Rio Lakefront’s ‘Light Up the Lakefront’, which includes a fireworks display, will take place on Saturday, December 9th from 4:00 pm – 7:00 pm. “Join us for a festive evening of holiday fun on the Lakefront with activities along the Boardwalk (near Guapo’s/Charley Prime) and Fire Lounge (between True Food Kitchen & Uncle Julio’s):

6:45 PM: Enjoy a Dazzling Fireworks show over the lake!*  Perfect viewing all along the Boardwalk and Fire Lounge.


The two bronze statues of a cat and a bear have been a fixture at Gaithersburg’s Rio Lakefront for years, but did you know that they have a name and a story behind them? The whimsical sculptures of Fridolin, the bronze bear, and Kimo, a human size bronze cat, encourages a “hunt for missing objects.”

The bronze animals hold open books that tell a story about their character and that describe six lost items — a pocket watch, hat, suitcase, beehive, Dutch shoes and a bag of popcorn with a bird eating from the bag. See if you can find them all! Read their stories below:


Who’s ready to savor, sip and celebrate 🎉🍔 Join us THIS Sunday, October 15 for Rio’s first annual Taste of rio, a foodie extravaganza from 2 – 6 pm, with The MoCoShow’s own Mr. MoCo emceeing part of the event. “Indulge in yummy bites from your favorite rio restaurants, groove to live music, and sip on craft cocktails by the lakeside—it’s a feast you won’t want to miss!” Participating merchants:

SOLD OUT: Taste of Rio VIP Exclusive Experience – limited availability!


Access to the outdoor dining area/pier will be via two gangways attached to the existing boardwalk. The new structure projects 10’-2” from the boardwalk and will be 12 feet tall from the finished floor. Gaithersburg Planning Staff supports the proposal for a dining pier in the Rio Washingtonian Lake, finding it in compliance with the approved sketch plan and Schematic Development Plan SDP- 9462-2023. “The dining pier will provide additional outdoor seating for Copper Canyon and will enhance the use of lake. There remains adequate parking for the proposed commercial addition and all applicable development standards have been met.” No timeframe for the pier has been announced.

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Spirit Halloween is now open at 30 Grand Corner Ave. in Gaithersburg’s Rio. This will be the only Montgomery County Spirit location for 2023. The planned locations at 12940 Middlebrook Rd. (formerly Bed Bath & Beyond) in Germantown and 2210 Veirs Mill Rd., (formerly CVS) in Rockville will not be opening, according to a representative from the company.

New at Spirit this year will be a buy online/pickup in-store option, as well as delivery through DoorDash. A sneak peak of the Rio location can be seen below. During the Halloween season, Spirit operates over 1,400 stores in North America. The Spirit Halloween website is open year-round, offering its in-store products online. The store usually open 30-60 days prior to Halloween.


Earlier this year, IKEA announced plans to open new format IKEA stores in Fairfax, Virginia, and Gaithersburg, Maryland, in fall 2023.  Signage is now up at the Gaithersburg location located at 101 Boardwalk Place Ste 102- the former home of Charming Charlie (photos below). This new customer meeting point, called a Plan & order point with Pick-up, will  include home furnishing inspiration and personalized interior design planning, with the addition of an IKEA Pick-up point, allowing customers to pick up their purchases made online or purchased at either Plan & order point location. Purchases made at IKEA Fairfax and Gaithersburg can also be arranged to be conveniently transported to a customer’s home or to another convenient point of delivery.

“We’re excited to offer a new IKEA experience to our DC metro area customers with convenience in mind. Whether you’re looking for inspiration, need help from an IKEA design specialist or simply want to pick up a piece of furniture that you purchased online, the IKEA Fairfax and Gaithersburg Plan & order point with Pick-up are even more accessible and meet our customers where they are and how they like to shop,” said Javier Quiñones, CEO & Chief Sustainability Officer, IKEA U.S.


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