A stretch of Sligo Creek Parkway is expected to come alive with music, food and drink vendors, inflatable kids games, stilt walkers, electrofishing and more when Montgomery Parks hosts its second annual Sligo Creek Fest on Saturday in Silver Spring.
The street festival sponsored by the parks department will run from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. on a 1-mile section of Sligo Creek Parkway between University Boulevard and Dennis Avenue. Admission is free.
Montgomery Parks Director Miti Figueredo told Bethesda Today on Thursday that the festival began as a celebration of the county’s open parkways, and but is also “a celebration of community and a celebration of the park system.”
The Open Parkways Program, which was initiated in 2020 to provide more outdoor recreational space during the COVID-19 pandemic, closes portions of Sligo Creek Parkway, Beach Drive and Little Falls Parkway in the county to vehicles on weekends.
In May 2024, the parks department hosted its first Sligo Creek Fest. Despite the rain and chilly weather, about 4,000 people attended the event, according to Parks Activation Director Mike Coppersmith.
This Saturday, Coopersmith is hoping for even more people to show up and enjoy the increased number of activities, stage performances and food and beverage vendors at the street festival.
“The festival site is going to run just over a mile along the parkway, so it’s about 30% longer than it was last year,” Coppersmith said. The expansion will provide room for the new Acoustics and Ale stage and as many as 17 different parks department and community groups with tables at the festival.
What to expect
Attendees can enjoy live music with performances by the Brass Queens, a female-led brass band from Brooklyn; Kristen and the Noise and Ted Garber. There will also be kid-friendly performances by Rocknoceros and The Uncle Devin Show.
Activities at the festival include inflatable archery and soccer, tree climbing for kids, touch-a-truck, electrofishing, mountain biking, archaeology workshops and a mobile nature center where attendees can meet “cute critters,” according to a press release. Yard games such as corn hole, Connect Four and Jenga also will be available.
Entertainers such as hula hoopers, living statues and stilt walkers also will roam the festival, according to the Montgomery Parks website.
While festival attendees are welcome to bring their own food 10 different food vendors are expected to attend. Food vendors include Catalyst Hotdogs, El Jefe Wood Fired Pizza, Silver & Sons BBQ and Nina’s Cookie Explosion.
In addition, local beerhouses BabyCat Brewery, Silver Branch Brewery, Waredaca Brewing Co., Two Story Chimney Ciderworks & Silly Yak Beer, Saints Row Craft Collective and Denizens Brewing Co. are expected to be on-site. Those seeking non-alcoholic beverages can stop at Travelin’ Tom’s Coffee Truck.
How to get there
Montgomery Parks encourages visitors to walk or bike to the festival and to use trails in the park system to access the festival. This year, attendees who bike to the event can access a free bike valet, with valet areas located near the University Boulevard and Dennis Avenue entrances.
Parking will be available at nearby schools. Accessible parking will be located at MacDonald Knolls Early Childhood Center at 10611 Tenbrook Drive and limited public parking will be available at the nearby Sligo Creek Middle School at 1401 Dennis Ave. and Glen Haven Elementary School at 10900 Inwood Ave.
For directions on parking, trails and public transportation, visit the festival’s Plan Your Visit webpage.
Those who would like to request a disability modification can contact the Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission’s Program Access Office at 301-495-2581, MD Relay 7-1-1 or 800-552-7724, or email ProgramAccess@MontgomeryParks.org.
For more information, visit the Montgomery Parks website.
