Festival of Fools Returns to Burlington for Its 18th Year
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The most wonderful weekend of the year is rolling back into Burlington, and no, I am not talking about the holidays. Burlington City Arts brings its 18th Annual Festival of Fools to downtown on Friday, July 31, and Saturday, August 1, 2026, and once again the Church Street Marketplace and City Hall Park become the beating, juggling, unicycling heart of the city.
This family-friendly event is entirely free. Every acrobat, every accordion, every dancing chicken (more on that later) costs you exactly zero dollars. Festival of Fools an all-ages, wildly inclusive celebration that pulls the best street performers from near and far into our streets for two days of wonder.
The Twilight Series in City Hall Park
Two nights, four sets, one beautiful city park. It’s the perfect place to plant yourself as the sun goes down.
Friday belongs to The Big Takeover, a seven-piece band led by Jamaican-born singer Nee Nee Rushie. Their sound folds reggae, ska, soul, and global pop into a unique sound that pays homage to the old school while feeling thoroughly modern.
They headline at 7:30 pm, with Vermont’s own Lilly Golden opening at 6 pm. Golden puts a bubbly, sapphic spin on indie pop and Americana, with lyrics that read like a peek into a private diary. Pull up a chair and stay awhile.
Saturday brings The Wolff Sisters, a gritty folk-rock trio out of Boston. Rebecca, Rachael, and Kat grew up on Dylan, Springsteen, and the Rolling Stones, and it shows in their haunting harmonies and salt-air storytelling. They headline at 7:30 pm.
Opening at 6 pm is Burlington fixture Milton Busker & The Grim Work, a band that formed after two old friends bumped into each other at a farmers market. They call their sound “suit-folk,” which they describe as a gospel song for heretics and hippie music for people who cannot afford to drop out. You can also catch them on the street Saturday afternoon.
On the Bricks: Church Street Marketplace
Circus lovers are spoiled this year. Cate Great returns with fearless balance tricks and quick-witted comedy that has charmed crowds across 11 countries.
Making his Fools debut, juggler Jacob D’Eustachio has performed with the Dallas Symphony, played the Kennedy Center, and once juggled for Adele, which is a sentence I did not expect to write today.
Mason Ames brings more than 20 years of circus pedigree, including Cirque du Soleil, and does not just perform for the crowd so much as recruit it, so stand near the front only if you are feeling brave.
Then there is Galumpha, three performers who bend acrobatics, comedy, and illusion into fantastical creatures and surreal sculptures. You will watch it happen and still have no idea how they did it.
Kimberly’s Pocket Circus packs a world-class act into a tiny tent, complete with acrobatics, hula hoops, and yes, dancing chickens. It is the biggest little show at the festival.
The comedy-and-spectacle crowd is well fed too.
Kilted Colin pedals a 10-foot unicycle while playing bagpipes in a kilt, which is roughly three impossible things at once.
John Higby the Yo-Yo Guy holds four Guinness World Records and has spun his high-energy show through 26 countries.
Snap Boogie, an “America’s Got Talent” semifinalist and NBA halftime regular, returns for the first time since 2022 with a one-man tap, popping, and breakdancing show.
For something delightfully offbeat, catch Madison J. Cripps and “A Slice of Crazy Pie,” a cabaret-style marionette show starring characters like Pinkey the Mayor and Ratty Ratkinson.
And if you would rather sweat than sit, Polkarobics invites you into an accordion-fueled ’80s workout led by Burlington’s own DJ Tub Time.
Dust off the leotard. Stretch the hamstrings. Regret nothing.
Feeling more mellow? BEECHARMER, a husband-and-wife string band from Wilder, weaves bluegrass, old-time, jazz, and pop into sweet, virtuosic sets on the bricks.
The Circus Smirkus Road Show, featuring Vermont’s beloved next generation of teen circus stars, only performs on Saturday. These kids are busy, so do not dawdle.
Keep the Laughs Rolling After Dark
On Friday at 8:30 pm, slip into Partizan Film’s cozy microcinema at 230 College Street for a free screening of Yoyo, Pierre Etaix’s love letter to the circus. It starts as a silent-film homage and blossoms into a tender family saga full of clever sight gags. A perfect nightcap.
A Few Practical Notes
The Festival of Fools is outdoors and walkable, which makes it easy to wander from a puppet show to a twilight concert without breaking a sweat, unless you join Polkarobics.
Bringing your pup? Church Street Marketplace is a dog-friendly stretch, so leashed, crowd-tolerant dogs are welcome to take in the sights with you. That said, a busy festival with loud music, sudden applause, and bagpipes is a lot for some dogs. Use your best judgment, pack water, and leave anxious dogs home to guard the couch.
Festival of Fools is one of the highlights of a Burlington summer, but it is far from the only one. For more ways to fill your warm-weather days here, check out my guide to the best things to do in Burlington in summer.
See you on Church Street!
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