Wheaton Arts Parade

Wheaton Arts Parade & Festival 2026

This one has a hook most parades do not: your kids can be in it. The Wheaton Arts Parade, in its 10th year, takes anyone who makes something and carries it. A painted sign, a cardboard mask, a puppet on a stick, a drum, a dance. That is the whole entry requirement. The parade steps off at 10am on Sunday, September 27, loops the Wheaton triangle, and ends at Marian Fryer Town Plaza at 2424 Reedie Drive.

The festival opens at the plaza at the same time and runs into the afternoon. More than 40 booths: artists selling original work, county agencies with art-making tables and giveaways, and a Kids' Zone with free face painting and balloon art. The afternoon stage brings in Montgomery County performers, including Strathmore artists and local dance companies. All of it is free, and Wheaton Metro is right there.

Parent Tips 💡

• ✓Make the art the night before: a paper-plate mask or a decorated shoebox is enough. Kids who marched behave completely differently than kids who watched.
• ✓Line up by 9:30am if you are marching: the staging area is north of the plaza and it takes a while to find your spot with kids in tow.
• ✓If you are watching instead, stand near the plaza end: the groups have loosened up by then and there is somewhere to sit when the parade ends.
• ✓The Kids' Zone face painting line grows fast: go there first, before the booths, then circle back for the artists.
• ✓Eat in Wheaton after: the triangle is packed with small restaurants a block off the plaza, and they are cheaper than festival food.
• ✓Drive in before 9:30 or take Metro: the road closures around the triangle are real and the detour signs are easy to miss.