You’re probably familiar with NPR’s Tiny Desk Concerts — but have you heard about the Tiny Music Fest? This new, free monthly event series takes a small parking lot in Old Town Fairfax and transforms it into a musical destination.
The event is held in the parking lot by The Shops on Main near Mobius Records. Visitors can buy beer from High Side and pizza from Old Dominion Pizza Co., two nearby Fairfax City businesses, and hear local artists perform acoustic sets. The event runs from noon to 5 p.m., and musicians typically play from about 1 to 4 p.m.
The Tiny Music Fest on Main first launched this May, with dates scheduled once a month through September. The goal, says High Side owner Jinson Chan, was to bring people into the community on Sunday nights. It’s a day that’s typically slow for the surrounding businesses, he says.
“A Sunday afternoon in Old Town Fairfax City is not that busy,” says Chan, one of the main organizers for the event. “We are actually trying to actively activate the area so that even on Sunday afternoon, people will come to Old Town Fairfax, either go to the Tiny Music Fest for an hour or two and listen to music and then shop around.”
Chan estimates about 300 guests fit in the parking lot. Turnout at the first two events was around 100 to 150. Some chairs are provided, and attendees can bring their own lawn chairs.
“We feel like we’re onto something, because we have a lot of folks that I would say are repeat attenders already,” says Tina Disch, executive director of the Old Town Fairfax Business Association.
More Entertainment Options
This isn’t the only concert series that happens in Old Town Fairfax. It joins the monthly Rock the Block, a larger production in nearby Old Town Square. Organizers say the feedback they’ve gotten shows that people are looking for more entertainment opportunities in Fairfax.
“The people that are coming to Tiny Music Fest are a lot of the same people that do go to Rock the Block, but … they want more of these types of events,” Disch says. “Tiny Music Fest is kind of a test run of another activation in Old Town. We wanted it to be more chill.”
The Tiny Music Fest’s acoustic sound and laid-back vibe gives it more of a low-key, neighborhood atmosphere that stands out.
The next Tiny Music Fest is on July 6 with Bobby Thompson. Next will be the Short Hill Mountain Boys on August 3 and the Beanstalk Library on September 7.
Shops on Main Parking Lot:10409 Main St., Fairfax
Feature image courtesy Tiny Music Fest on Main
