Friday, July 31 - Saturday, August 1
Church Street Marketplace, City Hall Park, and Downtown Burlington
Vermont Business Magazine Save the date for the most joyful weekend of the summer when Burlington City Arts (BCA) presents the 18th annual Festival of Fools on Friday, July 31, through Saturday, August 1, 2026.
This beloved festival fills downtown Burlington with stupendous street performers, exciting entertainers, and magnificent musicians over two jam-packed days. The Festival of Fools is a free, inclusive, family-friendly event that creates a place for community to gather and experience wonder and joy. Bringing laughter and vibrancy to the streets in the heart of the city, it’s a yearly reminder of the power of arts events to activate and energize our public spaces.
A seasonal tentpole event for our region, the 2026 Festival of Fools will bring more than 20,000 people to Burlington to enjoy the fun of Fools against the backdrop of the historic Church Street Marketplace, a revitalized Main Street with new public art installations, and summer in our beautiful city.
Not only a favorite of local and visitors alike, Festival of Fools is a key economic driver for downtown Burlington, with many business owners reporting that the weekend of the Festival has historically had their best sales of the season. Filling the downtown with joy takes a village, and BCA wouldn’t be able to do it without the support of the local institutions that have rallied around the Festival, many of them for years. The 2026 Festival of Fools is brought to you by the Pomerleau Family Foundation and our Pitch Sponsors Ben & Jerry’s Scoop Shop and AARP Vermont, Championed by von Trapp Brewing and Hendrick’s Gin, and made possible with Community Support from Karma Birdhouse, Play Dog Play, Eyes of the World, Muddy Waters, Honey Road Restaurant, Always Full Market, Vermont Pub & Brewery. Media Sponsors: Seven Days and WCAX.
“Festival of Fools is a joyful expression of what BCA is all about – building community through creative expression,” says Doreen Kraft, Executive Director. “Each year, this Festival not only fills our streets with incredible artistry and energy, it also supports the local businesses that make downtown Burlington so vibrant. It’s a powerful reminder that when we invest in the arts, we strengthen both our community spirit and our local economy.”
Featured Performers
This year’s Festival features both returning audience favorites and exciting new talent from BCA’s deep bench of fantastically foolish entertainers, and we're excited to share a peek at the performers joining us this year.
Festivalgoers can look forward to the Burlington debut of Jacob D’Eustachio, a technically brilliant and wildly engaging juggler whose performances blend humor, curiosity, and irreverence. Having toured internationally across five continents, Jacob’s career spans appearances with symphony orchestras, prestigious circus festivals, and global humanitarian work using circus arts for social impact.
Returning to Burlington is crowd favorite Cate Great, whose dynamic blend of balance, artistry, comedy, and high-energy stage presence has captivated audiences worldwide. A familiar face at Festival of Fools, Cate’s performances are known for their charm, precision, and ability to delight audiences of all ages.
As the sun dips low on day one of the Festival, The Big Takeover will light up City Hall Park with a special Fools Twilight Series concert from 7:30-9 pm. Led by Jamaican-born singer Nee Nee Rushie, The Big Takeover is a seven-piece band known for its infectious fusion of reggae, ska, soul, and global pop influences.
That's just a taste of the talent that will be joining us this year. Stay tuned to vtfools.org for more fabulously foolish additions to the lineup coming soon.
And the door is still open for more businesses and community members to make a donation and get in on the fun of supporting Festival of Fools and the future of this beloved event.
About Burlington City Arts
For over 40 years, Burlington City Arts (BCA) has helped cement Burlington, Vermont’s reputation as one of America’s most livable cities for the arts. Our physical locations include the BCA Center, a three-level, year-round exhibition space, as well as BCA Studios, which hosts art classes, camps, and open studio hours in our state-of-the-art facilities. BCA also produces city-wide festivals, events, concerts, films, and more. Funded by a unique public/private partnership in which private charitable contributions leverage City funding, BCA is dedicated to supporting artists while expanding access to arts-based education and experiences. BCA provides a national model for centering the arts in community impact, on sectors as varied as education, the environment, civic dialogue, and the economy.
BURLINGTON, VERMONT – Burlington City Arts
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Vermont Business Magazine