 11 am, and submit their work to be judged that morning!
Winners of both competitions announced at noon,
Falls Church City Hall grounds, 300 Park Ave.
To enter:
- Fill out ENTRY FORM.
- Pay your one-time, nonrefundable entry fee online.
- Have substrates (canvases, papers, etc,) stamped at a location named below, prior to doing your work.
- Submit up to four of the works you have created during the painting period to the competition on October 12.
Stamping is available September 5-26 at:
- Falls Church Arts Gallery, 700-B West Broad Street – (hours: Tues.-Fri. 11 am to 6 pm, Sat. 11 am to 4 pm, Sun. 11 am to 4 pm)
- Art and Frame of Falls Church, 307 East Annandale Road – (hours: Mon.- Sat. 10 am to 6 pm, Sun. noon to 4 pm)
Entry Fee (nonrefundable): $40 includes three stamps, $50 includes 5 stamps, $60 includes 7 stamps. Additional stamps available, $5 per substrate (cash or check)
A maximum of four 2025 Plein Air “Scenes in the City” artworks can be entered per artist for judging.
Prize winners are selected by the Plein Air juror, except for the People’s Choice Award, which is awarded to the artist with the most popular painting as voted by the general public who attend the Festival from 9:00 am to 11:30 am.
Consider painting scenes at these and other attractions in the City of Falls Church:
Cherry Hill Farmhouse and Barn, 300 block, Park Ave.
City Hall, 300 Park Ave.
Community Center, 223 Little Falls St.
Mary Riley Styles Public Library, 120 N. Virginia Ave.
Falls Church Farmers Market, every Saturday, at City Hall Parking Lot
14 City Parks (descriptions and map)
The Eden Center, Wilson Blvd. at Seven Corners
The Falls Church, Fairfax and S. Washington Sts.
The State Theater, 220 N. Washington St.
Tinner Hill Historic Sites: 106-108 Tinner Hill Rd., 307 S. Maple Ave., S. Washington St. and Tinner Hill Rd.
Washington and Old Dominion (W&OD) Trail
Houses on the National Register, including the Birch House, 312 E. Broad St., and Mount Hope, 203 S. Oak St.
Buildings on the Victorian Walking Tour
Commercial and Residential Streetscapes throughout the City
