There will be no First Friday on November 6. On October 16, the City of Manassas and Historic Manassas Inc. announced that they had cancelled the last 2026 First Friday after considering community feedback. They said they would spend the rest of the year on fall and winter programming instead. The City's announcement lists the replacement events, and most of them happen in daylight. There's a parade at 11 in the morning and a gallery walk that ends at 5 p.m. The Saturday farmers market wraps up by 1.
So downtown's November runs on a different clock this year, and it matches the businesses that opened along Center Street in 2026: a bookstore, a retail co-op, an expanded vinyl shop and a tea service that moved to make more room. These are places to browse in the middle of a Saturday, and the fall calendar is now built around Saturdays.
Where the Evening Effort Went
The remaining events also have a budget behind them. On October 8, HMI wrote to City Manager Steve Burke asking for $6,000. The money would add child- and family-centered activities and entertainment to the four events left on the 2026 calendar. The letter names them:
- Haunted Happenings, October 24
- Gallery Walk, November 14
- Small Business Week, November 20 to 29
- Santa Lights and Holiday Market, December 4
At its October 19 work session, the City Council expressed support for the proposed enhancements, according to the City's recap. Haunted Happenings took place last Saturday. The other three events, plus the Veterans Day Parade, make up the downtown calendar from now to the tree lighting.
Haunted Happenings shows what kind of events these are. Children trick-or-treated at participating downtown businesses from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Each of these events sends people through shop doors during store hours. That makes this year's new storefronts more important than they would be on a typical fall calendar.
The Shops That Opened This Year
The City's economic development office included the 2026 arrivals in its Historic Downtown mid-year report, published in late July. Most of them are on or right next to Center Street.
| Business | Location | What changed in 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| Sleepy Dragon Books | 9101 Center St. | Opened as an independent bookstore and community gathering space |
| Black Metal Mercantile | Center Street, next to its old space | Moved into a larger storefront and launched Dragonized Records |
| Gathered on Center | 9082 Center St. | Retail co-op in Black Metal Mercantile's former space |
| The Things I Love | 9327 Main St. | Moved nearby to make more room for its tea service |
| Metamorphosis Salon | Beauregard Square | Opened this year |
Three of those changes are connected. Black Metal Mercantile moved into the larger storefront next door, and the extra space let it launch its new Dragonized Records concept and significantly expand its vinyl selection. Then Gathered on Center moved into the space it left at 9082 Center St. The co-op held its ribbon cutting on August 20, and Potomac Local described it that month as a new retail destination downtown. One change on Center Street opened space for a second business.
Sleepy Dragon Books is a short walk away at 9101 Center St., run by owner Emily Hamby. On Main Street, The Things I Love moved to 9327 Main St. to make more room for its tea service, which the City's report calls popular. Between those two addresses, you can buy books, records, co-op goods and an afternoon tea without moving the car.
A Saturday-by-Saturday November
The Thursday Farmers Market at Harris Pavilion, 9201 Center St., ends its 2026 season today, October 29, and runs 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. After today, the Saturday market at 9024 Prince William St. carries on alone. HMI lists it from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. through November 21. The market lines up with the City's event calendar on almost every November weekend:
- Saturday, October 31. Saturday market, 8 a.m. to 1 p.m.
- Saturday, November 7. The market opens at 8, and the Veterans Day Parade steps off at 11 a.m. The City's release invites people to "come for the parade, stay for shopping and lunch at one of downtown's many locally-owned businesses."
- Saturday, November 14. The market runs in the morning, and the Fall Gallery Walk runs from noon to 5 p.m., with local artists showing work at locations throughout downtown. Anyone who stops at every participating location qualifies for a chance to win a gift basket. Children's art activities are set up along Battle Street.
- Friday, November 20, through Sunday, November 29. Small Business Week, one of the four events HMI asked the City to help fund.
- Saturday, November 21. Last Saturday market of 2026, falling on the first weekend of Small Business Week.
- Monday, November 30. In-person ticket sales open for the VRE Santa Train. Online sales start December 1, and the City's release notes that tickets sell out quickly.
The Gallery Walk is the longest daytime event of the month. Artists show work at locations throughout downtown from noon to 5 p.m., and that same morning the Saturday market runs from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m.
When the Calendar Returns to Evenings
The return to evening events starts on December 4. The Holiday Market and Santa Lights runs from 4 to 8 p.m., the tree lighting is at 6:30, and Santa rides into town on the VRE. The next morning, December 5 at 10 a.m., is the 80th Greater Manassas Christmas Parade, with Councilman Ralph J. Smith as Grand Marshal. The VRE Santa Train departs from Historic Downtown Manassas on December 12. Train times have not been announced yet.
After that, the market moves to winter hours. HMI lists a Winter Market from January 16 to March 20, 2027, at the Water Tower lot beside the depot, 9116 Prince William St., from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Those hours start two hours later than the summer market's. In the colder months, the market sits closer to the middle of the day.
First Friday's 2027 Format Is Still Open
None of this settles what First Friday will look like next year. HMI's invitation to help shape the series says HMI, the City, downtown businesses and community partners have begun talking about a "reimagined 2027 season." It asks what people value, what they want kept and what they would change. At the October 19 work session, the Council discussed HMI's plan to set up a discussion group to gather input on the 2027 events. No 2027 dates, hours or format have been announced. Residents can still submit feedback through the City and HMI questionnaire.
Until then, the parade, the Gallery Walk, the last Saturday markets and Small Business Week will carry downtown through November, with this year's new Center Street shops open during those hours.
Downtown calendars and storefronts like these shape everyday life in Manassas. They're part of what Kornelia Stuphan and The K Team track when advising clients across Northern Virginia. If you'd like to talk about what's changing in Historic Downtown Manassas and how it fits into your own plans, please contact us.
