Halloween is here and there are plenty of events around the Tysons area to get into the spooky spirit.

The Fairfax County Police Department will be handing out candy on The Plaza for Tysons Corner Center’s Malloween event from 3-5 p.m. tonight.

Also at the mall, Spirit Halloween is selling Halloween costumes and decorations until 9:30 p.m., while the American Scream Selfie Museum is offering attendees the chance to take pictures with various Halloween themed displays until Nov. 3.

Over in Merrifield, the Caboose Halloween Costume Contest will feature an extended happy hour at Caboose Commons (2918 Eskridge Road) as well as prizes for people with the best outfits from 3:30-9 p.m. tonight.

From pumpkin carving to costumes to eating lots of candy, let Tysons Reporter know what your spooky plans are.

Send photos of pets dressed in Halloween costumes to us for a story on Friday (Nov. 1) — tag or direct message us on social media (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram) or email us at [email protected].

For no particular reason, I made a Halloweeny, pun-filled version of the @wmata metro map.

Get on at Pentagram City, get off at Fear-in-gut West for spooooooky brunch. pic.twitter.com/Egmm6JvsHv

— Paul Hostetler 🌻 (@phostetlerart) October 7, 2019

Halloween poses an especially dangerous threat to pedestrians, as more people are out at night on the hunt for candy. 🍫 If your night involves alcohol, plan for a sober ride home. Remember: It’s never safe to drink and drive. #DesignateB4Ucelebrate #FCPD pic.twitter.com/K5dqbXu5N5

— Fairfax County Police (@FairfaxCountyPD) October 29, 2019

Ashley Hopko contributed to this story.

Some newcomers are heading to Tysons Corner Center.

Beeboy, a plush toy company, is “coming soon” to the former spot of candy store Sugarfina on the first level by Macy’s.

A sign says that the store is currently hiring.

Over at the BrandBox spaces on the first level by Barnes and Noble, Italian design brand Seletti is moving into Chubbies’ former space.

“Ever since it was established in 1964 in Cicognara, Mantova, Italy, the company has pursued its mission of making the most of professionalism, service and above all an endless product research, striving for improvement, innovation and originality,” according to the brand’s website.

Other openings in the mall include Canadian clothing brand Roots on Nov. 7 and Abercrombie Kids in November.

Halloween is 10 days away and there are plenty of events around the Tysons area to help enthusiasts celebrate.

Tysons Reporter rounded up the spooky festivities, including community festivals and happy hour deals.

Tysons

At the Palladium’s (1524 Spring Hill Road) Halloween Costume Party, Eddie Attar, Morvarid and other guests will hit the stage for an evening of performances and live music. Admission is for people aged 21 and older and tickets are $40. This event will take place on Saturday (Oct. 26) from 9 p.m. until 2 a.m.

The Ritz Carlton ((1700 Tysons Blvd) is hosting a Halloween Tea on Sunday, Oct. 27, from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Tickets are $64 and costumes are encouraged.

There will be a Pumpkin Carving Class for kids on Sunday, Oct. 27, from 3-4 p.m. at Wildfire Steakhouse (2001 International Drive). Tickets are $20 per child.

From 4-9 p.m. on Wednesday, Oct. 30, TenPenh Tysons (7900 Westpark Drive) will host a Halloween Spooktacular happy hour with prizes for the best costume. Tickets are not required and this event is free and open to the public.

Tysons Corner Center will host a Malloween event from 3-5 p.m. on Halloween night (Thursday). The Fairfax County Police Department will be handing out candy on The Plaza and American Scream will be providing some spooky entertainment. Facepainting will be on-site and participating stores will be marked with a jack-o-lantern sticker in their window.

Also at the mall, Spirit Halloween is open for anyone in need of a Halloween costume or decorations. The store is open from 10 a.m. until 9:30 p.m. Monday-Saturday and from 11 a.m. until 7 p.m. on Sundays.

The American Scream Selfie Museum offers attendees the chance to take pictures with various Halloween themed displays. Admission is $20 and there are various time slots available until Nov. 3.

Vienna

The Vienna Halloween Parade will start at 7 p.m. along Maple Avenue on Wednesday (Oct. 23). This yearly event will celebrate its 73rd year anniversary and include a contest for the best band, float with music, youth performer, antique/classic vehicle, adult band, float without music and performer. This event is free and open to the public.

The Caboose Halloween Costume Contest at Caboose Tavern (520 Mill Street NE) will have prizes for people with the best outfits on Monday (Oct. 28). This event takes place from 4-9 p.m. All ages and dogs are welcome to attend. There will be a prize for the best adult, kid and dog costume.

Falls Church

The upcoming Halloween Carnival will give kids from preschool to fifth grade a chance to enjoy games, food, reptile demonstrations and face painting. It will take place at the Falls Church Community Center (223 Little Falls Street) on Friday, Oct. 25, from 3-6 p.m. Admission is $2 for kids over two years old.

McLean

Kids and their families are invited to a Trunk or Treat event from 4-6 p.m. on Oct. 26 at the Lewinsville Presbyterian Church (1724 Chain Bridge Road). There will be games and treats available.

Merrifield

The Caboose Halloween Costume Contest will feature an extended happy hour at Caboose Commons (2918 Eskridge Road) as well as prizes for people with the best outfits on Halloween night. This event takes place from 3:30-9 p.m. All ages and dogs are welcome to attend. There will be a prize for the best adult, kid and dog costume.

The Vienna Police Department also issued a set of tips to help people stay safe while celebrating Halloween.

Vienna police advise that drivers should expect extra pedestrian traffic and be on the look-out for kids in dark clothing, along with discouraging inexperienced drivers from being on the road.

For pedestrians and parents, the police suggest kids should wear brightly colored clothing or reflective materials, teach kids never to enter a stranger’s home, make sure everyone sticks together in groups and remain on well-lit paths and streets.

For people planning on taking the Metro, one Twitter user created a punny, Halloween-themed version of the map.

For no particular reason, I made a Halloweeny, pun-filled version of the @wmata metro map.

Get on at Pentagram City, get off at Fear-in-gut West for spooooooky brunch. pic.twitter.com/Egmm6JvsHv

— Paul Hostetler 🌻 (@phostetlerart) October 7, 2019

Next month, locals will get the chance to weigh in on a proposal to reduce the parking requirements at Tysons Corner Center and Tysons Galleria.

Fairfax County is considering a proposal that would affect the four largest malls in the county — the two in Tysons, Fair Oaks and Springfield Town Center — after a review earlier this year of the parking rates and demand at large regional malls.

Consulting firm Nelson/Nygaard conducted the study from June 5-8 by doing a parking count for the Springfield mall and analyzing data from the Fair Oaks mall. The study found that less than 65% of the available spaces were occupied during peak times, according to county documents.

The study did not evaluate the two malls in Tysons, county spokesperson Crystal Santos said.

When Tysons Reporter asked how the Tysons malls’ parking needs might differ from the two malls analyzed, Santos said:

The county envisions that Tysons will become a walkable, sustainable urban center as it redevelops leading to less car usage in the area and therefore less demand for parking. While Springfield is more urban than Fair Oaks because of bus service and Metrorail, it’s not as urban or accessible through public transportation as the two Tysons malls. We wanted to examine similar, more suburban malls to measure demand on parking for this study.

Santos added that there was a parking study in 2014 in Tysons before the Silver Line stations opened.

“The malls are also included in the Tysons Comprehensive Plan to transform the area into an urban center, as a result, the malls are able to reduce their effective parking rate to less than 2.5 per 1000 square feet of gross floor area through a county review and approval process,” Santos said.

A spokesperson for Tysons Corner Center did not respond to Tysons Reporter’s request for comment on the proposal.

The proposal would alter the requirement from four to 2.5 or three parking spaces per 1,000 square feet of gross floor area — the recommended change from Nelson/Nygaard. County staff is recommending the rate be 2.8 parking spaces.

“This is a more realistic parking requirement and, if implemented, would continue to provide an oversupply of parking at peak demand on weekdays and weekends during all times of the year,” according to county documents. “Overall, the changes will provide Fairfax County’s largest commercial retail centers additional flexibility to react to a changing retail marketplace.”

The Planning Commission plans to hold a public hearing on Nov. 13 at 7:30 p.m. before the Board of Supervisors has one on Dec. 3 at 4 p.m.

Image via Google Maps

Canadian clothing brand Roots plans to open in November at Tysons Corner Center.

Back in June, Tysons Report spotted a sign outside the former Aldo space on the second level by the Victoria’s Secret, saying that Roots would arrive in October.

The clothing brand has now announced that the store will open on Thursday, Nov. 7, according to a spokesperson for the company.

Started in Toronto in 1973, Roots sells women’s, men’s and kids’ clothing, with a focus on leisurewear and leather goods branded with the beaver logo.

For shoppers who can’t wait until November, Roots has stores in the Fashion Centre at Pentagon City and Georgetown.

A virtual reality entertainment center plans to open this week at Tysons Corner Center — more than a year after signs for the VR business popped up at the mall.

The Void is set to open on Friday, Oct. 18, and people can experience “Avengers: Damage Control,” which launches the same day, an employee at the business, told Tysons Reporter.

“Coming soon” signs have been at the mall for more than a year.

Tysons Reporter spotted that the VR company failed — and then passed — five inspections at the mall from June to October. A spokesman for the mall wasn’t able to confirm that the failed inspections caused the delay.

It’s unclear if the year-long wait is typical for the company.

In June 2018, The Void announced several new locations — the Santa Monica location opened at the start of this year, while the Minneapolis one opened this summer, followed by the Atlanta location a few weeks ago.

The VR business, which is backed in part by Disney, has locations in eight locations — including the Tysons one — in the U.S. and three in Canada. The company is looking to expand in the U.S. and internationally.

Tickets are $39.95 per person and up to four people can take part in groups, according to the website. People can find The Void located on the first level by Barnes and Noble.

Fairfax County may reduce its parking requirements for its largest malls — including Tysons Corner Center and Tysons Galleria.

The proposal would affect four malls in the county — the two in Tysons, Fair Oaks and Springfield Town Center.

A review of the parking rates and demand at large regional malls by consulting firm Nelson/Nygaard found that less than 65% of the available spaces were occupied during peak times, according to county documents.

The proposal would alter the requirement from four to 2.5 or three parking spaces per 1,000 square feet of gross floor area — the recommended change from Nelson/Nygaard.

“This is a more realistic parking requirement and, if implemented, would continue to provide an oversupply of parking at peak demand on weekdays and weekends during all times of the year,” according to county documents.

The Fairfax County Board of Supervisors is set to vote on Tuesday (Oct. 15) on authorizing public hearings — a Planning Commission one on Nov. 13 at 7:30 p.m. and one before the board on Dec. 3 at 4 p.m.

“Overall, the changes will provide Fairfax County’s largest commercial retail centers additional flexibility to react to a changing retail marketplace,” according to county documents.

The Weekly Planner is a roundup of interesting events coming up over the next week in the Tysons area.

We’ve scoured the web for events of note in Tysons, Vienna, Merrifield, McLean and Falls Church. Know of any we’ve missed? Tell us!

Thursday (Oct. 10)

• Design Lab: Drawing Treehouses — noon-1:30 p.m. at the Apple Store (1961 Chain Bridge Road) — This event will teach attendees how to design a treehouse on an iPad while keeping sustainability and the environment in mind. This is event is free and open to the public; iPads will be provided.
• Stars & Stripes Benefit for the Troops — 7-11 p.m. at The Ritz-Carlton (1700 Tysons Blvd) — This prohibition themed networking gala will benefit the troops. Tickets start at $95 and include food, drink, raffles and activities. Attendees are encouraged to dress in 1920s attire.
• Power of Pink Tysons — 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Equinox (8065 Leesburg Pike) — Join Equinox for a lunch and workout fundraiser to benefit the Arlington Free Clinic and Breast Care for Washington DC, which helps local women fight breast cancer. This event is donation-based, and all of the proceeds will go towards the cause.

Saturday (Oct. 12)

• Farm Day — 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Cherry Hill Farmhouse (312 Park Avenue) — The Cherry Hill Farmhouse will host the community and have activities including horse-drawn hayrides, a petting farm, pony rides, pumpkin painting, scarecrow making, live music, tours of the farmhouse and barn, blacksmith demonstrations and food. Admission is free but there may be fees for specific activities.
• Halloween Window Painting Festival — 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Mr. Brown’s Park (223 Little Falls Street) —  The community is invited to pitch ideas for window painting. The event is free but those wishing to participate must email Marty Behr at [email protected] with a design idea for approval.
• NAACP Candidates Forum — 10:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. at First Baptist Church of Vienna (450 Orchard Street NW) — This event allows the public to hear from Commonwealth’s Attorney and School Board At-Large candidates representing the NAACP. There will also be voter registration opportunities.

Sunday (Oct. 13)

• Free Koren Language Lesson — 3:30-5:30 p.m. at Shilla Bakery (1961 Chain Bridge Road) — Anyone who speaks Korean or is interested in learning can join this free event to practice their language skills and get to know others curious about Korean language and culture.

Photo via Cherry Hill Historic Farm

Car Tax Due Today — Fairfax County “mailed more than 800,000 annual bills to vehicle owners, and because Oct. 5 falls on a Saturday, this year’s deadline to pay [the] bill is Monday, Oct. 7.” [Fairfax County]

Expect Metro Delays Today — The Orange, Silver and Blue lines will be impacted today due to an overnight rear-end train collision outside Farragut West. [WMATA]

CaliBurger Coming to The Boro — “Locally, the West Coast-styled company’s fries and burgers are served out of a teal-toned NoMa food truck at Wunder Garten. Under a newly inked deal, Caliburger will open next spring in the splashy Boro Development coming together in the heart of Tysons.” [Eater DC]

Art Around Tysons Metro Stations — “Public art not only adds beauty to a place, it can also help people orient themselves and find their way around. Tysons is no exception… Let’s take a look at four public art pieces at Metro stations in Tysons.” [Greater Greater Washington]

Mystery Set at Tysons Mall — “Like [Ellen] Butler’s first two Karina Cardinal mysteries, the setting of the book is local, starting with a mystery criminal absconding with diamonds from a Tysons Corner jewelry store.” [Patch]

The Grass is Greener — “New artificial turf has been installed at Larry Graves Park, replacing the natural grass field where bad weather contributed to game delays and cancellations. City officials hope the revamped surface will be more durable to the climate as well as to its users, but the installation wasn’t well received by all.” [Falls Church News-Press]

County Chair on Explosive Growth — “Sharon Bulova first won political office in Fairfax County 31 years ago on a slow-growth platform. She’ll leave the stage in January having presided over perhaps the most explosive period of growth in the county’s history. It’s a contradiction that Bulova fully acknowledges, and embraces.” [Washington Business Journal]

(Updated at 4:30 p.m.) For this weekend only, fashion lovers can check out a pop-up shoe store outside Tysons Corner Center.

Tamara Mellon will stop by with their traveling shoe store from Thursday (Oct. 3) until Sunday (Oct. 6). The 24-foot vehicle will feature women’s shoes in different styles and sizes, a press release said.

“The concept is inspired by the success of the brand’s first brick-and-mortar location at Palisades Village in Los Angeles, which reimagines the luxury retail experience,” the press release said.

Tamara Mellon founded the shop after also co-founding Jimmy Choo in 1996. She wants to make fashion more accessible for women, according to a press release, adding that this pop-up will allow the brand to get to know its customers “face-to-face.”

Tysons is one of 12 stops the shop will make while traveling around the country.

“The TM Closet will replicate the shop’s concept displaying each shoe style in every size, creating Instagram-worthy shoe walls which customers interact with to try on and shop product at their leisure,” the press release said.

Photo via Tamara Mellon