Government Shutdown Prompts Taste Of NoVA Relocation To Manassas Area

MANASSAS, VA — The federal government shutdown is forcing Taste of NoVA to make plans for a new location this coming weekend.

The event was meant to happen at the National Museum of the U.S. Army in Fort Belvoir, but that facility is closed during the government shutdown. Instead, it will happen at the NOVA LIVE campus, 9665 Discovery Blvd., Manassas, VA. NOVA LIVE, formerly known as Farm Brew Live, is home to The Black Sheep Restaurant, 2 Silos Brewing, Brentsville Hall and more restaurants plus an outdoor live music space.

"We’re grateful to Villagio Hospitality Group and Prince William County for their extraordinary support in helping us make this happen so quickly," said Sang Yang, CEO of Northern Virginia Magazine, via a Northern Virginia Magazine story.

Taste of NoVA is still scheduled to happen over the weekend of Oct. 11 and 12. Federal government workers can use promo code GOV20 to get 20 percent off of general admission tickets with a valid government ID at TasteOfNoVA.com.Please see the full details in our story and feel free to pull from there for any story updates.

Taste of NoVA, hosted by Northern Virginia Magazine, is a returning food and drink festival with representation from around the region. Attendees will get unlimited tastings from top restaurants, breweries, wineries and distilleries. This year. Saturday features a Signature Sips & Bites event from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m., and Sunday is the main event, the Grand Tasting with at least 50 restaurants from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. Early admission attendees can get into both days an hour early at 12 p.m.

New this year are live cooking demonstrations with several chefs, including Chef Matt Hill of Ruthie’s All-Day and chef Bertrand Chemel of 2941 Restaurant. Another new feature for 2025 is a speaker series with expert sommeliers, brewmasters, distillers and mixologists who will share insights into their beverages.

At the event, Northern Virginia Magazine will present the Lifetime Achievement Award to Chef Patrick O'Connell of Michelin-starred The Inn at Little Washington. O’Connell will join NBC4’s Eun Yang for a conversation about his acclaimed restaurant.