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Hey neighbor,
Riverfront Park is the place to be this weekend. Saturday it hosts the very first Quacktoberfest, with carnival rides, live music, and 2,000+ rubber ducks racing the Rappahannock, then Hocus Pocus on the big screen after dark. Sunday, six local restaurants go slider-to-slider at Battle of the Burgers to help families find a home. In between: the Stafford County Fair runs all weekend on Poplar Road, PorchFest turns Marye and Littlepage into a front-porch music festival, Adventure Brewing crowns its Renaissance Faire, Tater's Corner throws Witches & Wine, and four local playwrights fight for survival at Four Dark Doors. Grab your calendar — we're pulling up.
— J. Patrick
✨ Fairy Pick of the Weekend
Battle of the Burgers
Battle of the Burgers
Sunday, October 18 | 12:00–3:00 PM 📍 Riverfront Park, 600 Sophia St
Loisann's Hope House is turning Riverfront Park into a burger cage match, and you're the judge. Eats Burgers, Cheeky's, Rebellion, Harry's Downtown, Sammy T's, and Mason Dixon Cafe each bring their best slider, Fredericksburg EATS returns to the judges' table, and you cast your own vote for Best Burger in the 'Burg. Olde Towne Butcher is sponsoring.
Tickets are $25 and cover unlimited sliders, beer and wine, raffles, music, and kids' activities (grab yours at the link above). Every dollar helps local families find a safe place to call home, so come hungry and feel good about seconds.
📅 Weekend Rundown
Friday, October 16
🥓 Makin' Bacon — starting at noon, Dogtopia of Fredericksburg, 4272 Plank Rd. 🔁 Weekly Friday. A $5 donation gets your pup two pieces of turkey bacon at naptime.
🎡 Stafford County Agricultural & Homemaking Fair — 5:00–10:00 PM (also Saturday and Sunday), 504 Poplar Rd. Carnival rides, a demolition derby, animal shows, and kids' events. Free admission and parking; rides are $1 each or 24 for $20, and unlimited-ride wristbands are $20 (Fri/Sun) or $25 (Sat).
🃏 Friday Night Pokémon TCG Tournament — 6:30 PM, Your Hobby Place, 4276 Plank Rd. 🔁 Weekly. $10 entry, 3 rounds.
🎶 Greg Roth — 7:00–9:00 PM, Adventure Brewing North, 33 Perchwood Dr, Unit 101. "Thrift store rock": power pop, garage rock, and Americana with loop-enhanced solo guitar.
🤠 Line Dancing Night w/ Devyn & DJ Delo — 7:00 PM, Strangeways Brewing, 350 Lansdowne Rd. Free, all levels, no partner needed.
⚔️ FNM – Weekly Draft (7:00 PM, $30) and FNM – Standard (7:15 PM, $10) — Your Hobby Place, 4276 Plank Rd. 🔁 Weekly.
📖 Breaking Lines Poetry Night and Spoken Word — 7:00–9:00 PM, Original Grinds Coffee Shop, 615 Caroline St. 🔁 Weekly, hosted by Sera.
🚪 FOUR DARK DOORS: A Horror Thriller Stage Anthology — 7:30 PM, Ray Manfredi Allstate Community Theatre, 810 Caroline St, 4th Floor. Four original horror one-acts by local playwrights in one night, and the audience votes on which story gets a full-length run in 2027. $22, rated PG-16. More shows Saturday (2:30 and 7:30 PM) and Sunday (6:00 PM).
Saturday, October 17
🥬 Fredericksburg Farmers Market — 7:00 AM–1:00 PM, Hurkamp Park, 500 William St. See Farmers Markets below.
🥋 Youth/Adult Jiu Jitsu Grappling Round Robin — 9:00 AM, Fredericksburg Field House, 3411 Shannon Park Dr. Controlled Combat's tournament, with adult cash brackets.
🎃 Braehead Farm Fall Festival Weekend — 9:00 AM–6:00 PM (also Sunday), Braehead Farm, 1130 Tyler St. Hayrides, a corn maze, a sunflower walk, farm animals, and pumpkins at 90¢/lb. $15 + tax for the festival (2 and under free). One more weekend after this one.
🐱 Cause 4 Paws Adoption Event — 11:00 AM–4:30 PM, PetSmart Central Park, 1421 Carl D Silver Pkwy. 🔁 1st and 3rd Saturdays. Cats and kittens looking for homes.
🎸 FXBG PorchFest by RappArts — 11:00 AM–5:00 PM, the porches and yards around Marye St and Littlepage St. A full day of local bands on neighborhood porches, family-friendly and alcohol-free. $10 adults, $5 ages 11–17, free for 10 and under. Bring a lawn chair, a hat, and water.
🎡 Stafford County Fair — 12:00–10:00 PM, 504 Poplar Rd. Day three of four; see Friday for details. Unlimited-ride wristbands are $25 today.
🛡️ Renaissance Faire at Adventure Brewing — 12:00–9:00 PM, Adventure Brewing North, 33 Perchwood Dr, Unit 101. The 5th annual faire crowns the King and Queen of Adventure. Opening ceremony at 12:45 PM, jousting at 4:30 PM, plus a petting zoo, a blacksmith, and Patrick the Magician from 4 to 5 PM.
🦆 Quacktoberfest + Rubber Ducky Derby — 2:00–6:00 PM, Riverfront Park, Sophia St. The inaugural free fall festival on the river: carnival rides, live music, local food vendors, and fall activities. At 3 PM, 2,000+ rubber ducks race the Rappahannock for prizes. Adopt a duck for $5 to benefit Friends of the Rappahannock and the City's FUNd Parks Fund.
🚘 610 Cruisers Cruise-In — 4:00–8:00 PM, 269 Garrisonville Rd, Stafford. 🔁 Weekly Saturday.
🧙♀️ Witches & Wine Halloween Party — 6:30–9:00 PM, Tater's Corner, 89 Chatham Heights Rd. $30 gets you light apps, a costume contest, boo-zy crafts, a photo backdrop, and a treat station; Eden Try Winery pours winetails and mocktails for purchase. Reserve ahead and carpool, since parking is tight.
🎬 Halloween Movies in the Park — 7:00–9:30 PM, Riverfront Park, Sophia St. An episode of Darkwing Duck, then Hocus Pocus under the stars. Bring blankets and chairs, and grab dinner from a downtown restaurant on the way.
🪩 DJ Saturday Nights — 9:00 PM, Spirits Bar & Restaurant, 816 Caroline St. 🔁 Weekly Saturday, 21+.
Sunday, October 18
🎃 Braehead Farm Fall Festival Weekend — 9:00 AM–6:00 PM, 1130 Tyler St. Day two.
🍔 Battle of the Burgers — 12:00–3:00 PM, Riverfront Park, 600 Sophia St. ⭐ Fairy Pick; see above.
🎡 Stafford County Fair — 12:00–7:00 PM, 504 Poplar Rd. Final day.
🥂 Bingo & Brunch — arrive at 12:00 PM for a table; games start at 12:30 PM. Strangeways Brewing, 350 Lansdowne Rd. 🔁 Monthly. Brunch from Biscuit Batch, plus mimosa flights.
🗡️ Flesh & Blood TCG Weekly Sunday Armory — 2:00–5:00 PM, Your Hobby Place, 4276 Plank Rd. 🔁 Weekly. $3 entry + 1 pack.
🚪 FOUR DARK DOORS — 6:00 PM, Ray Manfredi Allstate Community Theatre, 810 Caroline St, 4th Floor. Final performance and your last chance to vote. $22.
🎯 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 Farmers Market — Hurkamp Park, 500 William St. Saturdays, 7:00 AM–1:00 PM, through December 5. 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, 9:00 AM–2:00 PM, Spotsylvania High School, 6975 Courthouse Rd.
🚛 The Flavor Route Sponsored by Trukfoo!
If you're here → go eat here. Adventure Brewing has the weekend's confirmed truk lineup, and the big riverfront events have food on site. Festivals that haven't named their truks are marked, so give those a quick check before you head out.
Friday, October 16
🍽️ Maria Cheryl's @ Adventure Brewing North, 33 Perchwood Dr, Unit 101 — confirmed on Adventure's calendar (Greg Roth plays 7–9 PM)
Saturday, October 17
🌮 Chapo's Tacos @ Adventure Brewing North, 33 Perchwood Dr, Unit 101 — confirmed on Adventure's calendar (Renaissance Faire day)
🎸 Food truks @ PorchFest, Marye St & Littlepage St, 11 AM–5 PM — confirmed by RappArts, lineup not named
🦆 Food vendors @ Quacktoberfest, Riverfront Park, 2–6 PM — confirmed by the City, vendors not named
🎃 Farm food @ Braehead Farm, 1130 Tyler St — the farm serves deli sandwiches, chili dogs, kettle corn, cider, and pumpkin ice cream
Sunday, October 18
🍕 Rosie's Pizza @ Adventure Brewing North, 33 Perchwood Dr, Unit 101 — confirmed on Adventure's calendar (it's Seltzer Sunday, too)
🧈 Biscuit Batch @ Strangeways Brewing, 350 Lansdowne Rd, from 12 PM — confirmed by Strangeways for Bingo & Brunch
🍔 Unlimited sliders from six local kitchens @ Battle of the Burgers, Riverfront Park, 12–3 PM — ticketed ($25)
👉 Want the full, always-updated schedule? Head to trukfoo.com to see every truk's stops in real time.
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Around Virginia
Central Virginia / Richmond
Rassawek Autumn Festival & Pro Rodeo
Saturday, October 17 | 10:00 AM–6:00 PM & Sunday, October 18 | 11:00 AM–5:00 PM 📍 Rassawek Vineyard, 6276 River Rd W, Columbia (Goochland)
The 6th annual Rassawek weekend mixes a full pro rodeo (1–3 PM, bull riding included) with blacksmiths, chainsaw carving, sawmill demos, antique tractors, a petting zoo, pumpkin decorating, live music, and local food, wine, and beer. Rodeo admission is included with your festival ticket; prices go up after Friday, Oct 16.
Charlottesville
Drumheller’s Orchard October Harvest Festival
Saturday, October 17 & Sunday, October 18 | 9:00 AM–5:00 PM 📍 Drumheller's Orchard, 1130 Drumheller Orchard Ln, Lovingston
About 40 minutes south of Charlottesville in Nelson County, this family orchard throws a two-day harvest party with live music, local vendors selling food and crafts, apple picking, and hot donuts with cider. Admission isn't listed, so check before you go.
Northern Virginia
Celebrate Purcellville Festival
Saturday, October 17 | 2:00–5:00 PM 📍 Dillon's Woods, 221 S Nursery Ave, Purcellville
Purcellville's town-wide fall celebration wraps up with an afternoon party in Dillon's Woods, the shady grove at the historic Fireman's Field complex in western Loudoun. Bring your festival passport for the prize drawing; you must be present to win.
Hampton Roads / Virginia Beach
Stockley Gardens Arts Festival
Saturday, October 17 | 10:00 AM–5:00 PM & Sunday, October 18 | 12:00–5:00 PM 📍 Stockley Gardens Park, Ghent, Norfolk
A Norfolk tradition since 1984: 125+ artists from across the country set up in a garden park in historic Ghent, with live music, kids' activities, and food vendors. Free to attend, and every dollar raised supports Hope House Foundation's work with people with intellectual and developmental disabilities.
Shenandoah Valley
Ravenwood Faire
Friday, October 16 | 3:00–9:00 PM, Saturday, October 17 | 10:00 AM–7:00 PM & Sunday, October 18 | 10:00 AM–5:00 PM 📍 North Mountain Vineyard & Winery, 4374 Swartz Rd, Maurertown
A medieval faire set on a Shenandoah County vineyard, with mead, wine, and beer flowing and proceeds supporting breast cancer awareness. Can't make it this weekend? It returns October 23–25. Get tickets here.
That's the lineup, FXBG. Whether you're voting for the best burger in the 'Burg, cheering on your lucky duck, or catching a porch set on Littlepage — 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 and connect with us on these 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.