Hey neighbor,
Fall's here and the 540 is going all in this weekend. Harambee 360° kicks off two free days of Black arts, music, and community downtown, the Fall Fairy & Dragon Festival flies back in at Belmont Christmas Tree Farm, and Awaken FXBG '26 brings food truks and worship to Riverfront Park. Add a lakeside campout, a Civil War looting tour after dark, a shrimp-and-bluegrass benefit for the Patawomeck Tribe, a pickle party downtown, and Sunday's trail half marathon at Motts Run, and it's a packed send-off into October. Grab your calendar, we're pulling up.
— J Patrick
✨ Fairy Pick of the Weekend
Harambee 360° Black Arts Festival
Harambee 360° Black Arts Festival
Friday, September 25 (6:00–8:00 PM) & Saturday, September 26 (12:00–7:00 PM) 📍 Friday: Historic Market Square, 907 Princess Anne St. Saturday: James Monroe High School
Free admission, rain or shine, honoring a legacy spanning more than 50 years. Two days of live music, visual arts, cultural performances, food vendors, local shopping, and family activities celebrating Black Arts, Culture & Community. Bring the whole family — this is the kind of hometown celebration that's worth clearing your calendar for.
📅 Weekend Rundown
Friday, September 25
🎨 Harambee 360° Black Arts Festival — 6:00–8:00 PM, Historic Market Square, 907 Princess Anne St. ⭐ Fairy Pick — see above.
🎷 Downtown Sounds: The Don Brown Project [Jazz / Blues / Funk] — bar opens 6:00 PM, concert 6:30–8:30 PM, Market Square, Fredericksburg Area Museum. FAM's free Friday concert series is down to its final shows of the season.
⛺ Campout in the Park — Friday 5:00 PM through Saturday 10:00 AM, Motts Run Reservoir. Camp the lake shore for a night of frogs, bats, and fall air — Spotsy Parks & Rec supplies food, fun, and games, you bring the tent. $20, pre-registration required at FXBGparks.com.
🧵 Original Sewing and Quilt Expo — final day Saturday; runs through Sept 26 at the Fredericksburg Convention Center. Confirm hours before you head out.
🐶 Yoga Pawty — 5:30–6:45 PM, Old Dominion Humane Society. 30 minutes of puppy cuddles followed by 45 minutes of yoga, benefiting the shelter.
🕯️ Starlight Reset — A Restorative Yoga — 6:00–7:00 PM, Fredericksburg Yoga & Wellness. Candlelit, low-pressure restorative yoga under a projected star-filled sky. $30, beginner friendly.
🌙 September Twilight Walk — 6:30–8:00 PM, Downtown Greens' Belman Road Campus, 1360 Belman Rd. A guided evening nature stroll through fields and forest at sunset. Free, registration required, bring a flashlight.
⚔️ FNM – Weekly Draft (Current MTG Set) — 7:00–11:00 PM, Your Hobby Place, 4276 Plank Rd. 🔁 $30 entry ($36 for Universes Beyond sets), 3 rounds.
🃏 FNM – Standard Tournament — 7:15–10:15 PM, Your Hobby Place, 4276 Plank Rd. 🔁 $10 entry, 3–4 rounds.
📖 Breaking Lines Poetry Night and Spoken Word — 8:00–9:00 PM, Original Grinds Coffee Shop, 615 Caroline St. 🔁 Weekly, hosted by Sera.
🎤 Spirits Bar Karaoke — 9:00 PM, Spirits Bar & Restaurant, 816 Caroline St. 🔁 Weekly Friday.
🥓 Makin' Bacon — starting at noon, Dogtopia of Fredericksburg, 4272 Plank Rd. 🔁 Weekly Friday. $5 donation gets your pup two pieces of turkey bacon at naptime.
Saturday, September 26
🎨 Harambee 360° Black Arts Festival — 12:00–7:00 PM, James Monroe High School. Day two of the Fairy Pick.
🧚 FXBG Fall Fairy & Dragon Festival — 11:30 AM–5:00 PM, Belmont Christmas Tree Farm, 7533 Belmont Rd, Spotsylvania. Costume parade, fairy-tale performances, an artisan market, and family activities in the enchanted forest. Early bird: Adults $15, Children $10.
🙏 Awaken FXBG '26 — 12:00–6:00 PM, Riverfront Park. Live music, speakers, local vendors, and food truks as believers from across the region gather. (See Flavor Route below.)
🧵 Original Sewing and Quilt Expo — wraps today, Fredericksburg Convention Center.
🔮 4th Annual VA Witches and Pagan Pride — 10:00 AM, Fredericksburg Fairgrounds, 2400 Airport Ave. Vendors, crafters, artisans, readers, demonstrations, and workshops. Free to attend, all ages welcome.
🥒 J Brian's Tap Room Pickle Party — starting 11:00 AM, 200 Hanover St. Pickle beer and cider, pickle pizza, pickle cocktails — kicking off the countdown to the Third Annual Pickle & Grilled Cheese Festival on Oct 19.
🎻 Patawomeck Tribe Shrimp Feast — 3:00–5:00 PM, 638 Kings Hwy. Bluegrass and a shrimp feast benefiting the Patawomeck Tribe; band takes the stage around 5 PM.
🐾 CNC/CNR Fall Picnic — 3:00–5:00 PM, 2451 Caroline St. Newfoundland dog picnic with agility and obedience demos, silly competitions, and smoked pork BBQ.
🎶 JOY!: The Chamber Chorale of Fredericksburg — 3:00 PM and 7:00 PM, Fredericksburg Baptist Church, 1019 Princess Anne St. Featuring Benjamin Britten's Rejoice in the Lamb. Adults $20, Students $10.
🏚️ Sacking of the City Walking Tour — 6:00–8:00 PM, Lewis Store, 1200 Caroline St. Retrace Union troops' 1862 looting of downtown on this one-mile evening walk, with a stop to see real looted artifacts. $15 HFFI members, $20 general.
🪩 DJ Saturday Nights — 9:00 PM, Spirits Bar & Restaurant, 816 Caroline St. 🔁 Weekly Saturday, 21+.
Sunday, September 27
🏃 FXBG Trail Series – Half Marathon — 8:00 AM, Motts Run Reservoir. The sixth and final event in the 2026 FXBG Trail Series.
🎭 The 39 Steps at UMW Theatre — closes today after a run since Sept 17. Check umw.edu for showtime.
📚 Gilmore Girls Week at Tales & Tails — wraps today after a week-long run.
🚗 Troop 21 4th Annual Car Show — starting around 1:00 PM, 10802 Patriot Hwy. Boy Scout Troop 21's annual car show fundraiser, with sponsors and door prizes supporting a year of scouting.
⚔️ Monthly "Warlord Games" Game Day — 12:30 PM, Your Hobby Place, 4276 Plank Rd. 🔁 4th Sunday. Bolt Action, Konflikt '47, Achtung Panzer!, Black Powder — no models needed to join.
🃏 Funday Sunday Pokémon TCG — afternoon, Your Hobby Place, 4276 Plank Rd. 🔁 Weekly. $12 entry, 4 rounds, great for newer players.
🗡️ Flesh & Blood TCG Weekly Sunday Armory — 2:00–5:00 PM, Your Hobby Place, 4276 Plank Rd. 🔁 $3 entry + 1 pack.
🎯 Cornhole Tournament — sign-up 7:30 PM / tournament 8:30 PM, Spirits Bar & Restaurant, 816 Caroline St. 🔁 Weekly, 21+, valid ID required.
🥬 Farmers Markets
Fredericksburg Farmer's Market — Hurkamp Park, 500 William St. Saturdays, 7:00 AM–1:00 PM — fresh produce, baked goods, meats, flowers, and honey from local growers.
Spotsylvania Farmers Market — Saturday, 8:00 AM–1:00 PM, VDOT Commuter Lot, 12150 Gordon Rd. 🔁 Also Sunday, 8:00 AM–2:00 PM, Spotsylvania High School, 6975 Courthouse Rd.
🚛 The Flavor Route Sponsored by Trukfoo!
If you're here → go eat here. Three gatherings bring their own food vendors this weekend — here's the confirmed lineup plus the regular weekend pattern, worth a quick check before you head out.
Friday, September 25
🍽️ Food vendors @ Harambee 360° Black Arts Festival, Historic Market Square — confirmed, lineup TBA
🌮 El Fogon En Goma @ Adventure Brewing North, 33 Perchwood Dr — unconfirmed, based on the weekly Friday pattern
Saturday, September 26
🍽️ Food vendors @ Harambee 360° Black Arts Festival, James Monroe High School — confirmed, lineup TBA
🙏 Food truks @ Awaken FXBG '26, Riverfront Park, 12–6 PM — confirmed, lineup TBA
🧚 Artisan market food vendors @ FXBG Fall Fairy & Dragon Festival, Belmont Christmas Tree Farm — confirmed, lineup TBA
🌮 Chapo's Tacos @ Adventure Brewing North, 33 Perchwood Dr — unconfirmed, based on the weekly Saturday pattern
🌮 Juan More Taco @ Highmark Brewery, 390 Kings Hwy — unconfirmed, based on recent weeks' pattern (Highmark has no public events calendar to check against)
Sunday, September 27
🥔 Pit & Potato @ Creekside Farm Brewery, 15492 Creekside Ln, King George — unconfirmed, based on the recent Sunday pattern
🍕 Rosie's Pizza @ Adventure Brewing North, 33 Perchwood Dr — unconfirmed, based on the Seltzer Sunday pattern
👉 Want the full, always-updated schedule? Head to trukfoo.com to see every truk's stops in real time.
Around Virginia
Central Virginia / Richmond
Saturday, September 26 | 12:00–6:00 PM 📍 Byrd Park, Richmond
Free and family-friendly — over 100 local vegan and veg-friendly vendors, three stages of music and speakers, and a Kids Patch for the little ones. Richmond's 23rd year running this one.
Charlottesville
Saturday, September 26 | 12:30–7:30 PM 📍 Ting Pavilion, Charlottesville
Local vendors, food and drink, musical entertainment and drag performances, and a speaking program from local leaders — last year drew over 5,500 people, the biggest crowd yet.
Northern Virginia
Saturday, September 26 | 11:00 AM–6:00 PM 📍 Harris Pavilion, Historic Downtown Manassas
The area's oldest Hispanic/Latino family-centered festival, part of Hispanic Heritage Month — live music, traditional dance, and a full spread of Latin American food. Free admission and parking.
Hampton Roads / Virginia Beach
Friday–Sunday, September 25–27 📍 Virginia Beach Boardwalk, 1st–35th Street
The one we told you to save the date for last issue — 30+ blocks of the boardwalk taken over for the weekend, with daily concerts, 200+ artisans at the Art & Craft Show, the International Sandsculpting Championship, a Grand Parade, an 8K, and more. Most of it is free.
Shenandoah Valley
Saturday–Sunday, September 26–27 📍 Clarke County Ruritan Fairgrounds, Berryville
100+ vendors of hand-dyed yarn, raw fleece, and spinning and weaving supplies, plus classes in punch needle, wool prep, and weaving all weekend. $5 at the gate.
That's the lineup, FXBG. Whether you're celebrating at Harambee downtown, chasing fairies out at Belmont, or camping under the stars at Motts Run — get out there and live it. The 540 doesn't slow down, and neither should you.
See you next weekend.
Pull up soon,
J. Patrick
🚀 Before You Go
If you like what you see here pull-up by connecting with us at the following platforms.
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The Pull-Up is your weekly local events guide for the 540 — Fredericksburg, Spotsylvania, Stafford, and beyond. Published by FestiveFly. Written by J. Patrick.