The Downtown Largo Festival Gets Down
The Largo Festival Is Emerging As Another Destination Winner With Great Food, People, Music And Activities
The highly anticipated Downtown Largo Festival returned on Saturday, September 6, 2025, at The Carillon (formerly the BLVD), 955 Shoppers Way, Largo, MD, for a vibrant day of culture, creativity, and community pride. This free festival celebrates the unique spirit of Largo with local vendors, live entertainment, interactive activities, environmental education, and family fun. With a large turnout of residents expected, this year’s festival spotlighted sustainability, placemaking, and the arts while showcasing Prince George’s County as a hub for growth and innovation. The festival included a small business marketplace, a demonstration of urban gardening with a farmer's market, a DIY demonstration and micro-workshops of gardening, art, entertainment and gaming zones that engaged families and resource hubs that offered demos and activities that showcase local efforts that create a lasting impact in Largo. PGSM&M:(Robert R. Roberts/Prince George's Suite, Magazine & Media)
By B. Thayer
PHOTOGRAPHY BY ROB ROBERTS // PRINCE GEORGE’S SUITE MAGAZINE & MEDIA
Largo, MD - The Downtown Largo Festival displayed the heart of Prince George's County. By the time I arrived, the whole place was buzzing with music, laughter, and the smell of fried food drifting in the air.
People were everywhere - kids with snow cones dripping down their faces, teens battling it out at the pop-up DJ booth, and even a golden retriever in a tutu prancing down Main Street like it was the main event.
To top it off: goats in sunglasses. That’s right. The petting zoo doubled as a goat fashion show.
Kids voted on their favorites - one decked out in sequins named “Disco Billy” and another in overalls called “Farmer Fred.
And of course a drum circle led by this guy everyone called Uncle Roy. He swore his bongos were “spiritually tuned.” Toddlers, teens, and grandmas all jumped in with tambourines and high energy . “This is Largo’s heartbeat,” he shouted. And honestly? He wasn’t wrong.
The food was fried and flavorful. I tried a fried pickle on a stick and almost grabbed a second one. One booth was selling vegan crab cakes made out of chickpeas, and another couple from Bowie had hibiscus lemonade so red it looked like jewels in the cup. My favorite? A woman
selling “edible bouquets”- bouquets that looked like flowers but were actually chocolate-covered fruit. I watched people bite into them, shocked, and laughed right along with the vendor.
Local vendors really showed out too. One person turned old Metro cards into jewelry, and another did five-minute caricatures. A poor dad ended up with eyes the size of ping pong balls. His kids howled with laughter while he just shook his head.
The music tied it all together – relaxing jazz on one stage, a teenage band covering Beyoncé down the street, and a dance circle where people were pulling out everything from TikTok trends and breakdancing.
By the time the lights came on across the plaza, people were still laughing, kids were still running around with balloon animals, and those goats in sequins were taking their final bow.
Largo didn’t just throw a festival - it threw down with a block party that felt like family.
