At 6 p.m. on Friday, August 29, the Ferris Wheel starts turning and the grills start sizzling as the Greenbelt Labor Day Festival returns to the town center. Carnival rides, bingo, fair food, sporting events, music performances, the big parade and a chance to connect with your community and neighbors are all just around the corner. Here’s a quick guide to getting the most out of this beloved summer-ending festival. This issue covers the events for Friday and Saturday; next week’s issue will focus on events for Sunday and Monday.
Friday, August 29
The Carnival Midway and booths open at 6 p.m., and that’s when Bingo starts up on the Community Center lawn, sponsored by Greenbelt Youth Baseball. Special memorial games for bigger cash prize amounts will be announced during the games. These activities happen each day for the remainder of the Festival.
Opening Ceremonies
At 6:30 p.m., the Greenbelt Police and color guard will lead off the Opening Ceremonies. This will include introduction of dignitaries, a performance of the National Anthem by Melissa Sites and the Outstanding Citizen presentation. There will be a sign language interpreter on stage. A reception for the 2025 Outstanding Citizen follows at 7:15 p.m. in the Municipal Building.
At 8 p.m., brassy multicultural outfit Black Masala takes the main stage, putting on a high-energy show for the Festival’s first night.
Saturday, August 30
First thing on Saturday, at 9 a.m., the Greenbelt Museum exhibition on the New Deal art of Lenore Thomas opens and goes until 5 p.m. The two-hour Bricks and Blocks Walking Tour, covering Greenbelt history and architecture, leaves from the Museum at 9 a.m. Visit the museum’s website to pre-register.
Always a big draw on
Saturday is Information Day and Community Exhibits, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., with local groups inviting all to learn how to participate in the community. Sign language interpretation will be available from 2 to 4 p.m.; meet in front of the New Deal Café.
For kids and kids at heart, at 9:30 a.m. the Pet Show begins on the Community Center lawn sponsored by Girl Scout Troop #23007. Any kind of pet is welcome. Judging and awards begin at 10 a.m.
Several events occur at Braden Field. First up at 10 a.m. is the Diaper Derby (kids under 3). Then at 10:45 a.m., the Balloon Waddle race teeters to a start. To cool down after, the water balloon toss starts at 11:15 a.m. Then, just in time to spoil your lunch, the pie-eating contest is at 11:45 a.m. Midway booths and bingo open at 10:30 a.m.
After some fair fare for lunch, the Photo Scavenger Hunt, Hot Shot (kids 12 and under), 2-Ball Tournament (kids under 16), and 3-on-3 Basketball Tournament (kids 13 to 17) happen one after the other starting at 1 p.m. in the Youth Center.
At 1 p.m., Festival favorites Fast Eddie and the Slowpokes take the stage, followed by La Marvela bringing the richness of Colombian Caribbean rhythms at 3 p.m.; Soroche brings an exotic sonic brew at 4:30; followed by Professor Goldstein & the Adjuncts, a 7-piece party rock group from Hyattsville at 6:30. One of the hottest rock bands in Maryland, The Moran Tripp Band, closes out the night from 8:30 to 11 p.m.
The rest of the all-day activities such as bingo and the booths close at 10 p.m.
