Takoma Park Street Festival

Takoma Park Street Festival

Carroll Avenue shuts to cars for one Sunday a year and fills up with more than 185 vendor booths, food trucks and three music stages. This is the 45th year. It is free to walk in, and the setup suits kids well: the road is flat, there is a lot to look at, and nobody minds a toddler who wanders slowly from booth to booth. Eighteen local bands play across the day.

I would treat it as a two-hour stroll, not an all-day plan. Kids get restless around the third jewelry table, so build in a stop at a food truck and a spot near a stage where they can sit on the curb and listen. Dogs on leashes are welcome, which makes it one of the easier outings if you have a family dog who needs to come along.

Parent Tips 💡

• ✓Take the Red Line if you can. Takoma Station is three blocks away and the road closures make driving slower than it looks.
• ✓Use the Philadelphia Avenue entrance if you park at the Co-op. You skip the Metro crowd and the walk is short even with a stroller.
• ✓Eat early. Food truck lines get long around noon, and a hungry six-year-old does not wait well.
• ✓Bring a refillable bottle. There are water refill stations on site, so you do not need to buy drinks at every booth.
• ✓Keep the dog leashed and the stroller narrow. Leashed dogs are welcome, but booths sit close together and the crowd thickens in the early afternoon.