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Richard Branson's summer music festival returns to the area on Aug. 30. While this is the festival's fourth visit to Maryland in as many years, there are several changes to its structure this time around. Instead of two days of loud, hot, non-stop fun, we get one jam-packed day. Instead of the desert landscape of Pimlico Race Course, we'll be frolicking on Merriweather Post Pavilion's green lawns, surrounded by trees. And finally, instead of shelling out hundreds of dollars for admission, we can save our money for merch. Lots and lots of merch.
Here are five good reasons to give Virgin FreeFest some love.
Free fun
Honestly, when will you ever have the opportunity to attend a concert featuring 17 popular artists for free? It's Richard Branson's little recession gift to the Mid-Atlantic and you don't want to look that gift horse in the mouth. In addition to all of the live music, there will be some free activities to check out, including art exhibits and street performance.
Top acts
Blink-182, Weezer and Franz Ferdinand are just a few of the acts in this year's lineup. Girl Talk, Public Enemy and Taking Back Sunday create an upbeat blend of rap and pop to keep your ears buzzing. Head over to the surround sound dance tent to join Danny Howells, Holy Fuck and Lee Burridge as they club up the Merriweather scene.
Doing good
Since Virgin Fest is nice enough to pick up the tab, it asks attendees to donate $5 to youth homelessness through the charitable initiative REgeneration. But that's not all it does for the community. Virgin Mobile USA has made it a priority to promote "Green it like you mean it," a campaign directed at reducing festival-produced waste, which makes for a more eco-friendly event. Now that's some feel-good fun.
Ticket trade-off
Even if you didn't score tickets when they went on "sale," there's still a way to secure some. West Coast participants have the opportunity to win a FreeFest flight from Los Angeles to D.C. and East Coast guests are eligible to win a Wi-Fi megabus trip from Boston, New York City or Philadelphia. It's simple—just volunteer 13 hours of service to REgeneration's effort to help the homeless, and enter yourself in the contest for VIP status.
Festival food and drink
A broad selection of beer, wine and cocktails is offered, including micro-brewed beer and top-shelf liquor. Plus, the seemingly endless options of crowd-pleasing festival fare will do a fine job preparing your stomach for the hard stuff. Choose from Maryland crab cakes, quesadillas and pit beef or grab some fresh sushi, a fruit smoothie or a wrap from the vegetarian selection.
Tell us about your Virgin FreeFest plans in the comments field below.
