Homemade syrup, arts and crafts, games, live music, and a heaping great time await YOU at the 54th Annual Blairsville Sorghum Festival in the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Georgia. As the biggest festival in Union County — attracting around 17,000 visitors each year — and one of the longest-running events in all of North Georgia, this fall festival is one for the books and a great addition to your Blue Ridge Mountain vacation!
For 2023, the Blairsville Sorghum Festival will be hosted by Blairsville Sorghum Syrup Makers and Enotah CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocates for Children). Meeks Park is the place to be on the 2nd and 3rd weekends in October (October 14-15 & 21-22) for this fun, family-friendly event. The best part is admission is only $5 for 13+ and FREE for those 12 and under! Find out more of what YOU can expect at this outdoor festival below.
Main Event: Sorghum Syrup Making!
Since the 1800s, sorghum syrup has been a staple for Georgia farmers. As you’d expect at a North Georgia fall festival all about sorghum syrup, the main event is seeing this flowering plant turned into sweet (with a tasty hint of sour and bitter), yummy syrup! Walk around and watch local syrup makers in action — it’s pretty cool.
After sorghum stalks are crushed into green juice, it’s heated to steam off the excess water — leaving nothing but mouthwatering sorghum syrup. Grab a biscuit, pour fresh hot syrup on top, and eat — it’s the best way to enjoy sorghum syrup in the South! There’s even a biscuit eating contest every day of the event – a perfect pairing for syrup making.
You can also find delicious apples candied in sorghum syrup…so good! Savory bites to eat are also available at the festival. And if your sweet tooth isn’t curbed by the end of the day, there are plenty of dessert shops in neighboring Blue Ridge.
Biscuit Eating Contest — starts at noon each day of the event
Arts & Crafts
Watching live demonstrations of local trades plus souvenir shopping for handmade crafts are popular activities at the Blairsville Sorghum Festival. This hopping festival typically boasts 100+ tents to explore! Popular goods usually found being made or ready for purchase are listed below.
If you’re intrigued by what you see, some creators will even allow you to try your hand at their craft right then and there. Come see why North Georgia is super artsy at this annual autumn festival!
The Goods
- Pottery
- Handwoven Baskets
- Paintings
- Photographs
- Candles
- Soaps
- Gourds
- Homemade Jams
- Wood Carvings
- Clothing & Accessories
- Jewelry
- Metal Crafts
- Glass Decor
- Gift Baskets with Local Products
Psst…one of this year’s sponsors is Grandaddy Mimm’s Distilling Co. — a great place to try Appalachian moonshine on your Blue Ridge Mountain getaway!
Games & Activities
Interested in pastimes from the Blue Ridge Mountains? The Sorghum Festival in Blairsville features fun games and activities that dip into local history. A few outdoor things to do at Georgia’s official sorghum festival include hatchet throwing, rock throwing, pole climbing, and log sawing…for starters! Games are held in the afternoon.
Fun Games — starts at 11:30 a.m. each day of the event
Live Music + Parade + Square Dancing!
What’s a fall festival in North Georgia without any music? You can expect live music at the Blairsville Sorghum Festival every day of the autumn event! From bluegrass beats to clogging performances, it’ll be a real treat. Plus, you can enjoy the kickoff parade downtown — with music, floats, and more entertainment.
Bonus: there’s square dancing every Saturday night at the Blairsville Sorghum Fest. And the Blue Ridge Mountain festival ends with a community dance party! You’ll be tapping your toes, humming along, and twirling your partner in no time.
2023 Entertainment Schedule
Oct 14 (Sat)
- Downtown Parade — 10:00 a.m.
- Lauren Lloyd Vocal Students — 10:00 a.m.
- Woody Gap Steel Drum Band — 1:30 p.m.
- Nealy Webster — 2:45 p.m.
- Paradise 56 — 3:30 p.m.
- Square Dancing — 8:00 p.m.
Oct 15 (Sun)
- By His Grace — 10:30 a.m.
- Jenu Stix — 1:45 p.m.
- The Mountain Breeze Band — 3:30 p.m.
Oct 21 (Sat)
- True Youngblood & Easton Collins — 10:30 a.m.
- Union County High School Students — 1:30 p.m.
- John C. Campbell Folk School Cloggers — 2:30 p.m.
- Mike Lane — 3:30 p.m.
- Square Dancing — 8:00 p.m.
Oct 22 (Sun)
- By His Grace — 10:30 a.m.
- Tommy Townsend — 1:30 p.m.
- Community Dance Party — 3:30 p.m.
Craving even more musical entertainment on your mountain retreat? Check out the many live music venues in North Georgia!
2023 Dates & Hours for the Blairsville Sorghum Festival
October 14-15 & 21-22, 2023
Saturdays & Sundays ONLY
9:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.
Note: square dancing starts at 8:00 p.m. on Saturdays!
Admission & Parking
13+ years of age — $5
12 years and under — FREE
Parking is FREE!
Location
Meeks Park
490 Meeks Park Road
Blairsville, GA 30512
706.439.6047
Where to Stay
After experiencing the Blairsville Sorghum Festival and other local things to do — like North Georgia wine tasting, hiking to waterfalls, browsing the weekly farmers market in Blue Ridge, whitewater rafting, and picking apples — retreat to your cozy cabin rental in the mountains of North Georgia.
Featuring relaxing amenities and homey conveniences — including beautiful mountain views, hot tubs, big screen TVs, game tables, wet bars, decks for days, fully equipped kitchens, king suites, and FREE high speed Wi-Fi — Georgia Cabins for YOU is the ideal choice for a quality cabin stay.
Book a last-minute stay in nearby Blue Ridge (a small town less than 30 minutes from Blairsville) while the sorghum festival is still operating for 2023 or plan ahead for 2024. With 54 years soon to be under their belt, we can count on another sorghum festival in Blairsville next year!
