Festivals slowly pick up as we enter the new year.
Welcome back, Festival Fans.
It’s our first non-holiday weekend and festivals, while very numerous, are going on across the states.
This weekend, you’ll find more festivals in states like Tennessee, Virginia, North Carolina and especially Florida.
While there are still some Holiday Light Festivals continuing from last year, there are some unique and fun festivals going on this weekend as well, including the…
- Festival of Cranes in Alabama
- Raising Cane and Moonshine Festival in Florida
- Tampa Oyster Fest in Florida
- Venezia Renaissance Faire in Florida
- Weenie Spaghetti Cookoff Festival in Louisiana
- Raleigh Chocolate, Wine and Whiskey Festival in North Carolina
- Virginia Fly Fishing and Wine Festival in Virginia
And more!
If you don’t see any festivals you like (or if there are no festivals going on in your state), you can see what’s going on later in the year via the 2026 Festival Guide.
I’ve been working diligently on updating the festival info (dates, links, etc.) and making changes daily.
So keep checking and please share the Festival Guides with others!
****
Have a great weekend, everyone!
If you happen to be in Ohio this weekend, check this weekend’s post at OhioFestivals.net to see what’s going on. You can find this week’s post at https://ohiofestivals.net/ohio-weekend-011126/
And here are the other two sections again…
Northern Section: https://festivalguidesandreviews.com/north-festival-weekend-011126
Western Section: https://festivalguidesandreviews.com/west-festival-weekend-011126
Until next week…
Love, Peace and Festival Grease!
Upcoming Festival Weekend: January 8-11, 2026
********************
MAP of festival and fair food cities this weekend.
If you can’t see the map on your smartphone, click HERE.
****
Reviews for Festivals this Week
****
Only want to see festivals in your state?
Go directly to your State Festival Guide.
Alabama | Arizona | Arkansas | California | Colorado | Delaware | Florida
Georgia | Illinois | Indiana | Iowa | Kansas | Kentucky | Louisiana
Maryland | Michigan | Minnesota | Mississippi | Missouri | Nevada
New Jersey | New Mexico | New York | North Carolina | Ohio | Oklahoma
Oregon | Pennsylvania | South Carolina | Tennessee | Texas | Virginia
Washington | Washington, DC | West Virginia | Wisconsin
Otherwise, continue down for all of this weekend’s festivals…
****
ALABAMA
1/5-1/6 – Magic Christmas in Lights VII – Theodore
1/9-1/11 – Festival of Cranes – Decatur
ARKANSAS
No festivals this weekend.
FLORIDA
1/7-1/11 – The Central Florida Zoo and Botanical Gardens Asian Lantern Festival IX – Sanford
1/8-1/11 – Night Garden IX – Coral Gables
1/9-1/11 – Everglades Roots Festival – Ochopee
1/9-1/11 – Foodees Fest: Port Richey – Port Richey
1/10 – Raising Cane and Moonshine Festival – Dade City
1/10 – Fiesta de Pueblo – Greenacres
1/10 – Tampa Oyster Fest – Tampa
1/10 – Winter Jam: Tampa – Tampa
1/10-1/11 – Venezia Renaissance Faire I – Bonita Springs
1/10-1/11 – Cape Coral Art Festival and Market Place – Cape Coral
1/10-1/11 – Gainesville Folk Festival – Gainesville
1/10-1/11 – Florida Keys Celtic Festival – Marathon Key
1/11 – Winter Jam: Jacksonville – Jacksonville
1/11 – Sanford Food Truck Fiesta I – Sanford
GEORGIA
1/5-1/11 – Garden Lights, Holiday Nights IX – Atlanta
1/5-1/11 – IllumiNights at the Zoo: A Lantern Festival VIII – Atlanta
KENTUCKY
1/5-1/11 – Patti’s Festival of Lights X – Grand Rivers
LOUISIANA
1/9-1/10 – Fur and Wildlife Festival – Cameron
1/10 – Weenie Spaghetti Cookoff Festival – Houma
MISSISSIPPI
No festivals this weekend.
NORTH CAROLINA
1/5-1/11 – NC Chinese Lantern Festival IX – Cary
1/10 – The Arbor Hills Holiday Festival VII – Cleveland
1/10 – Raleigh Chocolate, Wine and Whiskey Festival – Raleigh
SOUTH CAROLINA
1/7-1/11 – Riverbanks Zoo Wild Lights VIII – Columbia
1/9 – Winter Jam: Columbia – Columbia
TENNESSEE
1/5-1/11 – Lights Over Gatlinburg X – Gatlinburg
1/7-1/11 – Asian Lantern Festival at the Chattanooga Zoo VIII – Chattanooga
1/8-1/11 – Memphis Zoo Lantern Festival IX – Memphis
1/8-1/11 – Zoolumination: Chinese Festival of Lights IX – Nashville
VIRGINIA
1/5-1/11 – Winter Lantern Festival VIII – Tysons
1/5-1/11 – Winter Lantern Festival: Williamsburg IX – Williamsburg
1/9-1/10 – Virginia Fly Fishing and Wine Festival – Doswell
Alabama | Arizona | Arkansas | California | Colorado | Delaware | Florida
Georgia | Illinois | Indiana | Iowa | Kansas | Kentucky | Louisiana
Maryland | Michigan | Minnesota | Mississippi | Missouri | Nevada
New Jersey | New Mexico | New York | North Carolina | Ohio | Oklahoma
Oregon | Pennsylvania | South Carolina | Tennessee | Texas | Virginia
Washington | Washington, DC | West Virginia | Wisconsin
****************