10 Georgia Food Festivals that are Worth a Trip
Experience the state's most delicious flavors at these showcase events.
Taste Georgia's best barbecue, sweet shrimp, locally brewed beer and much more at these highlights on the food festival calendar.
Rhythm & Ribs BBQ Festival in Tifton, Georgia
1. Rhythm & Ribs BBQ Festival in Tifton, March
One of the newest barbecue festivals in Georgia, the Rhythm & Ribs BBQ Festival in Tifton in March has done it right! Pairing local bands with barbecue results in family-friendly fun with arts and crafts, vendors, a kids’ zone, tons of free entertainment, and pounds of smoky barbecue.
Bon Temps Crawfish Festival in Dublin, Georgia
2. Bon Temps Crawfish Festival in Dublin, May
Dublin, Georgia, stops traffic so you can kick up your heels and enjoy heaping plates of crawfish at the Bon Temps Crawfish Festival in May. Rich Mascaro of local restaurant Company Supply takes special delivery of 2,000 pounds of fresh, Louisiana crawfish and prepares them with fresh corn, potatoes, and sausage. Eat your fill and enjoy an old fashioned street party with beer, music, and a carnival for kids.
Georgia peaches are in season mid-May through August.
3. Georgia Peach Festival in Fort Valley and Byron, June
This festival is as unique as it tasty! Attracting more than 10,000 visitors, the Georgia Peach Festival splits events between two weekends and two cities, Byron and Fort Valley, which doubles your peach-eating fun. On the final Saturday morning of the festival, a team of volunteer bakers present Peach County's renowned culinary masterpiece, The World's Largest Peach Cobbler. Coming in at a whopping 11 feet by 5 feet long and 8 inches deep, people line up by the dozens for a sample of this sweet treat.
Watermelon Days Festival in Cordele, Georgia
4. Watermelon Days Festival in Cordele, June
In the South Georgia community of Cordele, you'll find the biggest, sweetest watermelons in the world. To celebrate the watermelon harvest in June — and all good things grown in the South — Cordele's Watermelon Days Festival has parades; watermelon eating, seed spitting and chucking contests; and sweet, cold wedges of watermelon.
Atlanta Food & Wine Festival in Atlanta, Georgia
5. Atlanta Food & Wine Festival, September
The Atlanta Food & Wine Festival in September does an exceptional job of preserving and promoting Southern food and drink traditions. Introducing new and exciting food trends, using products unique to the South, and providing delicious food and drink samples, makes this one of Georgia's best.
Peanut Festival parade in Plains, Georgia
6. Plains Peanut Festival, September
Plains is famously the hometown of Jimmy Carter, the 39th president of the United States, a Nobel Peace Prize winner, and humble peanut farmer. Visitors descend on the town annually to celebrate its high-profile crop and pay tribute to the former president.
Celebrate Oktoberfest in Helen, Georgia. Photo by @floridadonny
7. Oktoberfest in Helen, October
Tucked in the North Georgia mountains, you will find a little slice of Bavaria and the longest-running Oktoberfest in the United States in the Alpine town of Helen. It's Helen's biggest celebration! In September and October, visit to enjoy German music, food, beer and dancing — including waltzes, polkas, and the legendary chicken dance!
St. Marys Seafood Festival
8. St. Marys Seafood Festival, October
Georgia seafood is always something to celebrate on the coast, and St. Marys does just that every fall with the Seafood Festival. Enjoy a full day of family fun with a parade, entertainment, demonstrations, arts and crafts vendors, and food concessionaires. The best part of the day, for most, are the seafood festival specials at local restaurants, food trucks, and vendors with sensational seafood fare.
Georgia Apple Festival in Ellijay, Georgia
9. Georgia Apple Festival in Ellijay, October
If you're looking for a food festival that’s geared toward family fun, then the Georgia Apple Festival in Ellijay in October is the perfect fit. Families from all over the country flock to this North Georgia town for two exciting fall weekends. Vendors offering food, art and crafts, and all things apples are ready to serve you. Stick around for the craft and apple cooking demonstrations, parade, and the annual classic car show.
Jekyll Island Shrimp & Grits Festival on Jekyll Island, Georgia
10. Jekyll Island Shrimp & Grits Festival, October
Chow down on one of the coast's most famous dishes at the Shrimp & Grits Festival. Held every fall, the event features various interpretations of the dish, along with family-friendly entertainment, an artist market, live music, and craft beer.
Taste of Atlanta in Atlanta, Georgia
Find more food festivals on the ExploreGeorgia.org Events page, and subscribe to the Explore Georgia enewsletter to receive the latest event updates and travel deals directly in your inbox.
