The Chautauqua Festival is an eight-day family-oriented music and arts festival presented each year by the Wythe Arts Council in Wytheville, Virginia. What really makes this festival unique is the nightly entertainment is provided to the public, free of charge. The week-long festivities are conducted in and around Elizabeth Brown Park, just next to the heart of downtown Wytheville. The Festival officially starts with a parade on the third Saturday of June and runs through the following Saturday. On the first Friday evening before the official start the next morning, a Festival Prelude is held featuring a hot air balloon glow, food trucks, games, and a DJ on the lawn at Wytheville Community College.