The lineup and events schedule for next week’s Arlington County Fair are officially set.
Yacht rock, electro-pop and classic rock bands will all feature in the free festival at the Thomas Jefferson Community Center, with headliners including the popular local cover band Milk Mountain. Other features include a princess “glam” tent, a portable planetarium experience and four magic shows.
“This year, I think we’ve got even better headliners,” County Fair Board Chair Matt Cochrane told ARLnow. “We’ve had great headliners in the past. I think we upped our budget a little bit and reached out to some new folks and explored some new ideas.”
Main stage performers
Wednesday, Aug. 12
- Red Sun King, local classic rock group that describes itself as “crass and class”: 6-8 p.m.
- Bryce Bowyn, a D.C.-based electro-pop artist: 8-10 p.m.
Thursday, Aug. 13
- Pablo Antonio y La Firma, a Latin tropical orchestra based in the D.C. area that has been performing salsa, merengue and more since 1999: 8-10 p.m.
Friday, Aug. 14
- Caroline McQuaig, a Northern Virginia vocalist and guitar player: 2-2:30 p.m.
- Ari Voxx and The Sad Lads, playing original “girly-pop anthems”: 3:30-5 p.m.
- Sauri Power Pill, a rock band covering artists like Duran Duran, Foo Fighters and The Beatles: 5-7 p.m.
- Loveboat, a yacht rock band featuring the tunes of Michael McDonald and Christopher Cross: 7-10 p.m.
Saturday, Aug. 15
- Max Rosado, who sang background vocals on Victor Manuelle’s Latin Grammy Award-winning album ’25/7,’ performing with 7th Street Band: 11 a.m.-1 p.m.
- D.E.M.Z, a 60s-and-70s cover band featuring songs from The Rolling Stones, Bob Dylan and The Beatles: 2:30-3:30 p.m.
- 40 Miles Home, an Arlington-based band playing Americana, alt-country and indie: 3:30-5 p.m.
- Moondog Revival, a D.C.-based rock band blending “blues, psychedelic and alternative rock styles”: 5-7 p.m.
- Motorcycle Drive-by, a “premier 90s-2000s tribute band”: 7-10 p.m.
Sunday, Aug. 16
- Rugan Lewis, a Maryland-based musician and songwriter: 11 a.m.-12 p.m.
- The Continental Jazz Congress, a Northern Virginia-based quintet: 12-2 p.m.
- Wilbur’s Redemption, an “old-timey” string band that plays bluegrass, classic rock, blues and pop songs: 2-3 p.m.
- Marilyn Hucek, a Chilean-American songwriter who sings in both English and Spanish: 3-4:30 p.m.
- Gracie Jay, an artist who has performed and recorded with names like Camille Thurman and Jamison Ross: 5-6 p.m.
- Milk Mountain, performing an extensive lineup of covers from the ’70s through the 2000s: 7-10 p.m.
The events schedule
Magician Drew Blue Shoes is performing four shows this year, two on Friday and two on Sunday, advertised as being for families and kids. His shows will be located on the indoor stage as opposed to the main beer garden stage.
The beer garden will host the Saturday afternoon eating competitions. A race to eat a slice of pizza provided by Troy’s Italian Kitchen will be from 12-1 p.m. That will be followed by chicken burritos from Los Chamacos Mexican Restaurant from 1-2 p.m. and finally Livin’ the Pie Life pies from 1:30-2 p.m.
Arlington’s David M. Brown Planetarium is bringing a portable dome set-up on Friday, Saturday and Sunday. It will be located inside Thomas Jefferson.
For families with younger kids, the Vienna Princess “Glam Tent” will be up from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. on Saturday, offering face-painting, hair braiding and balloon animals.
New this year, the Wizards, Capitals, Mystics, Spirit and D.C. United will all have tents from 2-8:30 p.m. on Friday on the Thomas Jefferson outdoor basketball court, offering activities and giveaways.
The full schedule of events and entertainment is available on Arlington County Fair’s website.
A list of fair hours is below:
- Wednesday, August 12: 5-10:30 p.m. outside
- Thursday, August 13: 5-10:30 p.m. outside
- Friday, August 14: 2-10:30 p.m. outside, 4-10 p.m. indoors
- Saturday, August 15: 10 a.m.-10:30 p.m. outside, 11 a.m.-9 p.m. indoors
- Sunday, August 16: 11 a.m.-10 p.m. outside, 11 a.m.-7 p.m. indoors
Sensory-friendly hours are from 10 a.m.-1 p.m. on Aug. 15 and from 11 a.m.-1 p.m. on Aug. 16.
