The Magnificent 7: Must See, Must Do, July 31-August 6

Festival of Fools performer Jan Damm Credit: Courtesy of Marc Hauser

Fool Me Once

Friday 2-Sunday 4

Burlington not only suffers fools but welcomes them during the annual Festival of Fools. Acrobats and aerial artists, magicians and musicians rotate among four outdoor stages. Even dogs get to show off new tricks at “Mutts Gone Nuts.” A parade launches the festivities from city hall.

Willkommen, Bienvenue

Through Sunday 4

Cabaret by Northern Stage Credit: Courtesy of Northern Stage

The Tony Award-winning 1966 musical Cabaret tells the story of the Kit Kat Klub nightclub on the eve of the fascist takeover in Germany that started World War II. With Broadway veteran Kevin David Thomas directing, Northern Stage revives the production at the Barrette Center for the Arts in White River Junction.

After the Flood

Thursday 1 & Saturday 3

Still from the film “The Forgotten” Credit: Courtesy of Red Vault Productions

The Savoy Theater in Montpelier and Okemo Valley TV in Ludlow screen “The Forgotten,” a 30-minute documentary about the July 2023 flooding in Vermont, focused on Proctorsville. Village residents share their experiences, including the volunteer support that poured in behind the floodwaters. The screenings benefit recovery efforts after a repeat deluge this year.

Fair Weather

Thursday 1-Sunday 4

Franklin County Field Days Credit: Courtesy of Dreamland Amusements

Fried dough, farm exhibits and 4-H demonstrations herald the county fair season and Franklin County Field Days in Highgate. Fairgoers enjoy an antique tractor parade, a ventriloquist act, a demolition derby, square dancing, and musical acts including Old Man Garage Band and Darcy Cahill. Kids get a thrill on the mechanical bull and at the petting zoo.

Give Your Regards

Monday 5

Merritt David Janes Credit: Courtesy of Merritt David Janes

Colchester native Merritt David Janes, fresh from performing in the original Broadway cast of Back to the Future, gathers several friends for Broadway in Vermont at Moose Meadow Lodge in Duxbury. With a live band, they sing favorites from classic and contemporary musicals while lacing in tales of their professional escapades.

Musical Melting Pot

Tuesday 6

TEKE::TEKE Credit: Credit: Courtesy of TEKE::TEKE

Seven Days music editor Chris Farnsworth wrote admiringly earlier this year that he had “never seen or heard another band like TEKE::TEKE.” Led by guitarist Sei Nakauchi Pelletier and singer Maya Kuroki, the Montréal septet fuses Japanese punk with psychedelic rock for the Tuesday Night Live concert at Johnson’s Legion Field.

Multimedia Darlings

Ongoing

“Mid” by Jason Galligan-Baldwin Credit: Courtesy of Studio Place Arts

Artists channel meaningful family connections into a multimedia collection for “Carnival of Sorts” at Studio Place Arts in Barre. Matt Lutz displays a love of science fiction in his model-making. Herb Rieth uses sewing to honor the women who raised him. Jason Galligan-Baldwin revisits childhood materials in his collages, and Tyler Smith reveals an obsession with pocketknives.