Appalachian Trail Days Festival

Trail Days is the biggest event of the year in Damascus and the world’s largest celebration of the Appalachian Trail and hiker culture! Each year in May, the town swells to an estimated 25,000 people for the festival. You can expect a grand reunion of thru-hikers past and present, over a hundred vendors of handmade goods and some of the best outdoor gear in the industry, a packed schedule of live music and events, and a large crowd of trail supporters and hiking enthusiasts. Trail Days is always the weekend after Mother’s Day. The Town-wide Yard Sale is always the weekend before Trail Days.

Schedule of Events:

8am at One Way Ministries: Prayer Gathering. Everyone is Welcome!

9am at the Blue Ridge Discovery Center booth in the Town Park: Join BRDC naturalist Olivia Jackson for a lesson on Birding by Sound. Take a stroll along the trail and listen for birdsongs as a method of identification. Although not required, participants are encouraged to bring a pair of binoculars!

10am-6pm at the Damascus Branch Library: Relax & Chill Zero Day - Offering refreshments, crafting stations with special crafts for hikers, board games, adult coloring, giant Jenga, croquet on the lawn, bubble guns, etc. There will also be popular movies, charging stations, free wifi, lounging inside and out, and public computers.

10am at One Way Ministries: Cornhole tournament

10am at the Damascus Trail Center: Bear Necessities with the Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources. Learn more about native wildlife and how to recreate responsibly. Leave with a better understanding of Virginia’s unique wildlife and natural history!

10:45am at the Damascus Trail Center: ATC gear raffle! Stop by to toss your name in the raffle. Must be present to win.

11am at the Damascus Trail Center: BearVault Game - Visit the BearVault booth for a discussion on how to use a bear canister to properly store food while backpacking. Participants will have the chance to try out their skills in opening a BearVault canister, learn the best practices for food safety and storage, and compete in games to win a bear canister.

11am-1pm at the Black Diamond booth in the Town Park: Black Diamond Gear Blitz - Kit yourself out faster than your buddies. The top 10 fastest times to put on traction, a pack, z-poles, a rain shell, headlamp, and gloves will win cold, hard gear. Over $1,000 in prizes to the fastest times.

11:30am-1pm at the Rock School Auditorium: ALDHA’s Annual Hiker Feed. ALDHA is the Appalachian Long Distance Hikers Association. Come to enjoy the camaraderie and food.

11:30am at the Damascus Trail Center: Bear Necessities with the Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources. Learn more about native wildlife and how to recreate responsibly. Leave with a better understanding of Virginia’s unique wildlife and natural history!

12 to 4pm at Wicked Chicken Winghouse & Tavern: Live music by Ed Main and RJ Smith.

12:30-2:30pm at the Town Park Stage: Live Music by Pierce Edens! Best known for powerful vocals and haunting, fiery music, Pierce Edens captivates listening rooms and excites dance floors in equal measure. He and long-time bandmate Kevin Reese create a hard-edged folk sound that is both intimate and gritty, atmospheric and raw.

12:45pm at the Damascus Trail Center: ATC gear raffle! Stop by to toss your name in the raffle. Must be present to win.

1pm at the Damascus Trail Center: I’ve Got a Trail to Tell - The Overmountain Victory National Historic Trail extends 330-miles across the Blue Ridge Mountains following a story from the American Revolution. What story could be important enough for its own National Trail? What does it mean to be a National Historic Trail and how is that different from everything else? Join the staff from the Overmountain Victory National Historic Trail to hear the story, learn how it works, and discover how you too can hike in the footsteps of Patriots.

1pm at One Way Ministries: Eating Contest - Great prizes! Registration starts at 1pm - eating starts at 2!

1pm at the Gregory booth in the Manufacturer Rep Area at Tent City: Raffle Drawing & Winner of the Guess the Weight Contest. Come visit Gregory where you can get your pack fixed, have a chance to win cool swag, participate in our raffle, and test your skills in our Guess the Weight game. The winner of Guess the Weight will walk away with a new Gregory backpack. Raffle & Guess the Weight hosted twice daily - winners announced at 1pm and 4pm on Friday and Saturday.

1:30-3pm at the Rock School Auditorium: Horsepower’s Calendar Year Triple Crown +. Come see a presentation of Brian “Horsepower” Weiss’s 8,292-mile traverse of the AT, PCT, CDT, and AZT in 2021.

1:30pm at Allyn ‘Fix it Man’ Morton’s Flyin’ Pig Repair Center in the Manufacturer Rep Area at Tent City - Musical Chairs with Crazy Creek. 1 winner and prize per event - 1 Crazy Creek Chair!

2pm at the Ripstop by the Roll booth in the Town Park: Cottage Gear Raffle. A daily raffle with prizes from Nashville Pack, Red Paw Packs, UGQ, FarPointe Outfitters, Walhalla Hammocks, and more! You can expect to see backpacks, quilts, accessories, and other one-of-a-kind items from the best names in cottage gear.

2pm at Tent City: Billville Leki Pole Throw Contest with prizes in field near Billville camp.

2:45pm at the Damascus Trail Center: ATC gear raffle! Stop by to toss your name in the raffle. Must be present to win.

3-5pm at the Town Park Stage: Live Music by Orbital Planes! Local singer/songwriter Jenna Greene is taking new heights, altitudes even, with her band Orbital Planes. Despite a bright and bubbly personality at the forefront, songwriting has always been an outlet for her heartbreak, loss, feeling unsure, and second guessing. Whether dancing or welling up, every audience will feel a connection to the songs of Orbital Planes.

3pm at the Damascus Trail Center: BearVault Game - Visit the BearVault booth for a discussion on how to use a bear canister to properly store food while backpacking. Participants will have the chance to try out their skills in opening a BearVault canister, learn the best practices for food safety and storage, and compete in games to win a bear canister.

3pm at the Big Agnes booth in the Town Park: Dirtbag Wheel of Prizes - Swing by the booth earlier in the day for a chance to spin the wheel and win great prizes. Sign-ups are limited to once per person and to the first 20 or so people per day. Everyone wins something and maybe even something BIG.

3:30pm at Allyn ‘Fix it Man’ Morton’s Flyin’ Pig Repair Center in the Manufacturer Rep Area at Tent City - Musical Chairs with Crazy Creek. 1 winner and prize per event - 1 Crazy Creek Chair!

3:30pm at the Six Moon Designs & Toaks booth in the Town Park: Allgood’s Gear Giveaway. Lucky winners will have a chance to win a variety of ultralight gear to help them get on down the trail. Sign up and get a ticket in advance at the Six Moon Designs booth. Must be present to win.

3:30-4:15pm at Laurel Creek Park: Head Outside Awards “Chassersize” - Join Head Outside Director Chas for a dance class with a fun twist. “Chassersize” is a unique blend of dance, inclusive fitness, and movement exploration. Perfect for everyone, regardless of dance experience. Just BYOBoogie.

3:30pm at the Damascus Trail Center: Two Thousand Miles to Happy reading, Q&A, and book signing with the author, Andrea Shapiro. Impossible! No one can hike the entire Appalachian Trail in one season. That’s what everyone thought back in 1948. Two Thousand Miles to Happy is a non-fiction children’s picture book based on Walking with Spring, Earl Shaffer’s own book about his historic hike.

4pm at the Granite Gear booth in the Town Park: Swing by anytime before 4pm on Friday to get entered into Granite Gear’s “Trail Name” raffle! 30 minutes of pure gear-giving-away! Simply stop by and pick up your “Trail Name” sticker and drop your name in the hat. It’s that easy! Participants must be wearing the corresponding Trail Name sticker at the time of the event and be present at the booth to win.

4pm at the Gregory booth in the Manufacturer Rep Area at Tent City: Raffle Drawing & Winner of the Guess the Weight Contest. Come visit Gregory where you can get your pack fixed, have a chance to win cool swag, participate in our raffle, and test your skills in our Guess the Weight game. The winner of Guess the Weight will walk away with a new Gregory backpack. Raffle & Guess the Weight hosted twice daily - winners announced at 1pm and 4pm on Friday and Saturday.

4:30-5:15pm at Laurel Creek Park: Head Outside Awards Yoga in the Park - Join us for a relaxing, re-energizing guided yoga session. Take this FREE opportunity to breathe deeply, stretch your body, and connect with nature and the hiker community.

4:45pm at the Damascus Trail Center: ATC gear raffle! Visit the Trail Center toss your name in the raffle. Must be present to win.

5:30-7:30pm at the Town Park Stage: Live Music by Late Night Special! Hailing from Charlotte, NC, Late Night Special brings a unique flavor to the funk rock genre. They are renowned for funky tunes that not only resonate but also get people on their feet and rocking out.

5:30pm at Laurel Creek Park: Head Outside Awards Free Giveaway Raffle. Your chance to win some sweet swag, gear and merch.

6pm at Tent City - Billville Soup and Chili Contest. Hikers, please come and taste and vote for your favorite of each: soup and chili. Entries, please bring your own table so we can spread out. In the field by Billville camp.

6-8:15pm at Laurel Creek Park: Head Outside Awards Ceremony to celebrate the individuals and organizations who harness the healing power of the great outdoors to improve mental health. Join us for a unique celebration filled with inspirational stories of recovery, hope, meaning, and community. Winners include the Appalachian Trail Conservancy, HIKE for Mental Health, and Triple-Crowners Jesse “Boston Mule” Cody and Will “Akuna” Robinson. Live music by Joey’s Van after the awards ceremony. Beer garden by The Damascus Brewery – free drink and souvenir cup to the first 200 people to show up!

7-10pm at One Way Ministries: Coffee House with LIVE band, dancing & food.

7-7:50pm at the Rock School Auditorium: Beginners’ Contra Dance Lesson. Warren & Terry Doyle (AT thru-hikers) will offer patient, fun instruction so you don’t look too foolish at tonight's dance. Don't worry, you don’t have to know your left foot from your right foot to contra dance.

8-11pm at the Rock School Auditorium: Annual Trail Days Contra Dance. Enjoy dancing to some mighty-fine musicians and with patient, clear dance calling by Warren & Terry Doyle, and it’s FREE! For new dancers, please come to the beginner’s lesson at 7pm. “Contra dancing is the most fun you can have standing up!” No partner or fancy duds needed. Please attend sober. Damascus also hosts a quarterly contra dance, the Trail Town Twirl, in March, June, September, and December. contradancersdelight.com, visitdamascus.org/contra-dance-trail-town-twirl-quarterly

8-10pm at the Town Park Stage: Live Music by Fritz & Co! Based out of the Tri-Cities region in Southwest Virginia, rock and roll outfit Fritz & Co. consists of members Logan Fritz, McKenna Blevins, Matt Martin, Amanda Hollifield, and Josh Cavinder. Since the group’s inception, Fritz & Co. has performed extensively across the Southeast region with notable performances including numerous appearances at Bristol’s Rhythm & Roots reunion. With boots planted in the realm of rock and roll, Fritz & Co. delivers a high energy show fueled by their punchy songs.