MAIN STREET BUSKER FEST RETURNS SATURDAY SEPTEMBER 1, 2018

MAIN STREET BUSKER FEST RETURNS SATURDAY SEPTEMBER 1, 2018

Abingdon, VA -  Abingdon’s most unique festival is back for a 4th year, taking over the downtown district with weird and wonderful street acts.  Main Street Busker Fest takes place Saturday September 1st, with family-friendly performances, special hands-on activities for kids, and an adults-only reception called Buskers After Dark. 

Street Performers 12:00pm to 5:00pm: The heart of Busker Fest is a lively street festival that takes place along Abingdon’s historic Main Street.   Every few feet, stumble on a different type of busker, from magicians to unicyclists, circus artists to aerialists.  There’s no published schedule; the joy is in the discovery of something surprising and wonderful on every corner. Be sure to bring some spare change to tip your favorite buskers!  Trolleys will be running continuously along Main Street, noon to 5pm.  

Kids Activities at Imagination Station 11:00am to 3:00pm: The fun starts at 11a.m. for the youth and the young at heart with the Imagination Station on the Barter Green, sponsored by William King Museum and Barter Youth Academy. There will be free crafts, including building puppets with children, followed by improv exercises and puppet performances, giving children a chance to catch the performance bug.

Buskers After Dark 8:00 to 10:00pm: Busker Fest wraps up with a special adults-only event, Buskers After Dark, held 8 to 10pm at the Abingdon Market Pavilion. With a completely different slate of performers, Buskers After Dark offers intimate performances in a carnival-like atmosphere.  Admission is by donation at the door; all proceeds benefit Abingdon Main Street.  Ages 21+ only, photo ID required.  

After Dark attendees are encouraged to ditch the traditional mode of setting up a chair and watching a concert. Instead, at 8:00pm, meet and mingle in small groups with the performers to enjoy close-up magic or be awed by acro-balancers, while enjoying a local brew from the beer garden.  Then, at 9:00pm, Fire Circus takes the stage for an epic grand finale performance. 

The details:  Four anchor stages will offer space for larger acts, with additional performers located along Main Street in downtown Abingdon.  Food trucks will be available, and Abingdon’s downtown restaurants will be open for lunch and dinner.  Downtown merchants are participating in the festival with sidewalk sales and specials, turning all of downtown Abingdon into a carnival atmosphere for the day.  

Festival guides are available at three information tents, located at Lois Humphreys Park (310 W. Main Street), Sinking Spring Church parking lot (corner of Pecan and Main Streets) and the Courthouse (corner of Court and Main Streets).   The guide will also be available for download at MainStreetBuskerFest.com. 

Main Street Busker Fest is presented by Abingdon Main Street, in partnership with the Town of Abingdon, and is sponsored by Virginia Commission for the Arts, JJ’s Sports Bar & Grill, 99.3 The X, and Virginia Highlands Festival.
For more information, visit www.mainstreetbuskerfest.com or contact Event Coordinator Sara Saavedra at (276) 676-2282 or ssaavedra@abingdon-va.gov. 

####