The Town of Blacksburg’s 41st annual Steppin’ Out festival will take place Friday, Aug. 5th, and Saturday, Aug 6.
For two days, the streets of downtown Blacksburg will be bustling with over 200 arts and crafts vendors and thousands of attendees. More than 30 bands and community performers will perform.
Steppin’ Out is presented by Downtown Blacksburg, Inc., and admission to the festival is free. Town of Blacksburg metered parking is also free during the event.
Featuring touring bands, regional acts, and local favorites, the live music kicks off Friday afternoon and concludes at 10 p.m. on Saturday. Attendees can expect to see a range of genres including funk, soul, rock, jam, pop, Americana, folk and everything in between.
Rock the Blocks LLC has curated the line-up for Steppin’ Out since 2016. Yvonne “Eve” Yee, founder of Rock the Blocks, said, “We received an overwhelming number of artist submissions this year, which has brought in new and diverse acts to complement our local bands. There’s everything from singer-songwriters to 10-piece bands. Take a chance and you might discover your new favorite band downtown.”
Deau Eyes from Richmond will take the stage Friday night, performing as a five-piece band led by Ali Thibodeau. Their headlining performance follows the recent release of the band’s
sophomore album “Legacies” in June, which has been described as “an undeniably cinematic journey, informed by her love of artists from Brandi Carlile to Emily King to Fiona Apple.”
Jazz, soul, and funk-influenced jam band Yam Yam will close out the festival Saturday night. Hailing from Harrisburg, Penn., the band brings a high-energy performance to the festival.
On the Community Stage, located in the National Bank of Blacksburg parking lot, festivalgoers can catch a wide variety of performances from ballet to Tae Kwon Do. A new addition to the lineup this year is Blue Ridge Vocal Connection, a community chorus.
The stage sponsors are Moss Arts Center, Shelter Alternatives, Baseline Solar Solutions, the National Bank of Blacksburg, and AT&T.
A fourth “busking area” has been added this year that will feature stripped-down performances for casual entertainment.
