Hey neighbor,
Culpeper's got the big one this weekend — the 5th Annual Culpeper Rodeo brings bulls, barrels, and 16+ food vendors to the Ag Enterprise on Saturday, Mountain Run Winery stacks a fairy-tale LARP campout with two afternoons of live music, and the Downtown Farmers Market holds down its Saturday morning slot on South West Street. Grab your boots, we're pulling up.
— J Patrick
✨ Fairy Pick of the Weekend
5th Annual Culpeper Rodeo
5th Annual Culpeper Rodeo
Saturday, September 5 | Gates 3:00 PM, Rodeo 6:00–8:00 PM 📍 Culpeper Agriculture Enterprise, 10220 James Monroe Hwy
Virginia's largest annual rodeo is back, and it's a charity event — every ticket goes to community youth organizations promoting agriculture, patriotism, and faith. Sanctioned by SEBRA and produced by True Grit Rodeo, the card runs bull riding, team roping, breakaway roping, barrel racing, and mutton bustin' for the kids (first 15 chosen by lottery at 5:30 PM, 50 lbs and under).
Come early — the fun starts when the gates open. Slack barrel racing at 3:00, DJ Javiwood at 4:15, and Karen's Line Dancing takes over the arena from 4:30–5:15 (all genres, step-by-step, boots strongly encouraged). Sixteen-plus food vendors, a mechanical bull, and livestock meet-and-greets round it out before the pros ride at 6:00.
Know before you go: Online presale only — $20 adults, $15 kids 5–12, 4 and under free. Gate tickets ($25/$20) only if space remains. Bring a lawn chair or blanket for general admission. No alcohol, coolers, or tents. Rain or shine; severe weather pushes it to the same time Sunday. No entry from the highway after 7 PM.
📅 Weekend Rundown
Friday, September 4
🐉 Get Out Of My Swamp: A Ched Nasad Campout — starting 12:00 PM, Mountain Run Winery, 10753 Mountain Run Lake Rd. A fairy-tale LARP campout in the Kingdom of "Really Really Close" — two suitors, one cursed princess, one gaseous dragon. Dress as a fairy-tale creature for bonus abilities.
🃏 TCG Open Play Friday Nights — 4:00–7:00 PM, Collector's Den, 205 S East St Suite 101. 🔁 Weekly Friday. Pokémon, Magic, One Piece, Lorcana — all welcome, free entry, no registration.
⚔️ Friday Night Magic — Commander — 5:00–9:00 PM, Final Boss, 201 N Main St. 🔁 Weekly Friday. Sign in with the Companion App for a free raffle of promos and packs.
Saturday, September 5
🥬 Culpeper Downtown Farmers Market — 7:30 AM–12:00 PM, Culpeper Baptist Church, 318 S West St. See Farmers Markets below.
🧗 Climb With Your Kid — 10:00 AM–8:00 PM, State Climb, 115 E Locust St. 🔁 1st & 3rd Saturday. $10 day passes — parents must climb too to get the deal.
🪴 Terrarium Workshop — 10:30 AM–12:30 PM, Botanical Dwellings, 105 E Davis St. 90 minutes hands-on with plant specialist MacKenzie; three plants, soil, and decor included (bring or buy a container). Ages 9+, registration required.
🤠 5th Annual Culpeper Rodeo — gates 3:00 PM, rodeo 6:00 PM, Culpeper Agriculture Enterprise, 10220 James Monroe Hwy. ⭐ Fairy Pick — see above.
🎸 Live Music: Bobby G & the Heavies — 3:00–6:00 PM, Mountain Run Winery, 10753 Mountain Run Lake Rd.
💃 Karen's Line Dancing at the Rodeo — 4:30–5:15 PM, in the arena at the Culpeper Rodeo. Rodeo ticket required.
Sunday, September 6
🎵 Live Music: Meisha Herron Duo — 3:00–6:00 PM, Mountain Run Winery, 10753 Mountain Run Lake Rd. Blues, early jazz, folk, and soul with the pizza kitchen firing all afternoon — wine, cider, and beer on tap.
🤠 Rodeo rain date — if severe weather hits Saturday, the full rodeo moves to Sunday at the same times. Same tickets honored.
🥬 Farmers Markets
Culpeper Downtown Farmers Market — Saturday, 7:30 AM–12:00 PM, Culpeper Baptist Church lot, 318 S West St. Produce, eggs, meat, baked goods, and more from area growers — including Hock Newberry Farm's pastured eggs and grass-fed beef. Run by Culpeper Renaissance Inc.
📅 Coming up: the first-ever Children's Entrepreneur Market (Sept 19, 9 AM–12 PM) and Customer Appreciation Day the same morning — mark it now.
🚛 The Flavor Route Sponsored by Trukfoo!
Lois of Festivefly and Tuko from Trukfoo
If you're here → go eat here. This weekend the truks are following the crowd to the rodeo — and Mountain Run's kitchen has the winery covered.
Saturday, September 5
🍔 16+ food vendors @ Culpeper Rodeo, Culpeper Agriculture Enterprise, 10220 James Monroe Hwy — open from 3:00 PM when the gates do.
Saturday & Sunday, September 5–6
🍕 Mountain Run Winery Pizza Kitchen @ 10753 Mountain Run Lake Rd — made-to-order pizzas both afternoons alongside the live music.
👉 Want the full, always-updated schedule? Head to trukfoo.com to see every truk's stops in real time.
Around Virginia
Shenandoah Valley
Friday, September 4 📍 Shrine Mont, Orkney Springs, VA
This is the closing weekend of a Valley institution — SVMF has been bringing great music to the mountains since 1963. Friday's headliner is the legendary Four Tops, with Meisha Herron opening (yes, the same Meisha playing Mountain Run Winery this Sunday). Performances happen under an open-air pavilion at the foot of Great North Mountain, and the whole season wraps Sunday with a lineup of bluegrass all-stars including Michael Cleveland and Becky Buller.
Hampton Roads / Virginia Beach
Friday, September 4 | 10:00 AM 📍 24th Street Park, Virginia Beach Oceanfront
Kick off the holiday weekend oceanside — local food vendors, handmade crafts, and artisan goods right on the boardwalk. Free to attend, and an easy add-on if you're already making the drive east for the long weekend.
Central Virginia
Friday–Saturday, September 4–5 📍 Chesterfield County Fairgrounds, 10300 Courthouse Rd
The 115th year of this Richmond-area institution wraps its nine-day run this weekend, marking America's 250th with everything red, white, and blue — rides, pig races, a new Frisbee dog show, and the fair's own "Chesterfield Cheers" beer garden. Special hours Friday, Sept 4: 11 AM–11 PM; Saturday: 11 AM–11 PM.
Northern Virginia
Saturday–Sunday, September 5–6 📍 Great Meadow, 5089 Old Tavern Rd, The Plains, VA
A Labor Day weekend tradition since the games began honoring Alexandria's Scottish roots — Highland athletics (caber toss, stone put, hammer throw), piping and drumming competitions, Highland dance, sheep-herding demos, and a British car show. This year's East Coast Championship brings twelve of the region's top throwers to battle it out Sunday.
That's the lineup, Culpeper. Whether you're boot-scootin' in the rodeo arena or stretched out with a glass of red at Mountain Run — get out there and live it. Downtown doesn't slow down, and neither should you.
See you next weekend.
Pull up soon,
J. Patrick
🚀 Before You Go
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The Pull Up Culpeper is your weekly guide to food truks, festivals, local events, and hidden gems in Culpeper and beyond. Published by FestiveFly. Written by J. Patrick.