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Special Events
General Information
Welcome to the City of Salem's Special Events. Listed below are some of the events that the Parks and Recreation Department puts on for Salem and our growing community each year. We have something for everyone in your family from kids' holiday events; to outdoor music concerts with local, regional, and national performers; craft brewery events; to half marathon road races. Keep checking back with us to stay up to date on new and exciting events.
If you have any questions or if your business wants to sponsor an event, please feel free to give us a call at 540-375-3057.
Follow Salem Parks and Recreation on Facebook and Instagram to stay up to date on current and upcoming events.
Community Events
Concerts
Join us for some of the area's best Jazz music at Longwood Park! Admission is free and food and drink will be available for purchase. Salem Catering will be selling beer and wine, but patrons are not allowed to bring alcohol into the venue. No pets allowed.
Bands:
3:45pm- Roscoe McFadden & Friends
5:20pm- Jay Ware Quintet Featuring Gracelyn Hedrick on vocals
6:45pm- Michael Hawkins & The Brotherhood, Jazz from Richmond VA
8:10pm- Hoppie Vaughan & The Ministers of Soul
Cost: Free of charge
Date: Saturday, July 15, 2023
Food: Lazy Bulldog, The Tailgate, Saltys Lobster, Wicked Lemon
Location: Longwood Park
Time: 3:45 pm to 9:30 pm.
Join us for an evening filled with Bluegrass music at Longwood Park. Admission is free. Come out to enjoy some of the best local Bluegrass music in the area.
- Bands: 5:30- New Standard
6:30- Wound Tight
7:30- Junior Sisk - Cost: Free of charge
- Date: Saturday, August 19, 2023
- Food Trucks: Bootleg BBQ, Dale's Diner, The Tailgate, Wicked Lemon, Sweet Surrender Ice Cream
- Location: Longwood Park
- Time: 5:30 - 8:30 p.m.
- Sponsors:
The 16th Annual Star B-Q is Salem's very own country, BBQ concert. The event features barbecue restaurants from around the valley while you listen to some of Country Music's top talent. Beer and wine will be for sale from P.A. Short.
- Headliner: Dalton Dover
- Opener: Travis Reigh
- Charity: Rotary Club of Salem
- Cost: $12 Day of Tickets and $10 in advance. Kids under the age of 10 are Free.
- Tickets: Brown Paper Tickets or can be purchased at the Parks & Recreation Main Office
- Date: Wednesday, September 20
- Food Trucks: Bootleg BBQ, Rocky Mount Smokehouse, The Tailgate, Kettle Cooker Express
- Location: Salem Farmers Market
- Time: 5:00 to 8:30 pm
- Sponsors:
Come listen to live music and dance the night away! Bring a chair and blanket while enjoying food from local vendors and brews sold by P.A. Short. There are plenty of activities for children, as well.
Time: 5:00 p.m. - 9:00 p.m.
Location: Salem Farmers Market
Cost: $5 (children under the age of 12 are free)
2023 Dates, Bands, Food Trucks & Charities:
Friday, May 12: Fuzzy Logic
Charity: Salem Sports Foundation
Food Truck: Kettle Cooker Express, Ken and Jayne's Burgers and Dogs, Sudha's Kitchen, Sweet Surrender Ice Cream
Friday, June 9: The Worx
Charity: Kiwanis Club of Salem
Food Truck: Kettle Cooker Express, Buddy's BBQ, Ken and Jayne's Burgers and Dogs
Friday, July 14: 5 Dollar Shake
Charity: The 24153 Club
Food Truck: Kettle Cooker Express, Lazy Bulldog, Cabo Fish Taco, Sweet Surrender Ice Cream
Friday, August 4: The Kings
Charity: Salem Area Ecumenical Ministries
Food Truck: Kettle Cooker Express, Dale's Diner Express, Sweet Surrender Ice Cream, Roanoke College Dining Services
Friday, September 15: Domino
Charity: TBA
Food Truck: Kettler Cooker Express, Dale's Diner Express, Sweet Surrender Ice Cream
THIS EVENT IS SOLD OUT
The City of Salem Parks and Recreation Department is all set to present the annual Winterfest Beach Bash. The popular group “The Band of Oz” will be in town to provide a little summertime fun. Tickets will go on sale Monday, December 12th at 10:00 a.m. at the Parks & Recreation Main Office (620 Florida Street).
Date: Friday Feb. 3rd, 2023
Time: Doors open at 6:00 p.m. (band performs from 7:00 - 10:00 p.m.)
Where: Salem Civic Center
Cost: $10.00 Advance Ticket/ $12.00 Day Of – Table of 8 for $80.00
Band: Band of Oz
Charity: Proceeds from the event will benefit the Penguin Club's community service projects
Food: Concessions will be open, beer and wine will be for sale from P.A. Short
Family Friendly
Bring a blanket and chairs and enjoy a movie under the stars. The movie starts at dusk. Admission is free. Movie time snacks will be available to purchase from Big Fun Events.
Time: Movies start at dusk (around 8:30 pm) unless otherwise specified
Location: Longwood Park
Food Truck: The Tailgate
2023 Dates and Movies:
- Friday, May 19: Jungle Cruise
- Friday, June 16: Minions: The Rise of Gru
- Friday, July 21: Lightyear
- Friday, August 11: Sonic 2 - CANCELLED
This tradition has been a huge highlight that children in the area have come to love. Over the course of four days, children may fish at Lake Spring Park during the event and catch up to six trout. Participants must provide their own fishing equipment and adults may not fish for the children. Participants must keep the fish they catch.
Prizes will be given out throughout the four days. Trophies will be given out on the two Saturdays to the top fishermen.
- Cost: Free of charge
- Food Truck: The Tailgate
- Location: Lake Spring Park
2023 Schedule
- Saturday, April 29 - Children 3 to 8 years old: 9 am to Noon
- Monday, May 1- Children with Special Needs (All abilities): 10 am to Noon (Registration required)
- Wednesday, May 3- Nursing Home Resident's Day: 10 am to Noon (Registration required)
* Nursing Home Resident's Day has been moved to Thursday, May 4 from 10 AM to noon* - Saturday, May 6 - Children 9 to 12 years old: 9 am to 11 am
Sponsored by:
Holiday
Calling all children ages 3 to 10 years old! Come to the Salem Civic Center Fields for an Easter Egg Hunt and to visit with the Easter Bunny.
- Date: Wednesday, April 5, 2023
- Time: 6 - 8 pm.
Egg Hunt Times: Hunts will be run approximately every 15 minutes with roughly 25 participants per hunt.
Hunts for the two younger age groups (3 and 4, 5 and 6) will be on the back field with the two older age groups (7 and 8, 9 and 10) using the front field.
- Cost: Free of charge
- Food Truck: The Tailgate
- Location: Civic Center Fields
- Vendors:
- Crafts
- Creative Expressions Face Painting
- Easter Bunny
- Inflatables
- Little Critters Petting Zoo
- Sponsored by:
The 23rd annual Pumpkinfest is Friday, October 27 from 5:30 pm to 8:30 pm at the Salem Farmer's Market. Admission is only $5 at the gate and kids 15 and under are free. Lots of fun for the whole family including inflatables, sand art, carnival games, the Surgeons vs. Chefs pumpkin carving contest, kids costume contest, and a very special Trick or Treat Zone. The event benefits the Special Olympics Area 8. Enjoy food trucks, a beer truck, and live music.
- Band: 5 Dollar Shake
- Charity: Special Olympics
- Cost: $5, kids 15 and under are free
- Date: Friday, October 27, 2023
- Food Truck: TBD
- Location: Salem Farmers Market
- Time: 5:30 pm to 8:30 pm.
- Sponsored by:
Join us for small business trick-or-treating! Businesses participating will have a pumpkin placed in their window, so that is your signal for trick-or-treating approval! Come dressed up in your best Halloween costume for a morning of fun with friends and family.
- Cost: Free of charge
- Date: Saturday, October 28th, 2023
- Location: Main Street Salem, from Academy Street to College Avenue
- Time: 10 am to Noon
- Participating Businesses:
- A&A Vape and Gift
- Aaron Houchens
- Awful Arthur's
- Blue Moon Vintage Mercantile
- All Sports Café
- Barker Realty
- Charlotte's Web Antique Mall - Need to enter from Clay Street
- Children's Therapy Concepts
- Elderberry's
- Frame Connection
- Frank's Pizza
- InFirst Federal Credit Union
- Joe's Deli
- Knittin Coop
- Lucky Cat
- Main Street Tattoo - Will be located at Farmers Market
- MKB Realtors
- Olde Salem Brewing Company
- Pinnacle Financial Partners
- Restoration Church
- R.M. Johnson and Sons Jewelers
- Sports Haven Inc.
- St. Paul's Episcopal Church
- Wonderous Books and More - Will be located at Farmers Market
Sponsored by:
Ring in the Christmas season with the Lighting of the Salem Christmas Tree.
- Cost: Free of charge
- Date: Friday, December 1, 2023
- Food: There will be food and drink vendors along with businesses along Main Street that will be open during this time.
- Location: Salem Public Library
- Time: Tree Lighting begins at 6 pm
- Sponsors:
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Ashley Pelletier
Program Supervisor
-
Curt Hunt
Program Supervisor
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Dave Baysden
Site Supervisor
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Parks and Recreation
Physical Address
620 Florida Street
Salem, VA 24153
Phone: 540-375-3057
Hours
Monday through Friday
8 am to 5 pm