Southern Memorial Day Festival Weekend: May 21-25, 2026

A weekend filled with Food, Cultural and Springtime Festivals.

Welcome back, Festival Fans.

I can’t believe Memorial Day is already here!

While many of us will attend Memorial Day services and have BBQ’s with friends and family, some will also be attending festivals this weekend – and there are plenty to enjoy!

Big festival themes this weekend include Food (Crab and Seafood, Banana Pudding, Watermelon Strawberries), Cultural (Native American, Caribbean, Asian, Greek), Music, Art and Patriotic.

Here are some of the festivals going on in each state…

Frog Level Music Festival in Alabama
Remembering Our Veterans Through Music in Alabama
The Dawn of Times Music and Float Festival in Arkansas
Augusta Days in Arkansas
Hurricane Party in Florida
Blue Crab Festival in Florida
Atlanta Jazz Festival in Georgia
Helen Bavarian Fest in Georgia
Kentucky Mountain Laurel Festival in Kentucky
Patriots Festival in Kentucky
Freedom Fest Crawfish Boil Cookoff in Louisiana
St. Clare Seafood Festival in Mississippi
White Squirrel Weekend in North Carolina
NC Sugar Rush in North Carolina
Black Cowboy Festival in South Carolina
Ware Shoals Catfish Feastival in South Carolina
Murfreesboro Strawberry Festival in Tennessee
Banana Pudding Festival in Tennessee
Rooster Walk Music and Arts Festival in Virginia
Blue Crab Arts and Crafts Festival in Virginia

Be sure to go through the lists below and check out the map, as there may be festivals going on around you..

For future weekend of festival posts, be sure to come back and/or Subscribe to receive email notifications when new posts come out.

And, if you use Facebook, there are pages you can like/follow:
Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia.

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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-052526/

And here are the other two sections again…
Northern Section: https://festivalguidesandreviews.com/north-festival-weekend-052526
Western Section: https://festivalguidesandreviews.com/west-festival-weekend-052526

Until next week…

Love, Peace and Festival Grease!

Upcoming Festival Weekend: May 21-25, 2026

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MAP of festival and fair food cities this weekend.

If you can’t see the map on your smartphone, click HERE.

ALABAMA

5/21 – ZooBrews and Food Festival at the Montgomery Zoo – Montgomery
5/22 – Ross Bridge Flower Day – Hoover
5/22-5/23 – RXR Fest – Alexander City
5/22-5/23 – Coal Fest – Brilliant
5/23 – LiveLonger HappyFest – Guntersville
5/23 – Smith Lake Park Memorial Festival – Cullman
5/23 – Hanceville Grilled Cheese Festival – Hanceville
5/23 – Old School and Blues Festival – Harvest
5/23 – Oneonta City Night Market I – Oneonta
5/23 – MayDay Music Festival – Tuscumbia
5/23 – Frog Level Music Festival – Wedowee
5/23-5/24 – Alabama Jubilee Hot-Air Balloon Classic – Decatur
5/23-5/25 – Winds of Time Renaissance Faire – Hayden
5/24 – Remembering Our Veterans Through Music – Florence
5/24 – The Market at MidCity XI – Huntsville

ARKANSAS

5/19-5/24 – Whiskey Ridge Ranch Chuckwagon Races and Western Event – Malvern
5/21-5/23 – Augusta Days – Augusta
5/21-5/24 – Strings on the Kings – Eureka Springs
5/22-5/23 – Blues and BBQ – Fairfield Bay
5/22-5/23 – Felsenthal Bream Festival – Felsenthal
5/22-5/25 – The Dawn of Times Music and Float Festival – Jasper
5/23* – Ouachita Highland Games at Cedar Glades Park – Hot Springs – CANCELLED
5/23 – Good Ol’ Days Festival and Car Show – Mount Ida

FLORIDA

5/21-5/24 – Jacksonville Jazz Festival – Jacksonville
5/22-5/24 – Blue Crab Festival – Palatka
5/22-5/24 – HAAPI Asian Festival – St. Petersburg
5/22-5/24 – Florida Folk Festival – White Springs
5/23 – Clermont Reggae Festival – Clermont
5/23 – Red, White and Bloom Market – Dover
5/23 – Boca H2O Music Festival – Fort Myers
5/23 – Largo Evening Market III – Largo
5/23 – Hurricane Party – Sanford
5/23-5/24 – Tampa Bay Barbecue Festival and Competition – St. Petersburg
5/24 – Forgotten Coast Sea Turtle Festival – Port St. Joe
5/25 – Green Cove Springs Memorial Day RiverFest – Green Cove Springs
5/25* – Myakka River Blues Festival – Venice – DISCONTINUED

GEORGIA

5/22-5/23 – 1890 Days Jamboree – Ringgold
5/23 – Atlanta Caribbean Carnival – Atlanta
5/23 – Brew at the Zoo – Atlanta
5/23 – Helen Bavarian Fest – Helen
5/23 – Cars and Guitar Festival – Hartwell
5/23 – May Market and Melodies – Summerville
5/23-5/24 – Alpharetta Arts Fest – Alpharetta
5/23-5/24 – Blairsville Spring Arts and Crafts and Music Festival – Blairsville
5/23-5/24 – Spring Arts in the Park – Blue Ridge
5/23-5/24 – The Camp – Peachtree City
5/23-5/25 – Atlanta Jazz Festival – Atlanta
5/23-5/25* – Georgia Apple Blossom Festival – East Ellijay – DISCONTINUED
5/23-5/25 – The Georgia Renaissance Festival VII – Fairburn
5/24 – Hartwell Lakeside Music Festival– Hartwell

KENTUCKY

5/21-5/23 – Strawberry Festival – Beaver Dam
5/21-5/24 – Grayson Memory Days – Grayson
5/21-5/24 – Kentucky Mountain Laurel Festival – Pineville
5/22-5/24 – Native Dawn Flute Gathering – Harrodsburg
5/23 – Ashland Pride Picnic – Ashland
5/23 – DiverCity Festival – Lexington
5/23 – Live in Liberty Music Festival – Liberty
5/23* – Makers Market at the Parklands – Louisville – DISCONTINUED
5/23 – Midway Summer Block Party I – Midway
5/23-5/24 – Spring into Summer Festival – Oak Grove
5/23-5/25 – Speleofest – Bonnieville
5/23-5/25 – Poppy Festival – Paris
5/24 – Patriots Festival – Lexington

LOUISIANA

5/21-5/23 – Beauregard Watermelon Festival – DeRidder
5/21-5/24 – Jambalaya Festival – Gonzales
5/22 – Party on the Plank – Saint Joseph
5/22-5/23 – The Authentic Bonnie and Clyde Festival – Gibsland
5/22-5/24* – Cajun Country Jam – Denham Springs – DISCONTINUED
5/22-5/24 – New Orleans Greek Festival – New Orleans
5/22-5/24 – Mudbug Madness – Shreveport
5/23 – Woodmere Festival – Harvey – RAIN DATE
5/23 – Freedom Fest Crawfish Boil Cookoff – Houma
5/23-5/24 – Baton Rouge Soul Food Festival – Baton Rouge
5/24 – Zydeco Extravaganza – Lafayette

MISSISSIPPI

5/22-5/23 – Atwood Music Festival – Monticello
5/22-5/24 – St. Clare Seafood Festival – Waveland
5/23 – Tater Superbad Blues Festival – Clarksdale
5/23 – Metcalfe Homecoming – Metcalfe
5/24 – Bad Apple Blues Festival – Clarksdale
5/24 – Jazz in the Pass – Pass Christian

NORTH CAROLINA

5/21-5/24 – Tony Rice Memorial Day MusicFest – Elon
5/22-5/23 – Swain County Heritage Festival – Bryson City
5/22-5/23 – The Maggie Valley Fly Fishing Outdoor Festival – Maggie Valley
5/22-5/23 – Gears and Guitars Music Festival – Winston-Salem
5/22-5/24 – White Squirrel Weekend – Brevard
5/23 – Greater Bath Memorial Day Celebration – Bath
5/23 – Beech Mountain’s Mile High Kite Festival – Beech Mountain
5/23 – Mega Munch Music Fest – Lexington
5/23 – Mebane Food Truck Rodeo – Mebane
Weekend continues below…

5/23 – The Groove Market at Riverlights II – Wilmington
5/23 – Taco Festival at Waterline Brewing – Wilmington
5/23-5/24 – North Carolina Fossil Festival – Aurora
5/23-5/24 – Art on the Greene I – Banner Elk
5/23-5/24 – Seven Clans Rodeo – Cherokee
5/23-5/24 – St. Basil of Ostrog Serb Fest – Kernersville
5/23-5/24* – First Fruits Farm Memorial Balloon Festival – Louisburg – DISCONTINUED
5/23-5/24 – Orange Street ArtsFest – Wilmington
5/24 – Hampstead Blooms and Beer Fest – Hampstead
5/24 – NC Sugar Rush – Raleigh
5/24 – Winston-Salem Spring Food Truck Festival – Winston-Salem

SOUTH CAROLINA

5/18-5/24 – Fair at Heritage Park II – Simpsonville
5/21-5/23 – Plum Hollow Festival – Campobello
5/21-5/23 – Ware Shoals Catfish Feastival – Ware Shoals
5/21-5/24 – Quirky Experience – Anderson
5/21-5/24 – Black Cowboy Festival – Sumter
5/22-5/23 – Flopeye Fish Festival – Great Falls
5/22-5/24 – Original Gullah Festival – Beaufort
5/22-5/24 – Spoleto Festival USA I – Charleston
5/22-5/24 – Hilton Head Art Festival – Hilton Head Island
5/23 – Greenville Scottish Games – Greenville

TENNESSEE

5/22 – Friday Night Market in the BORO and Food Truck Festival IV – Murfreesboro
5/22-5/24 – Camp Reggae – Turtletown
5/23 – Big Sandy Spring Festival – Big Sandy
5/23 – Chattanooga Beer Fest – Chattanooga
5/23 – Chattanooga River Market XII – Chattanooga
5/23 – Granville Heritage Day – Granville
5/23 – Murfreesboro Strawberry Festival – Murfreesboro
5/23 – Banana Pudding Festival – Ooltewah
5/23-5/24 – Exit 56 Blues Fest – Brownsville
5/23-5/24 – Chattanooga Fairy and Folk Festival – Chattanooga
5/23-5/24* – CaveJam at The Caverns – Pelham – CANCELLED
5/23-5/24 – East Tennessee Renaissance Faire – Sevierville
5/23-5/25 – Tennessee Renaissance Festival IV – Arrington
5/24 – Chattanooga Market Street Food Festival – Chattanooga

VIRGINIA

5/20-5/23 – Dr. Ralph Stanley Hills of Home Festival – Clintwood
5/21-5/24 – Rooster Walk Music and Arts Festival – Axton
5/22-5/23 – Newtown Heritage Festival – Stephens City
5/22-5/24 – Virginia Women’s Music Festival – Kents Store
5/22-5/24 – Patriotic Festival – Norfolk
5/22-5/24 – Festival in the Park – Roanoke
5/22-5/24 – Umoja Festival – Portsmouth
5/23 – Spring Bluegrass Festival at Windsor Lavender Farm – Amelia Court House
5/23 – Dog Days at Breaux Vineyards – Purcellville
5/23 – Rock the Dock Music Festival – Williamsburg
5/23 – West Oaks Farm Market’s Strawberry Festival – Winchester
5/23-5/24 – Charlottesville Arts Festival – Charlottesville
5/23-5/24 – Blue Crab Arts and Crafts Festival – Hartfield
5/23-5/24 – Virginia Fantasy Festival IV – Madison
5/23-5/24 – Virginia Herb Festival – Middletown
5/23-5/24 – Virginia Renaissance Faire III – Spotsylvania Courthouse
5/23-5/25 – ViVa! Vienna! Festival – Vienna
5/25 – Falls Church Memorial Day Parade and Festival – Falls Church

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