Live music, parades and racing piglets — it’s county fair season in Arlington.
Today (Aug. 15), the 42nd annual Arlington County Fair officially opens at the Thomas Jefferson Community Center (125 S. Old Glebe Road).
Admission to the fair is free, though some outdoor activities require tickets that can be purchased on-site. There is no parking on the fairgrounds, but a shuttle runs to the fair from the Arlington Career Center, the I-66 parking garage, and from the Pentagon City and Virginia Square Metro stations.
The outdoor portion of the fair runs until 10 p.m. on Sunday (Aug. 19). The indoor portion opens at 4 p.m. on Friday (Aug. 17).
The field outside of the community center includes pig races, pony rides, a various amusement park style attractions. Inside the community center are various international dance acts and shows, like Saturday evening’s comedy hypnosis show.
Outdoor entertainment consists of a daily lineup of musicians, from jazz and soul to country-bluegrass.
Thursday, August 16:
5 p.m.: Nardo Lilly (Acoustic Singer/Songwriter)
6:15 p.m.: Round About (Pop/Rock)
7:30 p.m.: Honey Butter Biscuit (Alternative Rock)
Friday, August 17:
5 p.m.: 40 Miles Homes (Bluegrass/Indie)
6:15 p.m.: Raven Tree (Rock)
7:30 p.m.: Danny and Jimmy (Latin Urban Duo)
8:45 p.m.: The Groove Factor (R&B/Neo-Soul)
Saturday, August 18:
Noon: Sunshine Gang (50s-80s)
1:15 p.m.: Gabrielle Zwi (Singer/Songwriter)
2:30 p.m.: Plastic Sky (Indie Acoustic)
3:45 p.m.: The Sprinting Turtles (80s-2000s Rock)
5 p.m.: Soul Stew (Motown Classics)
6:15 p.m.: Crush Funk Brass (Modern Brass Funk/Pop)
7:30 p.m.: N2N Band (R&B)
8:45 p.m.: The Restless (Pop/Rock)
Sunday, August 19:
11:45 a.m.: Calista Garcia (Singer/Songwriter)
1 p.m.: Silver City (Bluegrass/Country)
2:15 p.m.: Look Out Lincoln (1990-2000s Rock)
3:30 p.m.: Atoms Apart (Pop/Electronic)
4:45 p.m.: DEMZ (60s-80s Classic Rock)
6 p.m.: CBRadio (Rock/Pop/Country)
7:15 p.m.: First Road North (Rock/Jazz)
Activities at the fair are family friendly, and a kids’ court set up outside the community center has all-day face painting, moon bounces, and a monster mural on Friday, Saturday and Sunday. There are also magic and puppet shows throughout the weekend.
The fair features a variety of competitive exhibits focused around a theme of “Small County, Big Fun”. There are seven categories of competition:
- Honey, Beeswax and Food Preservation
- Decorated Food Products and Baked Goods
- Art Needlework
- Crafts and Fine Arts
- Photography
- Herbs, Fruits, Nuts and Vegetables
- Flowers, Arrangements and Potted Plants
Competition guidelines and applications to volunteer or judge are available at the county fair website.
Photo via Arlington County Fair