Acton Children's Business Fair McLean, Virginia
Saturday, January 3, 2026
1:00PM - 4:00PM
Currently accepting applications 🏁
Apply to the fair
About the fair
Welcome to the Fall McLean Children's Business Fair!
This Fair will take place on Jan. 3, 2026, from 1:00pm – 4:00pm inside of the McLean McLean Community Center.
Please note that the event will be held in conjunction with the McLean Community Winter Block Party where entertainment activities, free snacks and refreshments will be provided. For those entrepreneurs planning to sell foods and drinks, please plan accordingly!
$10 registration fee is required, paid in CASH upon arrival, for each participating business.
Please note that the event will be held in conjunction with the McLean Community Winter Block Party where entertainment activities, free snacks and refreshments will be provided. For those entrepreneurs planning to sell foods and drinks, please plan accordingly!
$10 registration fee is required, paid in CASH upon arrival, for each participating business.
This event is sponsored by Network of Young Entrepreneurs, Acton Academy, the Acton School of Business, the generous support of the McLean Community Center, as well as the devoted work of the volunteers on the planning committee!
Hosted by
Yajuan Lu
🗓️ Started hosting in 2023
✅ Identity verified
⭐️ 3.7 (19)
23 booths participating
Bow and Glow bar
Annaliese's Accessories
And 21 others.
Frequently asked questions
When will the application be open to the public?
Registration is open now until we have filled up all spots. Sign up to join our mail list to stay up to date with all upcoming communications!
What is the Acton Children’s Business Fair?
Registration is open now until we have filled up all spots. Sign up to join our mail list to stay up to date with all upcoming communications!
What is the Acton Children’s Business Fair?
The Acton Children’s Business Fair inspires children to discover their inner entrepreneur. The largest entrepreneurship event for kids in North America, this half-day market gives children the opportunity to showcase their very own businesses.
Where should I begin?
Start with our resources page. Read inspiring stories about other young entrepreneurs and play games to hone your business skills.
How do I apply? Can I apply as part of a group?
Application must be submitted online. Please submit one application for each business. Children working as a group should submit one application that includes each child’s information.
What is on the application?
The application asks kids to think through some simple, but important elements of their business:
- What product or service do you plan to sell?
- What price will you charge for each product/service? How much will each product/service cost you?
- How will you pay for your startup costs? If someone is helping you with your startup costs, how will you pay that person back?
- How will you advertise/market your business before the fair?
- At the end of the fair, how will you determine if your business was a success?
What if someone else has the same business idea?
Two cupcake businesses? Not a problem. In general, we will let market forces play out, though we will let later entries know if another applicant has a similar idea so the later entrant can decide what to do.
How will the fair be set up?
The fair will be an indoor event. Two businesses will share a large table. Each business will be provided with one chair.
Please bring your own tablecloths.
Will electricity be available?
Unfortunately, we are not able to provide electricity to the booths.
Is there a registration fee?
There will be a $10 registration fee per business. The payment is required at the door on the day of the event in CASH.
What are the rules?
There will be a $10 registration fee per business. The payment is required at the door on the day of the event in CASH.
What are the rules?
This event is designed to give children the experience of selling a product or service. If a parent is found selling or promoting a child’s product or service, their child’s business will be disqualified.
Parents of younger children may sit in the booth, but the children should be responsible for set up, customer interaction, and sales.
Parents may help their child fill out the application, but we expect the children to do as much as possible by themselves.
How did the Acton Children’s Business Fair get started?
Jeff and Laura Sandefer and a few other families wanted to spark a sense of wonder and entrepreneurship in their children so they created the first Acton Children’s Business Fair in Austin, Texas, in 2007. That year, there were seven entrepreneurs and around 25 attendees. Now, there are over 115 entrepreneurs and 1,500 attendees at the Acton Children's Business Fair in Austin.
