The short answer
- 2027 dates: not announced by the organizer as of October 19, 2026.
- The rule the organizer publishes: the second and third weekends in October.
- By that rule: Saturday-Sunday, Oct. 9-10, and Saturday-Sunday, Oct. 16-17, 2027. Expected, not confirmed.
- 2026 hours were Saturday 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Sunday 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.; admission was $10, children 12 and under free.
What the organizer has said
- As of Oct. 19, 2026, the organizer had not announced dates for the 2027 Georgia Apple Festival. Its standing rule is that the festival is held on the second and third weekends in October. Georgia Apple Festival (official site), FAQs
- The Georgia Apple Festival is held on the second and third weekends in October. Georgia Apple Festival (official site), FAQs
- No 2027 dates had been posted for the Apple Arts Festival as of Oct. 19, 2026. The Chamber describes it as running on the second and third weekends in October, on the same dates as the Georgia Apple Festival. Gilmer County Chamber, Apple Arts Festival
We check the festival’s official site and the Gilmer County Chamber’s festival pages for the next year’s dates. When the organizer posts them, the dates on this page, in the festival day planner and in the calendar holds change from expected to confirmed, and the page date at the top changes with them.
The check log
- October 19, 2026: no 2027 dates on the organizer’s site or the Chamber’s festival pages. Expected weekends shown above are worked out from the organizer’s own second-and-third-weekends rule.
What the last festival looked like
- The 2026 festival was billed as the 55th annual Georgia Apple Festival. Gilmer County Chamber, Georgia Apple Festival
- The 2026 festival dates were October 10-11 and October 17-18, 2026. Georgia Apple Festival (official site), FAQs
- The Gilmer County Chamber says the Georgia Apple Festival and the Apple Arts Festival were canceled for Saturday, Oct. 10, 2026, and continued on Sunday, Oct. 11. Gilmer County Chamber of Commerce, Fall in Ellijay page
- The 2026 festival days were scheduled for Saturday, Oct. 10 and Saturday, Oct. 17 from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., and Sunday, Oct. 11 and Sunday, Oct. 18 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Gilmer County Chamber blog, Know Before You Go: Georgia Apple Festival (updated Oct. 7, 2026)
- Admission is $10 per person. The organizer says children 12 and under are free. Georgia Apple Festival (official site), FAQs
- 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
- FOX 5 Atlanta reported in October 2025 that about 22,000 people attended the festival's first 2025 weekend, citing city leaders. FOX 5 Atlanta video, Georgia Apple Festival attracts thousands (Oct. 14, 2025)
If you want to sell at the 2027 festival
- The Chamber says vendor applications open each year on January 1 and are due by March 31. Gilmer County Chamber blog, Know Before You Go: Georgia Apple Festival (updated Oct. 7, 2026)
- Vendor applications are juried. The FAQ says applications open in January and must be in by March 31 for the first round of jurying, and vendors are notified starting in May. Georgia Apple Festival (official site), FAQs
- A single craft booth costs $300 for one weekend or $500 for both weekends, plus a $25 application fee. Concession fees depend on space and power needs. Georgia Apple Festival (official site), FAQs
Booth sizes, item rules and the 2026 list of who sold what are on the vendors page.
Save the expected weekends
The festival day planner builds a timed day for any of the four expected 2027 days and gives you a calendar hold marked tentative, so it is easy to move if the organizer announces something different.
Festival dates on the calendar
55th Georgia Apple Festival (first weekend)
Organizer date for 2026First weekend of the 55th annual Georgia Apple Festival, with handmade arts and crafts vendors, on-site demonstrations, live music and fair food. Admission was $10; the organizer says children 12 and under are free. Rain or shine; no pets except service animals. The Gilmer County Chamber says Saturday, Oct. 10 was canceled and events continued Sunday, Oct. 11.
Source: Georgia Apple Festival (official site), FAQs, checked 2026-10-19
55th Georgia Apple Festival (second weekend)
Organizer date for 2026Second and final weekend of the 2026 Georgia Apple Festival. Paid parking lots around Ellijay ran a free shuttle to the fairgrounds; lot fees varied and cash was preferred.
Source: Georgia Apple Festival (official site), FAQs, checked 2026-10-19
56th Georgia Apple Festival (first weekend, expected)
Not announced as of Oct. 19, 2026. The organizer's FAQ says the festival is held on "The second and third weekends in October"; in 2027 that would be Oct. 9-10 (second weekend).Expected first weekend of the 2027 festival, based on the organizer's second-and-third-weekend rule. Dates are not announced; check georgiaapplefestival.org before planning.
Source: Georgia Apple Festival (official site), FAQs, checked 2026-10-19
56th Georgia Apple Festival (second weekend, expected)
Not announced as of Oct. 19, 2026. The organizer's FAQ says the festival is held on "The second and third weekends in October"; in 2027 that would be Oct. 16-17 (third weekend).Expected second weekend of the 2027 festival, based on the organizer's second-and-third-weekend rule. Dates are not announced.
Source: Georgia Apple Festival (official site), FAQs, checked 2026-10-19
Questions about the dates
When is the Georgia Apple Festival 2027?
The 2027 dates have not been announced yet. The organizer's FAQ says the festival is held on the second and third weekends in October. If that pattern holds, 2027 would fall on Oct. 9-10 and Oct. 16-17, but treat those as expected dates only and check georgiaapplefestival.org before you book a trip.
Source: Georgia Apple Festival (official site), FAQs
When was the 2026 Georgia Apple Festival?
The 2026 festival, billed as the 55th annual, was scheduled for Oct. 10-11 and Oct. 17-18, 2026, at the Ellijay Lions Club Fairgrounds, Saturdays 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Sundays 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. The Gilmer County Chamber says Saturday, Oct. 10 was canceled and events continued on Sunday, Oct. 11. The second weekend ended Sunday, Oct. 18.
Source: Gilmer County Chamber of Commerce, Fall in Ellijay page
Is the Georgia Apple Festival one long event or two weekends?
It is two separate weekends. The festival runs Saturday and Sunday on the second and third weekends of October, four festival days in all, with no festival days during the week in between. In 2026 that meant Oct. 10-11 and Oct. 17-18 at the Lions Club Fairgrounds.
Source: Georgia Apple Festival (official site), FAQs
What time does the Georgia Apple Festival open?
The festival opens at 9 a.m. on both Saturday and Sunday. It closes at 6 p.m. on Saturday and at 5 p.m. on Sunday, so Sunday is an hour shorter. These are the organizer's published hours for the 2026 festival; hours for 2027 have not been posted yet.
Source: Georgia Apple Festival (official site), FAQs
Did Hurricane Isaias affect the 2026 Georgia Apple Festival?
Yes, for one day. The Gilmer County Chamber says the Georgia Apple Festival and the Apple Arts Festival were canceled for Saturday, Oct. 10, 2026, and continued on Sunday, Oct. 11. A day earlier, FOX 5 Atlanta had reported the festival still scheduled, rain or shine. The Apple Festival 5K moved to Oct. 17 after the City of Ellijay required Oct. 10 events to be canceled or postponed.
Source: Gilmer County Chamber of Commerce, Fall in Ellijay page
What are the Apple Arts Festival hours?
In 2026 the Chamber listed Apple Arts hours of 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Saturdays and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Sundays, on Oct. 10-11 and 17-18. Some Chamber pages say it keeps the same times as the main festival, which opens at 9 a.m., so check the current year's schedule before you go.
Source: Gilmer County Chamber blog, The Apple Arts Festival Returns To Ellijay This Fall; 2026 Apple Arts Festival
What is happening in Ellijay after the Apple Festival?
The Ellijay Lions Club holds a free trick-or-treat at its fairgrounds on Oct. 31, 2026, from 6 to 9 p.m. The second annual Merry Mountain Town Festival comes to downtown Ellijay on Friday, Nov. 27, 2026, and Cress Creeks Farm hosts Breakfast with Santa on Dec. 12. Gilmer Arts lists concerts through December.
Source: Gilmer County Chamber events calendar; Ellijay Lions Club, Calendar; Cress Creeks Farm; Gilmer Arts
Is there a Halloween event at the Apple Festival fairgrounds?
Yes. The Ellijay Lions Club holds a free trick-or-treat at the Lions Club, 1729 South Main Street, on Oct. 31, 2026, from 6 to 9 p.m. The club calls it its 7th annual Halloween trick-or-treat and says about 1,500 children come through each year looking for a safe place to trick-or-treat.
Dates, rules and hours can change. The organizers have the final word: Georgia Apple Festival (official site)
