Burlington’s 4th Fridays concert series returns with food trucks and music

Busker bands will warm up Downtown Burlington’s Historic Depot at 5:30 p.m. Friday, June 26, before County Line Collective takes the stage at 7 p.m. The city’s 4th Fridays Concert Series will run until 9 p.m., bringing food trucks, community organizations, beer and wine vendors, and a crowd built around an easy summer night downtown.

The June event is part of a series that runs from May through September in Burlington, with each 4th Friday designed as a family-oriented gathering at the Historic Depot, 100 W Front St. Burlington Downtown Corporation and the City of Burlington’s Recreation and Parks Department host the series together, and the downtown group says 4th Fridays has been part of the city’s summer calendar since 2013.

The format is straightforward and built for repeat visits. Burlington Downtown says the event includes food trucks, ice-cream vendors, craft beer, local eats, live music starting at 5:30 p.m., and kids’ activities. The city’s calendar also notes that local community organizations, food trucks, and beer and wine vendors will be on site each month. Many downtown shops and restaurants stay open until 9 p.m. or later, turning the concert into a longer evening for diners, shoppers, and people meeting friends after work.

The setting is part of the draw. The Historic Depot is one of Burlington’s central gathering places, and the city says it serves as a rental venue for weddings, family gatherings, and outdoor concerts. Its mural display shows Burlington history from 1893 to 1993, giving the concerts a distinctly local backdrop rather than a generic stage in a parking lot or park.

Burlington describes downtown as a place for restaurants, breweries, shops, music, live events, arts, and antiques, and the city’s special-events division uses the Historic Depot and nearby streets for programming throughout the year. 4th Fridays sits alongside other concert offerings on the city calendar, including Concerts in the Park and Alamance Arts’ county-wide Musical Chairs series. A special 4th Fridays event also is planned in September with Elon University during Family Weekend.

For Burlington, the series has become more than a single concert date. It gives families a predictable place to meet, gives local vendors a built-in crowd, and keeps the Historic Depot and surrounding blocks active through the heart of summer.