The Better Burtonsville Association invites local vendors and performers to the inaugural Burtonsville Placemaking Festival!

Who should participate?

Anyone who is interested in helping to show the potential of downtown Burtonsville, especially the positive impact that the revitalization of the abandoned shopping center in Burtonsville will have on the local economy and community.

When and where is it?

The festival will take place over two days at the Burtonsville Crossing Shopping Center (15701 Old Columbia Pike). You can participate either or both days:

• Saturday, October 5, from 4 to 9 pm
• Sunday, October 6, from 10 am to 3 pm

How do I learn more or sign up?

Visit our online form to sign-up as a vendor/performer/volunteer. For most vendors, there is no cost to participate. You can also sign up for email updates if you are not ready to commit. If you have any questions, you can email us at buildabetterburtonsville@gmail.com or call Block Captains Sebastian Smoot at 240-308-1006 or Sara Jensen at 240-606-8830.

Why hold a festival in an empty parking lot?

With support and funding from the property owner (EDENS), the Montgomery County Planning Department, and the Better Block Foundation, we are organizing a “placemaking” festival to re-activate this mostly-vacant shopping center. The purpose of the two-day festival is to gather local residents, businesses, entrepreneurs, performers, and non-profits to collectively reimagine and reinvent this under-utilized space as a community-oriented space. The goal of this event is to build momentum for holding future events that serve the community on a semi-regular basis—driving attention and investment towards the revitalization of Burtonsville.

What will the festival look like?

We plan to have events for all ages, such as food trucks, a band stage, art exhibits, movie night, basketball, a bike track, mini-golf, a skate park, fire pits, local vendors, and a beer garden. Most of the materials will be donated by Montgomery County and EDENS and then constructed by the community in the days leading up to the event.

This project is modeled on the White Flint Placemaking Festival that took place in October 2018 and drew more than 1,000 people.

How is this different from Burtonsville Day?

This is a separate event from Burtonsville Day, which takes place on September 21 at the Praisner Community Recreation Center. The purpose of Burtonsville Day is to celebrate the heritage and history of Burtonsville, whereas the purpose of the October Placemaking Festival is to create an experience of what Burtonsville could be—building momentum to revitalize Burtonsville in the future.

Several of the organizers of the Placemaking Festival are also helping to organize Burtonsville Day. You are welcome and encouraged to participate in both community festivals. More information about Burtonsville Day is available at www.burtonsvilleday.org.

We hope that you can participate! Please let us know as soon as possible so we can reserve you a spot!