ABINGDON, VA – The Virginia Creeper Fest is a free, family friendly event celebrating all things outdoors, and now, in its second year, it can add “award-winning” to that list of adjectives. At the recent American Advertising Federation Awards, SWVA Chapter, Virginia Creeper Fest took home a Gold Award for the Virginia Creeper Fest advertising campaign, as well as the People’s Choice and overall Best in Show. The festival returns Saturday, April 28 to downtown Abingdon.

Part of the Virginia Creeper Fest trail. Image courtesy of Virginia Creeper Fest.

Virginia Creeper Fest celebrates the creation of the famous Virginia Creeper Trail, and highlights the multitude of outdoor recreation opportunities along the trail. The festival includes hands-on activities and demos for all ages, live music, food trucks, and information about how to get outside and enjoy the Creeper Trail.

Virginia Creeper Fest received the Gold designation at the 2018 AAF SWVA American Advertising Awards Gala, held February 24, 2018 at K-VA-T Corporate Support Center in Abingdon. The advertising campaign, including posters, ads, merchandise and website, were also awarded the People’s Choice Award and Best in Show. The American Advertising Awards, formerly the ADDYs, is the advertising industry’s largest and most representative competition, attracting over 40,000 entries every year in local AAF Club (Ad Club) competitions. The mission of the American Advertising Awards competition is to recognize and reward the creative spirit of excellence in the art of advertising.

Virginia Creeper Fest returns for a second year Saturday April 28, from 10:30am to 5:00pm. With activities like a climbing wall, hammock hangouts, disc dog exhibitions, and field games for the kids, tree identification along the trail and scavenger hunts, there will be plenty to keep the hard-core outdoor enthusiasts and novice nature lovers busy all day. There will be also be live music, food trucks and local outfitters throughout the day, as well as raffle giveaways.

The festival takes place in Abingdon, at the intersection of Green Spring Road and A Streets, near the trailhead. Additional activities, like nature walks and bike rides, will take place on the trail itself. A full schedule and festival guide will be available on www.vacreeperfest.com beginning April 1st.

One of the earliest rails-to-trails success stories, the Creeper Trail is now a major economic engine for Southwest Virginia, drawing over 200 thousand visitors annually.