The weekends of September and October are always very busy, filled with events and festivals. This year, we knew we had to set aside Saturday, September 23rd from 12:00pm to 6:00pm for MARSH Fest. MARSH Fest is a craft beer and science festival on Wallops Island featuring over 20 craft breweries, educational activities and live music.

The festival is broken up into 6 ecosystems that you can find on the Eastern Shore, including maritime forest, dunes, fresh marsh, salt marsh, intertidal and ocean. The festival will feature beers from Black Narrows Brewing Company, Rubber Soul, Dogfish Head, RaR and many other craft breweries. This festival isn’t just for adults though! There will also be a family tent with a Book Bin Adventure Camp, local art exhibition, STEM Learning Mission Control Center, Imagination Station and a Creative Movement Side Stage. The festival will also feature an interactive garden, farm animals and an heirloom produce showcase. Live music will also be played throughout the festival by Heather & the Oyster Boys, Tim Morgan, Mercy Creek, Double Book and Angelica Garcia.

MARSH Fest is $30 per person for a craft beer tasting ticket, and $10 per person for a designated driver ticket. Children 12 and under are free! All of the proceeds from MARSH Fest go towards giving every 8th grade student in Accomack and Northampton County a field experience with Chincoteague Bay Field Station.

Chincoteague Bay Field Station is dedicated to “hands on, feet wet education.” When students go on a field experience, they are immersed in the marshes of the Eastern Shore, catch various species and identify key characteristics. They may also spend time in a maritime forest and learn about that ecosystem.

Field experiences can also be enjoyed by the public before the festival such as a naturalist-led kayak trip through the marshes of the Chincoteague Bay, trip to Wallops Island to learn about dune succession and collect shells or a birding trip to the Atlantic Flyway funnel. Keep an eye on the event website for date announcements and registration!

The details:
MARSH Fest
September 23 from 12:00pm – 6:00pm
$30 Tasting, $10 DD, Children 12 and Under Free
Chincoteague Bay Field Station
34001 Mill Dam Road
Wallops Island, VA 23337