First weekend or second? What the 2026 vendor list says

Where these numbers come from

The organizer posts a vendor list on its website each year. For 2026 it was a five-page PDF that gives each vendor’s weekend (both, first or second), booth number and a short description in the vendor’s own words. We copied every named row into our searchable vendor finder and counted them for this article.

Two cautions before the numbers. First, the organizer says the list is kept as current as possible but is subject to change, so it shows who was booked, not who was standing in a booth on a given day. Second, the shopping categories below are ours. We assigned each vendor to one category from its own description, and a few could fit in two. The Chamber’s round figure for 2026 was over 250 vendors; counted row by row, the list has 235 craft and merchant entries, 39 food stands and 6 attractions.

• The organizer posts a vendor list on its website each year. It says the list is kept as current as possible but is subject to change. Georgia Apple Festival (official site), Vendor List
• The Gilmer Chamber says the 2026 festival had over 250 vendors offering handmade arts and crafts, along with live music, on-site demonstrations and food. Gilmer County Chamber, Georgia Apple Festival

Most booths were there both weekends

Of the 235 craft and merchant booths, 201 were booked for both weekends. That is about 86 percent. Only 15 vendors were listed for the first weekend alone and 19 for the second weekend alone, so the second weekend’s list ran slightly longer: 220 craft booths against 216.

Food did not change at all. Every one of the 39 concession stands was listed for both weekends, so the fried pies, kettle corn and hot apple cider on the 2026 list were not tied to a weekend. Three food rows carry apples in the description: Under the Apple Tree, listed for fresh apple dumplings at booths 54 and 299, and Ray Harigan, listed for hot apple cider and milkshakes at booth 289. Our food page has the full concession list.

The six demonstrations and attractions are listed without a weekend or a booth number: Elsberry Farm (petting zoo and pony rides), BJ and Company (kids train ride), Fun Services (kids zone), Critter Ridge Blacksmith (on-site forging), Samples and Sons (chair caning) and chainsaw carving.

What shifted, category by category

Here is each of our 12 shopping categories with its booth count, split into both weekends, first only and second only.

• Food to take home: 53 booths. 48 both, 0 first only, 5 second only.
• Clothing, bags and textiles: 48 booths. 38 both, 8 first only, 2 second only.
• Jewelry: 30 booths. 23 both, 3 first only, 4 second only.
• Art, glass and photography: 19 booths. 15 both, 0 first only, 4 second only.
• Home, garden and holiday decor: 19 booths, all both weekends.
• Woodwork and furniture: 16 booths. 15 both, 1 second only.
• Pottery and ceramics: 14 booths. 12 both, 2 first only.
• Kids and toys: 11 booths. 9 both, 2 second only.
• Soap, bath and body: 10 booths. 8 both, 1 first only, 1 second only.
• Everything else: 7 booths. 6 both, 1 first only.
• For pets: 5 booths, all both weekends.
• Groups and information booths: 3, all both weekends.

Read that list with the small numbers in mind. The clearest lean was clothing, bags and textiles, where 8 of the 15 first-only vendors sat. Food to take home went the other way, with all 5 of its single-weekend vendors on the second weekend, and art had 4 second-only vendors and none on the first alone. Jewelry was close to even, 3 first only against 4 second only. Home decor, pets and the information booths did not change.

First weekend only: a sample

These vendors were listed for Oct. 10-11 only. Names, booth numbers and descriptions are as the organizer’s list gives them.

• Unique Seagrass Craft and gifts, booth 34: woven seagrass baskets.
• Gigi’s Quilts & Things, booth 37: rag quilts.
• Wind N Water Designs, booth 94: ice dyed clothing.
• Terrys3cs, booth 106: vintage ceramic Christmas trees.
• Ivy Mist Candles, booth 130: soy candles.
• Purple Unicorn Pottery, booth 173: pottery and ceramics.
• Lagenlooks, booth 181: handsewn ladies clothing.
• Lone Wolf Postal Banks, booth 272: heirloom savings banks from post office boxes.

Second weekend only: a sample

These were listed for Oct. 17-18 only.

• Blue Ridge Poets and Writers, booth 34: local authors.
• Copley Bakes!, booth 37: baked goods.
• Berry’s Honey Farm, booth 38: third generation honey farm.
• Katie White Studio, booth 107: original watercolor art.
• Waffles the Adventure Cat, booth 117: original children’s books.
• Jar Masala, booth 131: authentic South Asian spices, tea blends and handcrafted ghee.
• Frazier’s Fabrication, booth 162: copper art.
• Chef Izin, LLC, booth 181: infused extra virgin olive oils, vinegars, salts and spice rubs.
• Southern River Chess, booth 186: chess boards made from locally sourced wood.

Twelve booth numbers changed hands

One detail is easy to miss in the PDF. Twelve booth numbers were assigned to a first-only vendor and then to a different, second-only vendor: booths 34, 37, 94, 97, 100, 106, 117, 130, 162, 173, 181 and 183. Booth 37 went from rag quilts to baked goods. Booth 100 went from Beagle Creek Headwear’s build-your-own hat bar to Walden Farmacy’s herbal teas, tinctures and salves. Booth 106 went from vintage ceramic Christmas trees to AI TO YOU’s handcrafted minimalist jewelry, and booth 181 from handsewn clothing to infused olive oils. If someone tells you what they bought at a booth number, check the weekend before you go looking for it.

So which weekend?

If one vendor is the reason for your trip, the weekend matters, and the list answers it. If you are coming for the food or a general browse, the 2026 list gives little reason to prefer either weekend, since the food and most of the crafts were the same. The list says nothing about crowds, and neither do we. The City of Ellijay notes there are too many exhibitors to see in one day, so a plan helps either way: our festival day planner can filter the vendor list by weekend. Bring cash, since the Chamber says many vendors take cash only.

The 2027 list will be different

Do not plan 2027 around this list. Vendors apply every year: the Chamber says applications open on January 1 and are due by March 31, and the festival FAQ says applications are juried and vendors are notified starting in May. Items must be handmade, handcrafted or grown by the artist, who must be on site. So the 2027 list cannot be settled before vendors are notified, and which vendors book which weekend can change from year to year.

The 2027 dates have not been announced either. The organizer holds the festival on the second and third weekends in October, which would mean Oct. 9-10 and Oct. 16-17, 2027, but those are expected dates only. We will update the vendor finder when the organizer posts a new list, and track dates on our 2027 page.

Questions

Written by the Ellijay Apple Festival Guide Editorial Team. AI tools help us draft; people check every fact before it publishes.

Dates, rules and hours can change. The organizers have the final word: Georgia Apple Festival (official site)