Greenbelt Labor Day Festival

Greenbelt Labor Day Festival

Greenbelt has run this festival every Labor Day weekend since 1955 and it's still organized entirely by volunteers, which is unusual for something this size. Four days at Roosevelt Center: a carnival midway, live music on the stage, an art show, a craft fair, a pet show, and a parade Monday morning at 10. Admission is free. Rides are ticketed separately.

It's town-scaled rather than county-fair-scaled, and that's the appeal. Kids can wander a bit without you losing them. Bingo runs on the lawn all weekend, with a separate children's bingo in the Youth Center on Sunday afternoon. Stop at the information booth opposite the stage for a Festival Bingo card, a scavenger hunt around the grounds with a prize at the end. It reliably buys you an hour.

Parent Tips 💡

• ✓The Metro closure is the thing to plan around: No Green Line service between Hyattsville Crossing and Greenbelt that weekend. Drive to one of the shuttle lots instead of gambling on a replacement bus.
• ✓Buy carnival tickets online first: 2026 moved to electronic ticketing and advance purchase is discounted. The midway line on Saturday night is not where you want to be sorting out payment.
• ✓Friday at 6pm is the calm window: Opening night is the least crowded stretch of the weekend and the best bet if you've got a four-year-old and a bedtime.
• ✓Get to Crescent Road by 9:30 for the parade: Curb spots go early Monday morning. Bring camp chairs, and remember it's the last day so the midway closes at 5.
• ✓Ask for a Festival Bingo card: The information booth across from the stage hands them out. It's a scavenger hunt with a prize, and it turns aimless wandering into a mission.
• ✓There's a sensory room: The Festiv-All accessibility program includes a quiet space, ASL interpretation and wheelchair transport. Worth knowing if the midway noise is going to be too much.
• ✓Check the schedule the week before: The full program prints in the Greenbelt News Review the week prior, in the August 27 issue. Stage times and contest slots shift.