The 12th Annual Festival of Fools produced by Burlington City Arts returns with all of its foolishness on August 2-4. This is a weekend packed with the best international street performers from around the world, with over 100 performances and an estimated 100,000 visitors throughout the weekend.
There will be five different stages – Church Street Marketplace, Club Metronome, Nectar’s, Red Square, and Vermont Comedy Club. Each stage will feature a variety of acrobatics, comedy, live music and, of course, a healthy dose of Tom Foolery. A schedule of events can be found on the website.
Motorists should be aware that Bank Street from Center Street to St. Paul Street will be closed for performances for a portion of the weekend. Closing times are:
- Friday, Aug 2 from 3:30 – 10 p.m.
- Saturday, Aug 3 from 11:30 a.m. – 10 p.m.
Because of the large crowds that this event attracts, it will affect parking and traffic in the downtown area of Burlington. While Marketplace Garage will be open throughout this event, it is strongly advised that those parking downtown utilize the College and Lakeview Garages. These facilities will feature ample parking and keep traffic near events to a minimum.
To park at Marketplace Garage from Bank St, drivers will have to use Center St. (see map below). Bank Street will be closed from S. Winooski Ave.
Drivers can also continue up S. Winooski Ave and enter Marketplace Garage through Cherry Street. There will be signs and police officers in place to direct drivers.
Consider alternate modes of transportation to avoid traffic and parking hassles. Greenride bikeshare has multiple hubs around downtown and bikers can utilize our bike parking map to find all bike parking options. The GMT Purple Line is a free option to get from the UVM Medical Center to the waterfront, and vice versa.
For more information about the 2019 Festival of Fools head to their website.