Best Bets: Plenty ahead for Delaware festival fans

By Craig Horleman
Posted 7/30/21

Now that the Delaware State Fair is winding down, with its final days today and Saturday in Harrington, it’s time to turn to the rest of the festival season.

There are many events going on …

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Best Bets: Plenty ahead for Delaware festival fans

Posted

Now that the Delaware State Fair is winding down, with its final days today and Saturday in Harrington, it’s time to turn to the rest of the festival season.

There are many events going on right through October to keep you having fun.

Let’s take a trip around the state to see what still awaits.

• This weekend, the Reggae Roots Music Festival will come to Thousand Acre Farm on South Reedy Point Road in Middletown.

The fest will host more than 20 reggae performances, vendors, workshops and a speaker panel.

The weekend starts with a VIP party tonight at 7, and then, the music will start at 11 a.m. Saturday and Sunday.

The festival is for all ages. Those 12 and younger will be admitted free. Attendees must be 18 or older to camp.

For more information, visit reggaerootsfest.com.

• In Wilmington, the 34th annual Clifford Brown Jazz Festival starts Wednesday and goes to Aug. 8 in Rodney Square.

Performers will include Eric Benet, Dianne Reeves, Lakecia Benjamin and Terell Stafford.

The free concerts start at 5:30 p.m. Wednesday and Thursday and 1 p.m. Aug. 7 and 8.

Livestreamed last year, the festival pays tribute to trumpeter Clifford Brown, who was born in 1930 in Wilmington. He died at age 25 in a 1956 auto accident on the Pennsylvania Turnpike.

For more information, visit cliffordbrownjazzfest.org.

• The Wyoming Peach Festival returns Aug. 7 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Always a local favorite, the event, canceled last year due to COVID-19 concerns, will feature live entertainment, a dessert contest, raffles, crafters, vendors, food trucks and a bounce house village.

There is free parking and bus rides to the festival from W.B. Simpson Elementary School and Wyoming United Methodist Church.

Sponsored by the town of Wyoming, the festival will benefit community-improvement projects.

For details, find Wyoming Peach Festival on Facebook.

• Chart-topping country recording artist Jimmie Allen is returning to his hometown of Milton with the Bettie James Fest on Aug. 7 at Hudson Fields.

The inaugural event, which is sold-out, features Mr. Allen headlining and guests DJ Jazzy Jeff, Neon Union, Hero the Band, Smyrna’s own Chuck Wicks and Chase Martin.

• The streets of Dover will come alive Aug. 14 with superheroes, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, frightened Great Danes, cartoon and comic book favorites and so much more, as Dover Comic Con returns to the downtown area.

The 2021 event will be a free, family-friendly, indoor/outdoor pop culture festival, with more than 100 vendors, artists and artisans, authors, a cosplay competition, fan groups, pop culture cars, food trucks and activities throughout the day.

Merchandise will include original art, comic books, T-shirts, cosplay and steampunk accessories, action figures, Geek Boy merchandise and much more.

VIP tickets are available on the Dover Comic Con website at delmarvaevents.net.

• Aug. 27 and 28 brings the return of Smyrna at Night.

It kicks off Aug. 27 from 5-8, when a Happy Hour Music Crawl takes place downtown, featuring 10 artists performing unplugged, busker-style shows.

Saturday’s main event is happening in George C. Wright Jr. Municipal Park from 1-8 and will feature 24 acts performing at five locations throughout the park.

Vendors and food will be available for the free event. For more information, visit smyrnaatnight.net.

•The city of Harrington and Harrington Parks & Recreation will hold the 43rd Annual Harrington Heritage Day on Aug. 28, beginning with a parade at 9 a.m.

Crafts, food, free entertainment, kids zone, demonstrations and three museums filled with local history are just a view of the items planned for the day.

For more information or to register for one of the booths, visit Harrington Parks & Recreation website at www.hprnews.com.

• Bargains on the Broadkill sets sail Aug. 28 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on the Milton Riverfront, in Memorial Park and around downtown Milton.

It will offer vendors, food, entertainment and the Great Duck Race. For details, visit historicmilton.com.

• The Delaware Beer Wine and Spirits Festival celebrates its 11th year from 5-7:30 p.m. Aug. 28 at the Delaware Agricultural Museum and Village, 866 N. Dupont Highway, Dover.

The festival will feature beer, wine and spirits tastings, food trucks, live music, outdoor games, exhibits and guided tours of the museum.

A VIP hour will start at 4 p.m. For more information, visit debeerwinespirits.com.

• Also Aug. 28, the Ohmfest Music & Yoga Festival will take place at a private location in Dover. The address is given upon ticket purchase.

Gates open at 9 a.m., with music beginning at 10:30. Festivities run all day and into the night. The last act ends at 3 a.m.

Yoga classes and camping are included with a ticket purchase, as well as local musicians, artists and yoga teachers.

To purchase tickets, visit shaktiyogallc.com.

• Sept. 4 is the date for the Broadkill Music Festival at Milton Memorial Park, starting at 11 a.m.

Artists will include Tydewater, Mason Dixon, Cathy Gorman, Sweetwater and U.S. Navy Band Country Current.

For more information, visit milton.delaware.gov.

• Sept. 10-12, the Nanticoke Indian Powwow will be held at its new home, Hudson Fields, near Milton.

It will start with a vendors’ preview and pig roast at 4 p.m. Sept. 10. On both Sept. 11 and 12, there will be a Grand Entry.

The event also will include cultural food, song, dance and crafters.

•The Brandywine Festival of the Arts will return Sept. 11-12 to Brandywine Park in Wilmington for its 60th anniversary year.

Featuring about 200 artists in an array of media, including painting, pottery, sculpture, jewelry, woodworking, fabric and photography, the festival is a signature change-of-seasons activity, marking the transition from summer to fall in the park’s Josephine Gardens.

For updates and more information, visit www.brandywinearts.com/

• The Maxima Hispanic Fest will be Sept. 12 from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. on downtown Georgetown’s North Race Street.

There will be music and dances performed by local, national and international groups, traditional arts and crafts, and food, with an emphasis on Latino cuisine.

To learn more, visit hispanicfest.festivalhispano.org.

• Sept. 18 brings the Dog Days of Summer Festival to Sand Street in Milton.

It is billed as a festival for people passionate about food, music and dog rescue, and aims to raise awareness for animals, community hunger and local services.

The day will include music, local craft beers, food stands and vendors. The musical lineup includes The JC Andersen Band, Pawnshop Roses, the Hot Sauce Band and lower case blues.

It will benefit Doggone Happy Animal Rescue, the Milton Community Food Pantry and the Milton Fire Department.

Tickets can be obtained at eventbrite.com.

• Back for its sixth year, the Southern Delaware Wine, Food & Music Festival will offer cuisine from more than 25 of coastal Delaware’s top restaurants and tastings of 100-plus wines, locally brewed craft beers and spirits, along with a chef throwdown and live music.

From noon to 3:30 p.m. Sept. 18, the event will take place at Independence Hall, 23767 Samuel Adams Circle, Millsboro. For more information, visit sodelfest.com.

•The Chamber of Commerce for Greater Milford will host the city’s largest annual outdoor event, the 20th annual Riverwalk “Freedom” Festival, also Sept. 18, beginning at 9 a.m.

On the Mispillion Riverwalk and in Bicentennial Park, the event will have more than 100 vendors, sponsors and a wide assortment of activities. The vendors will be there 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Events also include a car show, a kids’ corner, a pet parade, a duck dash, free paddleboat rides, a paddleboat parade, a beer garden, live music and fireworks.

For additional information, call the chamber office at 422-3344, email milford@milfordchamber.com or visit milfordchamber.com or its Facebook page.

• The Firefly Music Festival is set to take flight Sept. 23-27 at the Woodlands of Dover.

A limited amount of weekend VIP and general-admission passes, as well as camping spots, are still available.

Headliners include Billie Eilish, The Killers, Tame Impala and Lizzo. The 2021 lineup features more than 120 bands across seven stages.

Visit fireflyfestival.com to learn more.

• Oct. 1 and 2 will see the 30th Delmarva Folk Festival at 352 Downs Chapel Road, Clayton.

Oct. 1 will be the finals of the Delmarva Folk Hero Contest, with Oct. 2 being a full day of music and fun.

Tickets and musical lineup will be available next month at delfolk.org.

• This year’s Delaware Pride Festival is Oct. 2 at Legislative Mall in Dover from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

This event is free and open to the public. The festival is a family-friendly event, and people of all ages and sexual orientations are welcome.

Music and entertainment will be going on all day.

For more information, email info@delawarepride.org or call 265-3020.

• Oct. 2 is the return of Wings & Wheels, through the Greater Georgetown Chamber of Commerce and partners. From 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., W&W will feature vintage aircraft, a classic car show, World War II reenactors, vendors, entertainment, food and more at Delaware Coastal Airport on Rudder Lane.

Visit wings-wheels.com for more information.

• Oct. 8 and 9 is Bridgeville’s Apple-Scrapple Festival throughout the town.

The days will be filled with entertainment, crafters, vendors, a trade show, a health/safety fair and tons of food, including, of course, scrapple.

Oct. 8, the event opens at 4 p.m., and Oct. 9, it begins at 9 a.m. Visit applescrapple.com for details.

• Oct. 14-17 sees the Rehoboth Beach Jazz Festival at various beach venues.

The festival opens with Blood Sweat & Tears on Oct. 14 and continues throughout the weekend with a tribute to Steely Dan, Joey Alexander, Mindi Abair, Boney James and more. It wraps up Oct. 17 with a closing party at the Rusty Rudder.

For more, visit rehobothjazz.com.

• Wrapping up October is the annual Sea Witch Festival Oct. 29-31 in Rehoboth and Dewey beaches.

Activities will include a costume parade for people and dogs; the Sea Witch Hunt; indoor and outdoor artisans and vendor shows; bandstand entertainment; horse shows on the beach; a 5K race/walk; hayrides; a broom toss; magic shows; lantern tours; a fantasy trail; kids’ games on the beach; a kids’ treasure hunt; trick-or-treating; and a haunted bonfire, among other events.

For more information, visit beach-fun.com.

Now Showing

New in theaters this weekend is Dwayne Johnson in “Jungle Cruise,” Matt Damon in “Stillwater” and the fantasy film, “The Green Knight.”

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