"Today's consumers want experiences they simply can't replicate online," Mikia Ross Wilson, Springfield Town Center's senior marketing director, told FFXnow this month. She was explaining why Toys "R" Us is back at the mall.
That line also describes most of Springfield's November. The mall's calendar has a toy store built on nostalgia, an art exhibit, Santa photos that take reservations and a market that runs for about three weeks. At Lake Accotink and Franconia Rec Center, the Fairfax County Park Authority and a volunteer friends group are running smaller versions of the same thing: a turkey "trot" swum in a pool, and a 5K whose early packet pickup happens at a local restaurant. All of these events need you to be there in person. On Thanksgiving weekend, the mall's events and the park events fall on the same two days.
The toy store came back with a different job
Toys "R" Us reopened at Springfield Town Center on Sept. 23, 2026. It's at 6677 Springfield Mall, Space 22049, in a space Go! Toys and Games recently used, FFXnow reported on Oct. 22. Go! Retail Group, which runs Go! Toys and Games, is partnering with Toys "R" Us on the expansion. A spokesperson for EJ Media Group, which represents the brand, told FFXnow that the Springfield store is permanent, not a holiday pop-up.
The stores are smaller this time. FFXnow notes that the new locations don't have the huge footprint the chain had in the 1980s and '90s, like the Fair Lakes store that closed nearly a decade ago. Springfield is one of 120 standalone stores the brand is opening nationwide for this holiday season. Counting 40 pop-ups inside Macy's locations, 160 Toys "R" Us stores will be open nationwide this holiday season. A second Fairfax County store, at Fair Oaks Mall, is set to open at a date that hasn't been announced yet.
Wilson told FFXnow that the mall is pairing "legacy brands with newer lifestyle and entertainment concepts," and that people who grew up with the chain are now bringing their own kids. That explains the toy store, and it explains the rest of the mall's season too.
The mall's season, item by item
Here is what Springfield Town Center's events page lists for the next few months:
| What | Where in the mall | Dates | Good to know |
|---|---|---|---|
| ArtsFairfax presents "Through Me: Where Wonder Finds a Way" | Near Dave & Busters | Oct. 21, 2026 to March 31, 2027 | Runs long past the holidays |
| Santa Photos | Grand Court | Nov. 13 to Dec. 24 | Reservations recommended; packages start at $44.99 |
| Family Pet Photos with Santa | Grand Court | Nov. 16 to Dec. 14 | Mondays only |
| Holiday Market | Mall listing | Nov. 27 to Dec. 20 | Nov. 27 to 29 called out as opening weekend |
Santa arrives in the Grand Court on Friday, Nov. 13, two weeks before Thanksgiving. According to the mall's Santa page, Cherry Hill Programs runs the photos and recommends reservations. That makes mid-November a better time than late December to book a slot.
Pet photos are on Mondays only, from Nov. 16 through Dec. 14. That's five Mondays, and none of them falls on the busy weekends.
The ArtsFairfax exhibit near Dave & Busters runs through March 31, 2027, so it will still be up long after the holidays. The Holiday Market runs from Nov. 27 to Dec. 20. The listing doesn't give hours, so check the events page before you go.
At the lake and the rec center, the same idea on a smaller budget
The county park system and Friends of Lake Accotink Park are doing the same thing as the mall with much smaller budgets.
The Turkey Dip puts the turkey trot in a pool. The Park Authority holds it at Franconia Rec Center, 6601 Telegraph Road, on Saturday, Nov. 21, from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m., for ages 6 to 99. Swimmers pick a 500-, 250-, 100- or 25-yard course that weaves through the pool. The 25-yard option is a partner swim, and kids in it can swim with a parent or use a swim vest. Every registered participant is eligible for race-day raffles. Each one also gets a "Turkey Dip" T-shirt, but shirts are guaranteed only for people who register before Nov. 11. After that, it's first come, first served. Registration closes the day of the event, so the shirt is the only reason to sign up early.
The Beaver Boogie is the 4th annual 5K run or walk from Friends of Lake Accotink Park, known as FLAP. It starts at the park, 7500 Accotink Park Road, on Saturday, Nov. 28, and runs from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Early packet pickup is the evening before, Friday, Nov. 27, at Kilroy's from 5 to 7 p.m. Details and registration are on the event listing.
If you walk the lake before then, plan for a detour. The Park Authority's park alerts page says the bridge at the Lake Accotink marina is closed for repairs starting Monday, Oct. 26, for about two weeks. The alert, posted Oct. 23, covers only the bridge, not the whole park. If the repairs stay on schedule, the bridge should reopen in the second week of November, well before race day. Check the alerts page before you go.
Thanksgiving weekend, when the two calendars overlap
Thanksgiving falls on Nov. 26 this year. On the Friday and Saturday after it, the mall and the park schedules overlap.
- Friday, Nov. 27. The Holiday Market opens at Springfield Town Center. That evening, from 5 to 7 p.m., Beaver Boogie runners can pick up their packets at Kilroy's.
- Saturday, Nov. 28. The Beaver Boogie runs at Lake Accotink Park from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. The market's opening weekend continues at the mall.
- Sunday, Nov. 29. This is the last day of the market weekend the mall highlights. Santa photos, which start in the Grand Court on Nov. 13, will be in their third week, so families who book early can add them to the weekend.
Most of the year, Springfield's shopping and its outdoor spaces keep separate schedules. That Friday and Saturday, they share one.
Meanwhile, the bigger storefronts are still changing hands
Not every change in Springfield this fall is about events. Washington Business Journal reported that Bertucci's has closed its Springfield restaurant, its last location in the D.C. area. The Massachusetts-based chain now runs 11 restaurants, down from more than 100 at its peak.
At Springfield Plaza, Ross Dress for Less is expected to take the 28,000-square-foot former Buy Buy Baby space at 6398 Springfield Plaza, Patch reported on Oct. 17. Contractors were bidding on the work, but Patch said it was unclear whether Ross had signed a lease. For now, the space is a likely Ross store but not a confirmed one.
Large spaces near the mall keep passing from one national chain to another. Inside the mall, the holiday season is built on reasons to make a trip in person. The Toys "R" Us reopening fits both: a national chain moving into a recently emptied space, and a store built on nostalgia.
A season this full also affects anyone deciding whether to sell before the holidays or wait until the new year. If that's you, Ruth Garvey and the RGA Realty Group team can tell you what your Springfield home is worth before the calendar fills up. Request a free home valuation, and we'll talk it through with you.
