This time of year in Vermont means eating outside more than in. Here are some things worth building a day, or a weekend, around…

Tonight, July 30, is going in a bunch of different directions. Down on Church Street, Party on the Bricks takes over the City Hall Block from 5:30 to 8 p.m., with surf rock by Barbacoa and food from Gaku Ramen. Down the road, Wilder Wines and Adventure Dinner are collaborating on a picnic-style summer menu built to pair with wine, happening from 5 to 8 p.m.…no ticket is needed beyond an RSVP. And over in Schmanska Park, there’s a monthly Old East End “Potluck in the Park” from 5:30 to 8 p.m.…you’re invited to bring a dish, label what's in it, and expect vegan and gluten-free options alongside whatever your neighbors bring.

• • •

Hill Farmstead has a full weekend planned around Saturday’s Festival of Farmhouse Ales. The bad news is that the main event is already sold out. The good news is that, as of this writing, there were still reservations available for their beer and cheese pairing with Jasper Hill tonight. The weekend is worth a stop regardless, with vintage cellar selections pouring in the bottle shop, extended hours, and a one-week-only pour of Flora, their oak- and bottle-aged Farmstead wheat ale, capped at 40 bottles a day. The taproom's closed for the day on Saturday for the festival, but the bottle shop stays open 11:30 to 5 for everyone else.

And just down the road a bit in Cabot, the One LoVermont Freedom & Unity Festival runs Friday through Sunday, July 31 to August 2, headlined by Grammy winners Kabaka Pyramid and MediSun. Stowe Cider will be on hand pouring cans of High & Dry, Safety Meeting, and a few seasonal releases on Saturday only, with a tent set up August 1, if you want to say hello.

• • •

On Friday the 31st, Doma Bar turns itself into summer camp: Camp Doma runs from 8 p.m. to midnight, with back-to-back DJ sets, a photo booth, and a friendship bracelet station…come dressed as your counselor crush or your scout-leader era. The bar opens at 5, and proceeds go to Migrant Justice Vermont.

Also on Friday night, The 126 is hosting the All That Jazz Comedy Showcase, kicking off at 7 with five comics (Maggie Pierce, Alex Duval, Amy LaClerc, Maddy Hyams, and Julia Colasanti) and hosted by Madeleine Bogard (and if you want to stick around even later, the room flips to jazz at 9, with the Randal Pierce Quintet taking over).

• • •

After the last couple of jam-packed weekends, this Saturday feels like it’s leaving you a little more room to breathe. Close to home, the Burlington Farmers Market runs its usual morning slot downtown, and the Festival of Fools takes over Church Street and City Hall Park through the afternoon with jugglers, unicyclists, and a teen circus troupe…not necessarily a food and drink event, but a good excuse to wander with a coffee, stop in at a restaurant and support all of those downtown businesses that are waiting to welcome you with open arms.

And across the lake in Plattsburgh, Michigan Fest returns to the Clinton County Fairgrounds on Saturday, built around the North Country's well-loved Michigan hot dog and its meat sauce. There’s live music, a kids zone, and more than 75 vendors. Proceeds support the Battlefield Memorial Gateway Project.

• • •

On Sunday the 2nd, Foodaroo 11 takes over Middlebury's Marble Works from 4 to 8 p.m., with a $5 cash cover and free entry for kids 12 and under. Food vendors span the state (and the globe) — Gene's Chili Hut, A Taste of Abyssinia, The Rollin' Rooster, Maharaja Spice — while two American Flatbread bars pour Zero Gravity beer and cider and a separate tent samples WhistlePig, Shacksbury, and Split Spirits. There’s also music all day and King Arthur Flour baking contests for both kids and adults.

• • •

Vermont Open Farm Week runs from Monday, August 3, through Sunday, August 9, with farms across the state throwing open their gates for a day apiece after taking 2025 off. The lineup ranges from a sunflower maze in Johnson to a border collie herding demonstration in Westminster to a mozzarella making workshop in Lowell…some are free, some ticketed, and most require nothing more than showing up. It's less a single event than a standing invitation to see where your food actually comes from, one farm at a time.

• • •

On Wednesday the 5th, the Community Concert Series at Shelburne Farms continues into August in the Farm Barn Courtyard…bring a lawn chair and a picnic, or buy food on-site. Gates open at 5 p.m., music starts at 6, and BarbacoaVT plays this week’s edition.

• • •

Next Saturday, August 8, things get crowded again. Strawberry Jam returns to Strawberry Hill Farm in Stowe, with Mount Mansfield as the backdrop, local food vendors and picnicking spread across the farm's fields, and a cash bar from Zenbarn pouring Vermont beer and cider, plus music all day from 12:45 till 10 p.m.

Down the road in Waterbury, Cold Hollow Cider Mill runs its big event of the summer, Cider Fest, on the same day from 11 to 5. Admission is free, with smoked ribs, wings, and bratwurst alongside the full cider lineup, live music and vendors including Lake Champlain Chocolates and Mad River Distillers.

And also that same day, Local Maverick is throwing a joint 35th/45th birthday bash for Vermont Flannel and Vermont Teddy Bear at the Shelburne factory…it’s a free daytime party from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., with games and vendors, followed by a ticketed evening from 5 to 9 with Vermont food trucks, ice cream, a DJ dance party, and a drone show at sundown. Early-bird tickets are $15 through this Friday, then jump to $20; kids 12 and under get in free but still need a ticket.

Summer in Vermont is a great time to skip the itinerary and follow your stomach.