This was me and my daughter's first year back after the pandemic. I grew up going to the county fair so it brings back great memories. Really grateful for the free parking at the Bozman Govt Ctr and the bus transportation provided to/from the fair....very well organized. We visited on Friday night and it was packed. The fair was filled with lots of food trucks, rides, games and indoor vendors. There was something for everyone. We had a great time sampling food and drinks and walking around with my granddaughter. She could only ride the carousel but we're looking forward to next year, she'll be walking then. Great job Arlington County!! read more

Great idea, but terrible execution. How do you have a free entry event, but no capacity control? I repeat, NO CAPACITY CONTROL! They make you spend $25 for raffle tickets to ride only about 4-5 rides (a rip off to be honest), but once you get in line for the rides, there is a 2 hour wait for each ride. Did we wait? No. We left and came back in the morning so we didn't have to waste $25. BUT WHO WANTS TO RIDE A ROLLERCOASTER AT 11AM!?!?! Have a controlled entry with capacity control or get a bigger venue. It's that simple. read more

What a joy! I was looking for something to pass by and glad I stumbled up the county fair dates. Though from my location I honestly could've walked, I opted to park at the recreation center and ride a school bus over for $2. The bus came quickly and she even waited for people as they were obviously walking over. Nice variety of vendors and their lines weren't ever too long. The cheese fries and candied apples were really good and at a decent price. My least favorite was the snoball that was about $11 I believe. Not worth the lack of flavor. I also grabbed some beer from the beer park. I liked that it had its only little area. Muddy outside so I didn't go too far towards the games but I enjoyed and liked that there was space to sit. read more

See all

Most of it was okay, but they should vet there vendors. Some of the food shops were just awful. Plain rude. The rides and inside displays were okay. read more

A fun, local fair. It has all your fair basics--classic rides, foods, and games. There's also indoor community booths, competitions, and shops. It's a bit small and not something you could spend more than a couple hours at, but still a fun time. Parking isn't that challenging, but the streets immediately around the fair are all permit parking only, so if you want street parking, you will need to take a short walk. read more

Arlington County Fair - Shaved ice - Local Flavor Near Me - Arlington, Virginia

This year was my first time visiting the Arlington County Fair and I really enjoyed it. First, the location was convenient and I was able to find parking a short distance away. It was also pretty spread out, so you didn't feel like everyone was on top of each other even though there were a lot of people. I had been looking forward to having a funnel cake for weeks lol, so it was nice to finally get one there. They had an area with tables and shade where you could sit and eat, and enjoy live music. We walked around and played a few of the games, which was fun. The ticket lines started getting long, so we ended up buying tickets from a mom who's kid refused to go on the rides. We got on one that had all of us screaming, but it was a lot of fun. Overall, we had a great time. read more

See all

I had fun. It was a lot of people but there was a lot of variety of things. The music was nice and there were plenty of places to sit and eat. Wished there were more vendors selling goods. Very hard on the parking though. Glad they had a shuttle! Gotta advise that better though. Glad to have gone. Going back for more food. read more

See all

Tried to park then had to take shuttle. Rides are short. Food vendors are a little pricy. Go to a larger fair with more variety.

An underwhelming fair to say the least. It's pretty small in my opinion. For a city as big as Arlington, this fair gave me small town vibes. I noticed this place has some typical fair rides. Unfortunately, I did not see many games to play. The main source for food was food trucks, which isn't bad, but was hoping for more typical fair food. Parking is not easy to find, unless you're lucky. You have to park either in a garage or at a church about a five minute walk. Check the website for details. read more

See all

Amazing experience!' Crowded place!! Fun fun area though!! Tickets aren't what I expected, best to get them in a bunch! Lines are long so come early! read more

Even though I grew up in Western PA which can turn from suburban to rural very quickly, I'd never been to a county fair. I had seen the advertising though and from what I remembered there were lots of animals, tractors, questionably safe rides, fried everything on a stick, and games that are impossible to win. This fair wasn't entirely what I was expecting. Yes, there were the questionably safe rides and games that looked rigged but 0 animals (unless you count the butterfly "exhibit") or farm-related anything. Here is the good and bad broken down: 1. Rides: they had two Ferris wheels although one was not really enclosed nor did it have seatbelts. There were a total of 3 rides (carousel and the two Ferris wheels) that we could take our 9 month old on. Ride tickets were $1 a piece and most rides took 4-6 tickets. 2. Games: we didn't play any except for the pick a duck from the pond game where everyone wins a prize. Of course our son chose the first fuck he could grab and proceeded to try to put it in his mouth. His tambourine prize was broken by the time we got home. 3. Food: typical fair food and overpriced. Husband got cotton candy but that's it. 4. Entertainment: we tried to watch a kids magic show but it was 96 degrees outside so we didn't last long. It was entertaining though. 5. Indoor exhibits: mostly just the place for the competitive exhibits. We got some cute pics of our son with the largest squash and largest pumpkin. Overall though, not impressive but did beat the heat outside. 6. Parking: what a mess! There's no parking nearby so you have to park at satellite areas and take shuttles. 7. Butterfly enclosure: this cost extra but was essentially a tent with plants and butterflies to get up close to butterflies. After paying , you were given a sugar stick to attract them. We got some cute pictures but it was stifling in that tent so we didn't last long. Overall this fair was ok. I'd maybe return next year but might prefer to check out a non-urban fair for a complete experience. read more

See all

They closed the fair early without reason and no refunds at all even if tickets were unused.

The fair was fun, but poorly organized. First, getting there... If you don't live within walking distance, good luck... There's no on-site parking, so you might have to drive to a metro station, take a train to the ballston station, then take a shuttle bus (that's poorly marked - the metal poster that says "Arlington Fair" is not where you stand, you have to walk to the opposite side of the metro entrance) to the fair. Then, it's on the "honor system" to pay your $1 shuttle ride... Also, at the fair, we couldn't find the entrance to the vendors. It took about 4 tries to different locked doors (sounds like a fire hazard) to finally get in. However, the rides and games were great; and the vendors had great items. big disappointment was the food. I expected high high prices, but about $20 for one food item is highway robbery. Grab a snack first before going. Although fun, I don't think I will be back. I just don't think it's worth it to take 1.5 hours in total to get to a fair and pay $25 for a street food lunch. read more

Arlington County Fair - misleading sign at the ballston metro that's probably up all year. Ignore it... - Local Flavor Near Me - Arlington, Virginia

I don't think the Arlington County fair truly accomplishes what it sets out to do. For a town that seems to gentrify itself daily, this little fair is surprisingly bland. It feels so small potatoes and a little outdated. The three stars is more of an honorary mention. I do enjoy seeing local art work and chatting with local vendors. Let's not forget free samples! With nothing to do on a Thursday evening, I sat with my chicken-on-a-stick and enjoyed the beautiful 80-degree weather. All-in-all it was better than staying inside. read more

See all

I went last year with bf, it was something different to do on a summer night. Lots of food to pick from. I was not too impressed with the scale of the fair, it's not as big as the Montgomery County one. Still, as an adult and no intention to ride the rides anyways, it was fine. There were ALOT of people when we went. Parking was a pain in the you know where. We were amazed so many people were there, we figured most people were like us, had nothing better to do :) Going again this year, it is this weekend in fact, starting today. read more

I've never been to an urban county fair. This seemed OK. Sure not on the scale of the big rural county fairs I grew up with, but a friend and I had a good time here Saturday evening. We ate carnival food, hauled home a pile of stuffed animals from the various midway games, took in the photo/craft/vegetable/etc... winners, wandered around the booths for the various county organizations, and just had a good time. A very pleasant way to spend a few hours on an August evening. Big thumbs up to the shuttle service - very efficient and easy. read more

I went to the fair last summer and also this summer and I was very disappointed both times. The fair was exactly the same as last year. I felt lik they didn't do anything to try to improve it. Parking really does suck but they do have shuttles. I really liked how they had the humane society present because it showed awareness to animals needing a home which is why I gave it another star or else it would have been a 1 star. They need to have better rides, better vendors, and more things to do. The food there was exactly the same as last year but its pretty good. Overall, not impressed. I've been to way better county fairs. read more

Best.Fair.Ever!! My family and I love this Fair!! It is a Family Tradition! We are a blended family and we have attended from 1998 thru the present with our 3 daughters (through middle school, high school, and college). We now go every year with their spouses and children. It is the Best Fair because there are just enough rides, and games for everyone! There are cows that the children can pet and horses to ride. There are crafts to view and/or buy. There are fire trucks where children can learn and sit in! It is not a large fair where you have to walk what seems to be miles to get to each ride or game and this is great if you have small children and babies. It's just enough with something for everyone! We always have the best time ever, every year, and you will too!! read more

As an Arlingtonian I have gone to this fair at various times over my life. Is it the best fair? God no. It is small, has the standard the standard food (mostly reasonably priced). Lots of rides for the kids (though of relatively high cost). All in all? It is not not an unreasonable way to spend a late summer evening. read more

Lacked continuity, food was somewhat overpriced. I do hope that organizers in the future will consider an updated approach.

Not good...a homogenized version of a flea market and mall stores with no sense of order regarding traffic or vendors. I can go to a store if I wanted to buy things from China...never again my friends...never again read more

I've been in the DC area for over 3 years and this is the first time I've heard of the Arlington County Fair. The website boasted an annual attendance of 60,000 with people traveling from other states. Upon arriving at the fair, my wife and I weren't too impressed. I highly doubt even 1,000 attended the fair in the 4 days it was held. Even though the fair was small, we still had a good time. There was a variety of food to choose from, including kabobs, burgers, hot dogs, funnel cakes, fried oreos, hawaiin shaved ice, gater tots, etc. Prices were moderate for the food. There was a petting zoo, racing pigs, flea circus, and other outdoor activities to check out. Your typical carnival rides and games were all there. From popping balloons to knocking down three jugs with an oversized baseball. The ferris wheel was too small and there weren't many "scary" rides. In addition to the outdoor activites, there's also an indoor portion to the fair where booths and vendors were setup giving away free samples, informing the general public of the causes they were supporting and selling products like honey. If you didn't have anything planned for the weekend, it's worth the visit. It's not Six Flags or King's Dominion but you don't have to travel very far to have a good time. read more

Arlington County Fair is Arlington at its best. The crowd is a cornucopia of diversity that represents Arlington as a whole but not seen in our neighborhood pockets. My family never misses it! Plus, the food trucks are getting better every year. read more

I've attended the Arlington County Fair for several years now. I used to live in Arlington and a friend of mine did too, and we loved walking around the fair. She knew everyone there (it is a very small fair) and we picked up a lot of literature that was helpful. My friend, alas, is gone now, but I still continue to go for old time's sake. If you are a resident of Arlington, it may be worth your while to go because there is a wealth of information passed out by local Arlington organizations and county officials about services and activities available in Arlington County. But if you don't live in Arlington, there may not be much for you. Arlington has not had any farms for many, many years. Do not except to see animals except racing pigs and perhaps a petting zoo. There are rides and some food (mostly ethnic) to choose from but none of it looked too appetizing to me. This is one fair I do not go to so I can eat. There is a very small home arts display, which includes quilts and hand made items which are judged and a small food display which is also judged. There are some vendors selling arts and crafts. Some are pretty good. A lot of people are selling jewelry. But it's mostly county organizations, local and private, as well as politicians, passing out literature. They do have entertainment every night but all of it is indoors. Some of it is not bad. There is square dancing, chorus, ethnic dance groups and other musical groups. Sometimes there are a few games to play for prizes. I would say if you live in Arlington or nearby, and you want to find out more about the county, or you have kids who like to ride rides, this is a nice event to go to in the summer. The few arts and crafts might be worth your while too. Plus, it's free. But I would not go out of my way to attend if you are outside the county and have little interest other than picking up a bunch of brochures on the county. read more