Half Street Fairgrounds

OK but not great place to hang out before a game. PRO: Free entry. It has plenty of food and beer options, nothing fancy but if you want a beer and a hot dog they got it covered. You can smoke in the entire area. They have enough porta-​toilets that you don’t have to stand in line for 20 minutes to pee. Live music. Cornhole games. And 2 minute walk to the stadium when it’s game time. CON: minimal shaded area, which is a big drawback on a blistering summer day since the entire area is bare concrete. 21+, kids not allowed. If they can let kids in the stadium where they sell beer why can’t kids go in the Fairgrounds? You can’t bring a bottle of water in with you, they make you leave it behind although it’s not hard to get it in, you just leave it in a hole in the wooden fence, go through the gate, then go over to the hole in the fence and retrieve your water bottle. Live music can be a little too loud sometimes. Overall a decent, no-​frills place to hang out before a game. After a game it’s often MUCH quicker to leave the stadium and go in the Fairgrounds to use the bathroom than to wait in line at a stadium bathroom.

We go to the venue with a sixer of beer because online it says byob. Get there, we are turned away as if it should be obvious we can’t. We leave and call our friend inside who brought her own libations for the event, who is confused to where we are. Very unappreciative of the staff on duty at the time and it’s management if they accept some and reject others by looking at them. No stars!

America loves Bacon. Yes we do! Let me start off by saying that this is my first time to a bacon event at this location but not my first bacon event. This is actually my third bacon event. The first one was in Baltimore at the Rashfield on April 26^th, 2014. The second one was in Philly at the Xfinity Live On October 4^th, 2014. Yes it’s that serious we are talking about bacon after all and a time to over indulge and there are so many ways to have bacon. They have bacon chocolate. Bacon sweetness. Bacon Jam. Thai bacon. General TSO bacon Nuggets. Bacon shoulders. BBQ bacon. And many others. Just take your pick. I usually go VIP because that way you get early entrance which is never a line. Now how great is that. Vip usually include a tee shirt. A laminated vip. Your admission. A poster and 8 to 10 tickets to start off for $ 50.00 for food sampling which is usually 1 ticket per sampler. You can purchase extra tickets at $ 2.00 per ticket. Regular admission was cheaper but you had to purchase more tickets. I try to avoid lines .my grandma use to say the early bird catches the worm. I do believe that btw. They also had a lot of entertainment. Bands galore. My favorite two bands were Footwerk, and Feel free the motions. Funky Reggae. They turned it out in my opinion. They also had a bacon contest. They had a lot of benches at this location and a huge white tent if you wanted to get out of the sun. It was a hot day. They sold refreshments and alcohol with proper Identification. This is a very good event and family oriented as well. Will i continue to follow the bacon festival yesss. The only reason i didn’t give them 5 stars is i couldn’t find just plain old smoked bacon. I don’t mind trying bacon in different ways but i still like my good Old plain smoked bacon as well. So I look forward to the next bacon event Baconnnnnnn

Worst customer service I have ever had in the 12 years I’ve lived in DC.
I had the gall to ask for a «regular coors light.» The cashier started to YELL at me and was like «that doesn’t exist!» and you want a «COORS OR COORS LIGHT???»
To top it off, he yells at me like an obnoxious immature prick «thanks and have a good day!» as I walk away.
I don’t know if it was because I had the nerve to ask a bourgeois G-​Town or GWU graduate for a Coors light and not a craft beer or being a foot taller than him reminding him of what a short dweeb he was. Either way, this guy needs to get the stick out his ass. Sorry you’re 25 and working at the Fairgrounds.
Keep in mind, my family is from NYC so I’m used to obnoxious bastards…

I’ve been here during a few Nationals games, fun area. Young hip crowd. Cool place to hangout with friends and grab a drink. They also have monthly food truck events which are really cool. A bunch of local food trucks will gather around and stay for a few hours to serve lunch/​dinner. A cool experience worth checking out if you are in the area.

Half Street Fairgrounds is a great spot to hang out before or after a Nats game. It’s located just outside the stadium and across from the metro. The fairgrounds are 21 and over so it’s a fairly nice crowd. It opens two hours before each game and remains open two hours after each game.
After a quick ID check, you will get a wristband and can begin exploring. There are plenty of beer stands so I didn’t have to wait long for a drink. Prices were reasonable considering it was next to the stadium (ie cheaper than in the stadium). I’m not a big beer drinker so I frequented the DaqShack for some frozen boozy drinks.
There are food options (hot dogs, tacos, etc) and even a tobacco stand. The cornhole sets are packed with people but I’m sure you could work your way into a game. On my first visit, the post-​game entertainment came from Party Like It’s band. The DC based ska tribute band was high energy and the crowd loved it.

Aside from a few rude Neanderthal bouncers checking ids, Half Street Fairgrounds is a good place to pregame with some beers and games of cornhole before Nats games. Also check it out when they host Truckeroo and taste food fare from various DC food trucks.

All the accruements of an abandoned parking lot combined with panache of a cargo ship.

There needed to be more seating/​shade. We were also disappointed with the amount of wine/​wine booths offered… we expected more, but what was sampled was good. We used a living social deal, which was a great price for all the tasting tickets. The staff at the front entrance was very pleasant.

I have been to the Half Street Fairgrounds a few times, usually in relation to Truckaroo. It is convenient to the Nationals Stadium and the metro. Drinks are overpriced, cheaper than in the park, yet still overpriced, but they have really improved selection of options since it opened. My biggest issue is it needs more seating. Seating… not bar tables to stand at, but actual seating and a place to get out of the sun. Nothing is better than beer and direct sunlight… that’s not a recipe for disaster… especially when a bottle of water is only a buck cheaper than another beer!

Have only visited here during Truckeroo, but it’s very well maintained during that time.

cool place to hang out before and after a Nats game. Live music, and free cornhole. not to many places to sit or get out of the sun. All ages and it was free to get in. I had a couple of the vodka lemonades and they were pretty good.

Great spot to go have a beer and a hotdog before the game. The food and drinks cost about half of what you will pay once you get inside the park. They also have some great food trucks come in.

I love this place. Great events happen here every weekend and this time I was there for the LivingSocial Beer Festival. Tons of great breweries — including DuClaw which had this crazy «Sweet Baby Jesus» brew that tasted like Reese’s…but alcoholic. Damn tasty. Other favorites were there like Hoegaarden, Leffe, Magic Hat, Ommegang, etc. etc. Everyone was having a grand time and there were games to be played. I even won a shirt in giant beer pong to benefit the Move for Hunger non-​profit! Bocce and corn hole were also in attendance.
Other than festivals, this is the spot for all the pre-​Nationals games madness and boy should you drop by before every Nats game. Live music, pretty well priced beer, and people just having a wonderful time. Definitely a staple of the D. C experience!

My husband and I stopped here before a National game to grab a couple of beers and people watch. There was a lot of people watching going on and would recommend that for sure. The beer prices were crazy but cheaper than inside the stadium.
This was a free area to get in and they had a band playing live music. The port a potties were still in decent shape when I got there too so that was a bonus. Would I come here again? Yeah probably but only if I was going to another national’s game.

3.5 Stars. Not sure what to do before or after a Nationals game? Then check out Half Street Fairgrounds, a stone’s throw from the Stadium and directly in front of the nearby Metro stop. With extremely limited options in the area it may be your only choice, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing.
After getting a free wristband (21+ only) from one of the gents, walk under and around the numerous shipping containers into the wide open concrete social. Inside you’ll find a variety of food trucks serving tacos, hot dogs, brats or sausages and beer vendors selling $ 6 domestic tall boys. At one end you can partake in some friendly (or competitive) cornhole and at the other end you can listen to some local musicians playing on stage. Or, you can just chill at one of the picnic tables somewhere in the middle and enjoy your food and drink.
No matter what, just enjoy being outside on a nice Spring or Summer day. After this never-​ending previous Winter, you’d be crazy not to.

Love, love, love Half Street Fairgrounds! It appears as a no cover, 21 and over mirage after getting off a hot, packed Metro train. The Fairgrounds is an open-​air, live music venue that specializes in baseball fans. Wear your team colors, whatever they may be and you’ll fit right in.
My favorite time to visit is prior to a late afternoon game. Sun’s out, guns out as Bryce Harper says! Beer is reasonably priced ($ 6 Miller Lites) and the selection is decent considering that The Fairgrounds is essentially a parking lot surround by shipping containers. But don’t let that fool you– this place is serious fun. The live music is always good, usually local musicians talented in playing a wide variety of genres. They’ve expanded their cornhole/​bags game areas if you’re into a more interactive type of fun. There’s plenty of space to get some sun if you’re working on getting rid of your pale winter appearance (like me), but they’ve really stepped it up with added picnic tables outfitted with umbrellas as well.
They’ve got the food game covered as well with a rotating lineup of food trucks as well as some standard, permanent vendors. There’s a few neat little shops that have opened up as well… I was very interested in «The Dude» a shop/​stand, promising «Tobacco, Sundries and Advice». Next visit I might take him up on more than just a pack of Marlboros.
The party continues after the game as well, and The Fairgrounds is great place to wait out a crowded rush on the Metro. Lastly, I have to mention that the Porta-​Potties are kept pretty clean considering the amount of people that must roll through here. If you’re a germaphobe I would recommend bringing your own hand sanitizer just in case.
I wouldn’t consider a trip to Nats Park complete without a stop at The Fairgrounds. It is an awesome experimental little development bringing life to a previously forgotten block of DC. Hit it up and have fun, folks!

My first experience here was for the Thievery Corp music festival. I was surprised by how small it is, but still big enough to have plenty of food trucks. It was a little disappointing that there wasn’t more variety in the food trucks (they ALL served tacos… well, except for the one selling ice cream), but the food I did get was good. There really wasn’t much of any place to sit down unless you like sitting on concrete, but since it’s in the middle of the city I guess that’s to be expected. Overall, it was an OK place to go for a music festival, a nice little surprise tucked into the middle of the city.

Looking for a little fun before, after, or during the Nat’s game? The Fairgrounds is soon to be a favorite destination for after victory after parties. I was honestly enticed there by the $ 11 Frozen Red Bull vodkas. Although it was pretty pricey, I still felt pretty satisfied since Frozen Energy Slurpees with alcohol is unique to my experience (and was definitely a good value).
An outdoors venue built with shipping crates and other found materials, the Fairgrounds gives the ambiance of an emergent experiment which is about to blossom into a Washington D.C. institution (if the developers do not get their first). With a range of available food truck options, areas to play cornhole, and a huge stage — there are several entertainment possibilities with space to socialize with all your fellow baseball fans. I could see this location being quite the temporary music venue in the future, especially with Thievery Corps playing there in September 2012.
Come before SE gets too gentrified!

A Little Alliteration
Worldplay #4 – The Letter H
Holla if you have a hankering for hot-​off-​the-​truck gnoshing, heated outdoor happy hours, and live bands happily jammin’ while you have your fill of food and drink.
How’s Half Street really fare? A happenin’ way to construct social space, the walls of this fairground are actually made of large, colorful shipping crates. A stage, bar (not a full bar – avoid the mixed drinks!), and picnic tables are the staples, however, a heap of heavenly food trucks hover around for Truckeroo (definitely worth it, but be sure to come early as the lines are known to get rather long rather fast) and a number of vendors make it out on Nationals game days. Who knows how long this place’ll hang around until it’s turned into high-​priced, high-​rise homes so hurry down!