Festival Salvadorena

Get ready to celebrate! One of D.C.'s most anticipated events, this festival celebrates the Latin American community in full swing.

On August 6 from 11 a.m.-6 p.m. at the Harris Pavilion, Manassas will host the fourth annual Festival Salvadorena. Organized by COSALVA (Salvadoran American Council), this event's entertainment includes music, singers, dancers, clowns, and other performers. Fun for the whole family!

Vendors will serve dishes from Central America, Mexico, and South America, plus there will be plenty of craft and art vendors.

Click here for more info.

Other Events

 - National Night Out August 1, 6-7:30 p.m. on Manassas Museum Lawn

 - First Friday in August "Dog Days of Summer" Aug. 4, 6-9 p.m. in Historic Downtown Manassas

 - Manassas African American Heritage Festival Aug. 5, 11 a.m.-6 p.m. at Metz Middle School, 9950 Wellington Rd., Manassas

 - First Friday in September "La Fiesta Otoñal" Sept. 1, 6-9 p.m. in Historic Downtown

Harris Pavilion

Hylton Center

ARTfactory

Manassas Museum

Reopening of Manassas Museum: July 29, 2023

It's done! Our Manassas Museum has been completely renovated inside and out to showcase even more Manassas history.

Visitors will see a redesigned exterior with welcoming walkways, seating, and a fresh landscape design. Inside, there are new exhibit spaces including a Manassas Timeline display, plus Echoes, the Manassas Museum store, for interesting souvenirs to remember your visit. Brand new galleries will open this fall.

Museum hours are Monday-Saturday, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. and Sundays, noon-5 p.m. Come and check it out!

Click here for Manassas Museum programs and events.

Hints of History

During these hot summer days, we can thank a former Manassas neighbor for his inventions in modern air conditioning. His name was Robert Portner, owner of Annaburg.

Now a City-owned park property just outside Historic Downtown Manassas, Annaburg was built as a summer home in 1892 by millionaire and Alexandria brewer Robert Portner (1837-1906). He named it after his Swiss-born wife, Anna Von Valaer Portner, and Annaburg Castle on the Rhine River in his native Germany.

Part of Annaburg's history is its integration of new technologies of the day; it is known as the first home in the country equipped with mechanical air conditioning. As a brewer, in 1878, Portner patented a method for cooling and purifying air, a system he installed in his Alexandria, Virginia brewery; soon, he expanded that idea to Annaburg. Eventually, his invention led to refrigerated train cars to ship his product and his designs would later contribute to modern air conditioning technology. Portner further expanded his company to include beer gardens, popular throughout Germany.

It its heyday, Annaburg was the pride of Manassas hosting the annual Piedmont Virginia Dairy Festival, Fourth of July fireworks, and welcoming the community to ice skate on the estate's frozen ponds. Its 2,000+ acres included a stone tower, deer park, fountains, greenhouse, vineyard, swimming pool, and the 1825 Liberia plantation, which he operated as a dairy farm.

In 2022, Annaburg landed a spot on the National Register of Historic Places. Today, the three-story house that sits on 3.65 acres is undergoing renovations (see photo below), but the public grounds at 9201 Portner Ave. are open dawn to dusk for walks, picnics, and special outdoor events. For more information, please contact the Manassas Museum at 703-368-1873.

‌Click here for photos of an April 2022 archaeology dig at Annaburg.