Georgia Apple Festival 2023

For 52 fun-filled years, the Georgia Apple Festival has brought two exciting weekends in October to Gilmer County. Ellijay and East Ellijay hosts hundreds of vendors with handmade, hand-crafted items, on-site demonstrations, live music, and delicious fair food.

The festival is named after the ripening apples that you can find all over the area at local orchards. Despite its growth from a small arts & crafts show to the four-day event that it has become today, the Georgia Apple Festival continues to be a big show with a small-town feel.

The Official Georgia Apple Festival is presented by the Ellijay Lions Club and the Gilmer County Chamber of Commerce every year. It is held in October each year in the City of Ellijay. There are over 300 vendors and exhibitions. The vendor booths range from candles, crafts, woodworks, food, and art to wildlife, blacksmith, and glass blowing exhibits.

The festival is held the second and third weekends in October each year. It takes place at the Ellijay Lions Club Fairgrounds on Old Highway 5 South. Admission is $10, kids under 12 are FREE. Parking donations go to local civic and school groups. Requested donation amount may vary. No pets are allowed.

The number of exhibitors is too great for a single day visit. Plan on staying the weekend. We recommend getting the full enjoyment of the visit by renting a North Georgia cabin. This will give you time to enjoy the food and the hundreds of exhibits without rushing and missing the hidden treasures. Why do we celebrate apples? In the early 1900’s cotton was a large part of the Georgia economy. In the ’20s the evil weevil known as the boll weevil came through and messed that up. The apple orchards saved the day for Gilmer County Georgia. In the early ’70s, we started celebrating the Apple and what it did for the local economy during the hard times created by the loss of the cotton crops.