The Wheaton Arts Parade & Festival returns to the streets of Wheaton on Sunday, Sept. 19. For the first time, the festivities will take place in the new Marian Fryer Town Plaza that is part of the Wheaton Revitalization Project on Reedie Drive in Downtown Wheaton.
As in the past, the Wheaton Arts Parade will celebrate the artistic and cultural diversity of the community. Last year’s event was limited due to the COVID-19 health crisis. This year’s outdoor event will ask attendees to follow guidelines to wear masks and observe safe social distancing when situations warrant.
The parade will start at 10 a.m. at the intersection of Grandview and Ennalls avenues. It will move down Georgia Avenue, around the Wheaton Triangle Business District and will end at the festival site on the town plaza above the Wheaton Metro Station.
A map of the parade route can be found at https://www.wheatonartsparade.org/parade2021. The festival will run from 10 a.m. until 5 p.m. It will be held regardless of weather conditions.
Everyone can be an artist and join the parade—as long as they push, pull, carry, wear or perform art. There are no motor vehicles, but more than 15 large floats, some old favorites and three expected new ones: a rainbow hummingbird, a black Labrador and a 12-foot-tall colorful tree made from nonrecyclable plastics. The parade will walk to the beat of marching bands, bag pipes and jazz.
The celebration will continue at the festival with 45 tents of original art for sale and three stages of continuous performances from noon-5 p.m. featuring some of Montgomery County’s top talent. Expected performers include the legendary Nighthawks, Strathmore artists Christylez Bacon and Becky Hill and the Trey Sorrells Jazz Ensemble. Olney Theatre’s National Players will provide a sneak peak of “A Midsummer Night’s Dream.”
The festival will showcase performances by Einstein High School’s Visual and Performing Arts Academy, plus local dance groups like Urban Artistry, the Culkin School of Traditional Irish Dance and Wheaton Studio of Dance.
Additional music will be provided by the Six Degree Singers, the Bog Band, Roadside Attraction and other local musicians.
Food will be available from Wheaton’s award-winning restaurants and delis. Beer will be available from AstroLab and True Respite breweries in the Beer Garden.
Art exhibits will include the works of more than 40 individual artists and exhibits from the Montgomery Art Association, the Washington Watercolor Association, the Capitol Hill Art League, Gallery 209 and the Wheaton Arts Parade Gallery.
Family fun will include balloon art, street chalk art, face painting and displays of art making fun.
A map of the festival tents and the program of entertainment on each stage can be found at https://www.wheatonartsparade.org/festival2021.
Wheaton is one of three Maryland Arts and Entertainment Districts in Montgomery County. The mission of the Wheaton Arts Parade is to bring the community together with art. The parade and festival are sponsored in part by the Montgomery County Government, the Arts and Humanities Council of Montgomery County, Montgomery Parks and Planning, the County Department of Environmental Protection, Montgomery County Recreation, Montgomery Parks, Greenhill Properties, Westfield Wheaton, the Maryland State Arts Council and numerous local businesses and community organizations.
For more information on the parade and festival, visit https://www.wheatonartsparade.org/wapf2021.
