With free entertainment, family friendly attractions and food eating championships galore, the Arlington County Fair is returning next week.
New this year at the fair — which opens on Wednesday, Aug. 14 and runs through Sunday, Aug. 18. — is an additional eating competition. A burrito eating contest hosted by Los Chamacos will take place at 12:50 p.m. on Saturday, Aug. 17, immediately after the Troy’s Italian Kitchen pizza eating contest and before the pie eating competition.
Participants in three age groups will race to wolf down one free chicken burrito faster than their competitors.
Throughout the fair, which takes place at the Thomas Jefferson Community Center at 3501 2nd Street S., outdoor and indoor performances are scheduled to run the gamut. Rock, jazz and other live music, plus a variety of dance routines, are all in the lineup.
As always, many kid-oriented attractions are also teed up this year. That includes a petting zoo and a foam party on the weekend as well as a face painting and balloon artist on Friday and Sunday.
The hours for outdoor fair activities are as follows.
- Wednesday, Aug. 14: 5-10:30 p.m.
- Thursday, Aug. 15: 5-10:30 p.m.
- Friday, Aug. 16: 2-10:30 p.m.
- Saturday, Aug. 17: 10 a.m.-10:30 p.m.
- Sunday, Aug. 18: 11 a.m.-10 p.m.
The fair will have sensory friendly hours from 10 a.m.-1 p.m. on Saturday and from 11 a.m.-1 p.m. on Sunday, during which time loud noises and music will be limited.
Admission is free, and ride tickets are available for $1.25 each, or in bundles of $25 for 24 and $60 for 72.
Classic fair foods like fried Oreos, funnel cakes and corn dogs will be available at a variety of vendors and food trucks, and a beer garden will be open all week. Visitors can shop and support local businesses at an indoor market, as well as a night market featuring handmade goods from 5-10:30 p.m. on Thursday.
Like last year, the fair is aiming to reduce waste to the extent possible. Efforts include expanding recycling and compost efforts, banning styrofoam, single-use plastic straws and ketchup packets, and encouraging car-free transportation to and from the event.
