10 Unusual Georgia Festivals You Don't Want to Miss
The rich fabric of a community reveals itself in the festivals hosted there. Whether it’s a celebration of a unique animal from the area, or a beautiful indigenous flower, or something totally different, you can tell a lot about a community during the spring or fall festivals. Here are some unique Georgia soirees you don’t want to miss.
1. Fire Ant Festival in Ashburn
This wacky festival held the fourth weekend in March includes your standard festival activities and treats, but you can also get lost in a giant fire ant maze or participate in the fire ant calling contest. What exactly do you think a fire ant sounds like? Find out at the Fire Ant Festival.
3. Tunes from the Tombs in Atlanta
The site for the unusual Tunes from the Tombs music festival is a cemetery. Oakland Cemetery is the final resting place for some of Atlanta's most notable residents, such as Maynard Jackson, Margaret Mitchell, and Bobby Jones, but don’t wait until you’ve departed this world to visit, or you’ll miss out. Tunes from the Tombs, held in September along with Sunday in the Park, always features a roster of impressive Georgia- and Southern-based musicians.
Comedy duo Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy
4. Oliver Hardy Festival in Harlem
Remember Laurel & Hardy, the classic comedy duo from the 1940s? Celebrate their legacy in Oliver's hometown in October at the Oliver Hardy Festival, a fun‑filled day for the whole family. Don't miss the look-alike contest, music, dance, great food, and classic movies all day at the Laurel & Hardy Museum.
5. Mountain Moonshine Festival in Dawsonville
Be sure to visit Dawsonville the weekend before Halloween for the Annual Mountain Moonshine Festival, featuring a parade of authentic moonshine-hauling cars and revenue cars, a swap meet, entertainment, food, and arts and crafts. Meet legendary race car drivers, see vintage race cars and more authentic moonshine-hauling cars than you’ll ever see gathered in one place anywhere in the country.
6. The Big Pig Jig in Vienna
The Big Pig Jig is set around the Southeast's largest and Georgia's oldest official barbecue cooking contest in Vienna. Held in November, the festivities begin on Friday night when cook teams start their fires. Gates open for participants to enjoy children's activities, arts and crafts, food and concerts. Saturday is the barbecue judging with winners announced that evening.
7. Chicken Livers & Gizzards Festival in Broxton
About an hour east of Tifton, Georgia, is the tiny town of Broxton, known for its sandstone formation called Broxton Rocks. Well, that and the Chicken Livers & Gizzards Festival. Held the first Saturday in November, the festival is free and a chance to enjoy small-town fun. The event kicks off with a parade followed by a good old-fashioned street festival. When planning your trip, be sure to arrange a tour of the Broxton Rocks Preserve.
Some of Georgia's most unusual festivals center around New Year's Eve and the countdown to Midnight. Here are a few festivals with unique "ball drops."
8. Geranium Drop, McDonough
Celebrate the New Year in McDonough with dancing and a free, family-friendly celebration on the historic downtown McDonough square. The free event ends with a giant geranium dropped. The geranium is made of lots and lots of lights.
9. The Buzzard Drop, Perry
Bob the Buzzard was somewhere North of the Mason-Dixon Line, freezing his “feathers” off when he suddenly decided there had to be a better life. He settled in Perry, Georgia, and now Bob and his friends are as much a part of the landscape in Perry as the Clock Tower at the Fairgrounds. In honor of the Buzzard’s return, Perry residents gather each New Year’s Eve to celebrate their brave trek with a New Year’s Eve celebration and Buzzard drop.
10. Possum Drop, Tallapoosa
About 45 minutes west of Atlanta on I-20, you’ll find the town of Tallapoosa, formerly known as Possum Snout. Tallapoosa rings in the New Year by dropping a stuffed possum named Spencer. Come early to the Possum Drop for a full day of activities, including a Possum Day Parade, Kids Zone, live bands, concessions, and even a Possum King and Queen!
