These 9 Alabama Towns Have The Most Unique Festivals
Charm abounds in Alabama small towns, but bring a local festival into the mix, and visitors can quickly explore the identity and personality of a community, and likely enjoy some great food and family fun as well. From butterbeans to grits and sweet tea to cider, growing connections between residents, supporting local charities, and welcoming guests mean festivals can be a wonderful way to spend a weekend or the perfect start to getting to know a new place to call home. These nine Alabama towns in particular have the most unique festivals. Get ready for a year full of fun!
Vestavia Hills
The Vestavia Hills Wing Ding spring festival, hosted by Leadership Vestavia Hills, is more than a community celebration and an enormous amount of chicken wings. It is a unique and fun way to raise funds for local charities and organizations, like the Vestavia Hills Fire Department, as well as fund scholarships for local students. The festival is held on the lawn of City Hall and features old fashioned fun, like children’s activities and a dunking booth. The city of nearly 40,000 residents (2020 US Census) also hosts the annual Vestavia Hills Dogwood Festival, the longest running festival in Alabama.
Childersburg
Located in Talladega County, Childersburg is home to the Kymulga Grist Mill Park and its “locally famous” shrimp and grits, as well as the Kymulga Grits Festival. The event kicks off summer with mill tours, stone ground grits, children’s activities and more. Try grits at the festival and then take home a bag to enjoy later. The site features a historic covered bridge and miles of hiking trails. Childersburg is a small town, with less than 5,000 residents according to the 2020 census, but it is not short on local attractions, including Majestic Caverns, with an impressive cave and underground waterfall.
Enterprise
Enterprise is home to the Alabama Sweet Tea Festival, boasting tea tastings, a home-brew contest (of tea, of course) and even a tea drinking contest. Sweet tea is more than a Southern staple. Homemade versions differ widely in sweetness, variety and extra details, like lemon or honey. This festival allows brewers to show why their version is the best. This town of just over 28,000 residents, according to the 2020 US Census, also hosts another unique event, the Boll Weevil Fall Festival, inspired by the Boll Weevil Monument, located in downtown Enterprise. This festival features live music, food trucks and arts and crafts vendors.
Ashland
The tiny town of Ashland has a population of about 2,000 people, according to the 2020 US Census, and is just over 7 square miles, but it also has a unique claim to fame as home of the Clay County Alabama Yellow-Meated Watermelon Festival. Think all watermelons are red inside? This festival is here to tell you otherwise. It includes the Watermelon Olympics, an antique car cruise-in, music, crafts, a cornhole tournament and yes, watermelon. Nearby, visitors can enjoy access to the Talladega National Forest and its more than 7,500 acres of wilderness.
Henagar
The Sand Mountain Potato Festival has been an annual tradition in the small North Alabama town of Henagar since 1983. It is part July Fourth celebration and part community gathering, with a parade, food trucks, an antique car show, an antique tractor show and fireworks, all honoring the agricultural traditions of the area. Like many treasured community festivals, the celebration actually starts weeks in advance with the Sand Mountain Miss Potato Pageant. It culminates in the holiday festivities held at Henagar Town Park, creating a place for summer holiday memories for generations.
Loachapoka
Located just a short jaunt from Auburn University, the tiny hamlet of Loachapoka has just 160 residents in its 1.1 square miles, according to the 2020 US Census, but that number explodes to about 10,000 people each October on Syrup Sopping Day at Pioneer Park, according to the Lee County Historical Society. This is a food-centered day of fun, with demonstrations of sugar cane milling and syrup making on the museum grounds of the Lee County Historical Society, plus more local cuisine than any one visitor could try, including sweet potato fritters and corn muffins. Local artisans and crafters are also on hand to sell their unique creations.
Pinson
The Alabama Butterbean Festival makes the transition from summer to fall just a bit easier with plenty of food and outdoor activities, including a carnival. Start the morning with a 5K run and finish the day with fireworks. In between, meet the bean mascot. According to the Clay-Pinson Chamber of Commerce, the festival brings in 30,000 visitors each year, and the 2010 event was recognized by Guinness World Records for the largest pot of baked beans, with more than 1,010 gallons. Pinson is also home to the Turkey Creek Nature Preserve, home to three endangered fish species.
Athens
What’s better than a cup of hot cider on a crisp December evening? How about the Sippin’ Cider Festival, complete with complimentary samples of favorite warm cider recipes to enjoy while you finish holiday shopping. Stop at merchants throughout downtown Athens, try their cider, and vote for your favorite. The winner gets the Cider Cup. Walk, shop, and savor downtown in and around the Limestone County Courthouse Square. According to a 2023 US Census estimate, Athens is home to just over 30,000 people. It will host the 15th annual Sippin’ Cider Festival in 2025.
Clanton
A lot of Southern states have Peach Festivals, but the summer celebration in Clanton is much more specific. This town of nearly 9,000 people, according to the 2020 US Census, focuses its love on sweet farm bounty and loads of live music in its annual Peach Jam Jubilee, held in June. This is a music festival for the whole family, with performances by country and gospel musicians, and with a lot of peaches available for good measure. It also features hot air balloons, festival food, arts and crafts vendors, and children’s activities.
In these nine Alabama towns that have the most unique festivals, you'll share community pride, try the best local eats, and get to know the people who call these towns home. There might be no better way than by joining in the fun and embracing the unique festivals that are part of each town’s individual personality. By visiting, tasting, and celebrating the best of each area, visitors take a little of these communities home, and they might just start planning a return trip to reunite with new friends and continue supporting the local businesses that make small towns thrive.
