Chautauqua Festival

About

The Chautauqua Festival is an eight-day family oriented music and arts festival presented each year by the Wythe Arts Council in Wytheville, Virginia. Approaching its 42nd year, it is billed as an event anticipated all year by a growing crowd of fans locally and across the region, and its nightly entertainment is free to the public, underwritten by local sponsors.

2026 edition

• Dates listed by the organiser: Friday 19 June to Saturday 27 June 2026, with a page for each day of the schedule
• Main run: the festival officially opens with a parade on the third Saturday of June and runs through the following Saturday, so 20 to 27 June 2026, in and around Elizabeth Brown Park, next to downtown Wytheville
• Prelude: on the Friday evening before the official start, a Festival Prelude is held on the lawn at Wytheville Community College with a hot air balloon glow, food trucks, games and a DJ
• Venue: Elizabeth Brown Park, Wytheville, Virginia, United States

What happens

• Art displays, photo exhibits, food vendors and a crafts bazaar fill the park during festival week
• Clowns and actors perform throughout the park, with music from local and regional groups on the upper and lower stages, including lunchtime live music
• Each night has a different musical theme on the main stage, drawing on genres such as beach music, 50s, country and western, tribute bands, folk, Celtic, gospel, jazz, rock and bluegrass from the backyard of the Crooked Road
• Visitors bring lawn chairs and blankets for the free evening entertainment

Notes

• The council runs other events through the year, including Brews & Bands, the Festival Pageant, Art at the Crossroads, the Festival of Trees and a Historical Spirit Tour (10 October 2026, 10 a.m. - 4 p.m.).
• Contact: Wythe Arts Council, P.O. Box 911, Wytheville, VA 24382, [email protected]