Festivals in Blairsville, Georgia

Blairsville sits in the Blue Ridge about 50 minutes from Helen, and its festivals are the real-deal kind: volunteers, syrup kettles, a creekside park and a lot of folding chairs. They make an easy day trip from Helen, especially in October when you can pair one with the drive over Unicoi Gap.

Drive times are from downtown Helen. For anything we haven't listed, the Blairsville-Union County fairs and festivals page keeps the master list, and our events calendar filters by your trip dates.

The smell gives it away before you see the kettles: sweet, hot cane juice cooking down to syrup. Sorghum in the Mountains is Union County's celebration of that Appalachian staple, held since 1969, and it fills Meeks Park for two weekends. Syrup is made on site from cane pressing to boiling, and there are crafts, live music and clogging, plus old-time contests like pole climbing, log sawing, rock throwing and a biscuit-eating contest.

Meeks Park is a half-mile west of downtown on Highway 515. Admission and parking aren't posted online, so check the festival site or call (706) 400-0720 before you go.

Butternut Creek is a juried show: about 90 to 100 artists, every one of them chosen by jury, showing woodwork, paintings, glass, jewelry, pottery and more, with demonstrations and live music. It's run by the High Country Artisans, now in its 27th year by the festival's own count, and the festival site notes a national ranking for artist-reported sales, which tells you the work is serious.

It's a two-day show at Meeks Park, with the 2027 dates and hours in the calendar table above. Admission and parking are free. Union County doesn't allow pets in Meeks Park, though there's a dog park across the street.

The Georgia Mountain Fair isn't in Blairsville, but it's the area's biggest festival and the two towns share the weekend traffic. It's held at the Georgia Mountain Fairgrounds, 1311 Music Hall Road in Hiawassee, and has run since 1950. The 2027 fair is August 13-21: the carnival runs daily, and crafts, Pioneer Village demonstrations, entertainment and concerts at Anderson Music Hall fill two weekends. In 2026 admission was $10 with children 12 and under free, and a concert ticket included fair admission. Call 706-896-4191 for 2027 prices.

The same fairgrounds host a second round in October. The Georgia Mountain Fall Festival runs October 9-11 and 15-17, 2026, with arts and crafts, the Pioneer Village, music around the grounds and a carnival on the first weekend. Evening concerts start at 7 PM. For the fair itself, see our Georgia Mountain Fair guide.

Blairsville fills its calendar between the big festivals, too. The Union County Historical Society runs the Friday night concerts, and the Blairsville Cruisers gather classic cars each month.