Georgia is one of the largest producers of peaches in the U.S. They are also considered to be the sweetest and juiciest, no wonder the annual Georgia Peach Festival gathers thousands of visitors. The festival is held in the cities of Byron and Fort Valley, Georgia, during the peach season every June, celebrating peach growers and Georgia's beautiful orchards.
The festival's main highlight is the World's Largest Peach Cobbler that is prepared and presented during the event for everyone to enjoy a bite. There is also plenty of other attractions: Fun Kids Zone, Georgia Largest Inflatable Water Slide, live music concert, and fireworks at the end of the festival.
The Georgia Peach Festival attracts about 10,000 visitors every year. It features celebrity chef cooking demonstrations, amazing arts & crafts vendors, as well as a variety of food trucks and vendors. Don't miss the Annual Peachy Parade, held in Downtown Fort Valley, with floats, marching bands, and lots of music.
Peaches have been planted in Georgia since the 18th century and became a commercial crop in the mid-19th century. Georgia currently grows more than 1.7 million bushels of peaches every year. The festival is held in Peach County, which is the epicentre of Georgia's peach industry.
Georgia Peach Festival History
From 1922 to 1926, Fort Valley celebrated the arrival of peach blossoms with yearly festivals featuring dances, songs, grand pageants, and mouthwatering barbecues. These extravagant events were likened to the extravagance of Mardi Gras and California's Rose Festival. Soon, thousands from around the globe would flock to Fort Valley every March. It's been documented that up to 40,000 individuals visited the town during the festival, prompting its discontinuation in 1926 due to its overwhelming success.
The revival of the Georgia Peach Festival in 1986 aimed to recognize peach growers for their economic contributions to the state and the broader food industry. Additionally, it serves as a wonderful platform to highlight the positive aspects of Byron and Fort Valley.
