WHEN IS THE FAIR?
The 2025 Arlington County Fair will be held on August 13th – 17th at the Thomas Jefferson Community Center located at 3501 2nd St S.
ADMISSION & COST
Admission to the Fair is FREE. Ride Ticket prices are listed on our website and can be purchased at the Fair. All activities on our Outdoor Stage and Kids’ Court are free of charge as well.
GETTING HERE / TRANSPORTATION
You can get to the fairground many different ways including the free shuttle, taking rideshare, public transit, biking and even walking. Please see our Transportation page for more information on how to get to the Fair.
COMPETITIVE EXHIBITS
2025 Competitive Exhibit info is located on the Competitive Exhibits webpage.
DOGS PERMITTED?
Yes, they are permitted on the outdoor fairgrounds with a leash. Only service animals are permitted on shuttles and indoors.
ENTERTAINMENT
Check out all of the amazing acts on the Entertainment Stage and the exciting programs at Family Fun Spot.
HOURS
Hours vary each day, as well as for our indoor and outdoor activities. You can find more information here.
SCHEDULE OF EVENTS
The printed program can be picked up at the Fair information desk and will be posted on the website.
PARKING
Off-site parking is available at the Ballston Mall Parking Garage (627 N Glebe Rd – take the FREE shuttle to get to the fair). More information can be found here.
Parking at the Ballston Mall Parking Garage starts at $1 for three hours. View parking rates.
Public parking at the Fair is limited to patrons with valid ADA parking tags.
SHUTTLES
Free shuttles will operate continuously throughout the Fair between the Ballston Mall Parking Garage (627 N Glebe Rd) and the fairgrounds (3501 2nd St S).
The shuttle stop will be located near the corner of N Randolph and N Glebe Rd. Two and a half blocks from the Ballston-MU Metro Station (Orange/Silver Line).
Parking at the Ballston Mall Parking Garage starts at $1 for three hours. View parking rates.
Shuttles will be operated by ART Bus.
VENDORS
Vendor registration for the 2025 fair will begin on April 11, 2025.
VOLUNTEERS
Information on Volunteer registration is available here. No walk-up volunteers will be accepted.
GOING GREEN: ZERO WASTE AT THE ARLINGTON COUNTY FAIR
The Arlington County Fair is working toward the goal of becoming a zero waste event!
What we are doing:
- Banning all single-use plastic straws and replacing them with compostable options or strawless cups.
- Banning Styrofoam© food service items such as cups and clamshell containers distributed at the fair.
- Banning small condiment packets for mustard, ketchup and soy sauce, as well as small plastic Solo© cups for sauces. Vendors must use bulk distribution in paper cups for these items.
- Recycling all recyclable materials in a single-stream recycling system, including paper, cardboard, glass, aluminum and plastic materials.
- Expanding our composting efforts to be available throughout the fair. This removes food waste, paper products and other biodegradable items out of the event waste stream, reducing greenhouse gas emissions resulting from waste generated at the fair.
- Collecting food vendor grease that is taken to a plant for rendering. 40% of the processed grease is use to create bio fuel.
- Collecting and distributing manure generated by livestock at the fair for use in neighborhood gardens.
- Working with Arlington’s Car-Free Diet to promote transportation options to the fair, including biking and walking routes, nearby bike-share locations, bus and Metro options.
- Providing valet parking for bicycles free of charge for guests who bike to the event.
- Using reusable signage throughout the fair to minimize printed signage waste.
- Providing a water fill up station to encourage guests to use reusable water bottles.