Welcome to the 4th Annual Battenkill Fly Fishing Festival in Arlington, Vermont, presented by the Arlington Common. Join us for fun, fishing, music, and camaraderie as we celebrate and raise funds to protect and enhance the Battenkill and provide the Arlington area with a hub for wellness, art, and community.

This year, proceeds from the festival will help launch the newly established Battenkill Fund, created to address human impact on the river and promote responsible environmental stewardship. 

9am- 8pm  

Art Exhibit

An art show titled “Celebrating the Wilderness of the Last 250 Years," featuring images related to fly fishing and rural landscapes, will occupy the galleries on the first floor of the 1900 Watkins House. This year marks the 250th anniversary of the Battle of Bennington in the Revolutionary War, and we aim to showcase the natural wilderness as it existed in 1775 and 2025. The art exhibit will remain on display through June 9 and will be open five days a week.

Watkins House, Arlington Common Campus

10am 

Coffee with the Artists

Come hear the artists talk about their work in the “Celebrating the Wilderness of the Last 250 Years” Art Exhibit

Watkins House, Arlington Common Campus

10am - 11am

Exclusive Orvis Rod Shop Tour with Don Swanson, Director of Rod Shop Manufacturing

Orvis Manchester Rod Shop, Historic Route 7A

10am-3pm

American Fly Fishing Tours (included with festival wristband)

Guided Tour of the American Museum of Fly Fishing (located at 4070 Main Street, Manchester, VT – 8 miles north of Arlington)

AMFF is home to the world’s largest collection of angling and angling-related items, numbering in the thousands. The collections and exhibits thoroughly document the evolution of fly fishing as a sport, art form, craft, and industry in the United States and abroad, dating as far back as the sixteenth century.  Join curator Jim Schottenham and explore the following exhibits:

TIED TOGETHER: THE EXTRAORDINARY LIVES OF JOAN AND LEE WULFF

REFLECTIONS: THE ANGLER AND NATURE IN ART

GUIDING STAR: THE LEGACY OF JOSE WEJEBE

MARY ORVIS MARBURY: THE 1893 WORLDS FAIR FLY PANELS

IN REEL TIME: FLY REELS PAST & PRESENT

American Fly Fishing Museum, Manchester, VT

2pm - 4pm

Vermont Green Up Day, Arlington (festival wristband not required)

Green Up Day is an annual event in Vermont to help keep The Green Mountain State beautiful. People from far and wide take time to help pick up litter along our country roads. Gloves and special bags are available at the Watkins House information table.

Arlington Common Campus

4pm - 9pm

Lawson’s Microbrew Tent (festival wristband is not required for tent)

Often regarded as Vermont's finest brewery, Lawson’s will be the exclusive beer provider for the BFFF4. Chat with the brewers, taste their award-winning beers, and enjoy a fantastic weekend in southwestern Vermont. 

Food and non-alcoholic beverages are available for purchase.  We recommend purchasing dinner tickets in advance.

Arlington Common Campus

5pm - 6:30pm

Come meet Rob Heal, co-host of The New Flyfisher television show. He’ll screen a retrospective of fly fishing for Atlantic salmon in Newfoundland, from the high profile rivers, to the lesser known, hidden gems.

Screening,  followed by Q and A.

Performing Arts Center, Arlington Common Campus

5pm - 7:30pm

BBQ Chicken Dinner with Sauced BBQ

Local grillers, Sauced BBQ, will provide delicious BBQ chicken, coleslaw, baked potato, and a roll. A vegetarian option is available. Tickets purchased in advance guarantee seating in the dinner tent. Take-out is available for pick-up. $22 per dinner. If you purchase take-out tickets, you can eat on-site; seating is not guaranteed.

BUY TICKETS

Watkins House, Arlington Common Campus

Live Music featuring

Kind Bud

7:30pm-9:30pm

With a repertoire of 1,000 songs, Kind Bud live loops his acoustic guitar, weaving layers of dynamic rhythms and improvisations to compliment his voice that is soft and strong, sweet and true.

Venues and festivals Kind Bud has played include: Grateful Dead Night at Fenway Park; Sweetwaters; Ashkenaz; Fare Thee Well Pre-shows at the Hyatt Regency Chicago; Jam In The Sand; Island Exodus; Back To The Island; Gathering of the Vibes; Killington Sunshine Daydream; Nateva; Oregon Country Fair; Unbroken Chain Symposium at U-Mass Amherst; Fairfield FTC; Iron Horse Music Hall; August West Fest; Rock & Roll Resort; Bears Picnic; Yasgur’s Road Reunion; Vermont Ski Resorts.

Performing Arts Center, Arlington Common Campus

Buy Tickets

Purchase tickets to the Battenkill Fly Fishing Festival.