39th Annual Unicoi County Apple Festival

The Unicoi County Chamber of Commerce will host its 39th annual Unicoi County Apple Festival on Friday and Saturday, Oct. 7 and 8, from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. each day.
The festival draws more than 110,000 annual attendees and has been consistently named one of the Southeast Tourism Society’s Top 20 events in the southeast and is a three-year winner of the Northeast Tennessee Tourism Association’s Pinnacle Award. The premier two-day event offers something for everyone — handmade crafts, antiques, entertainment, a large children’s area, a Blue Ridge Pottery show and sale, contests and a smorgasbord of food!
The craft festival, featuring nearly 350 vendors from around the country, will be lined along the downtown streets of Erwin showcasing their unique arts, crafts and foods.
Three entertainment stages will showcased throughout the festival grounds including the Love Street Stage, Gay Street Stage and Gathering Place Stage. On Friday and Saturday, the Love Street Stage will feature Christian artists and Southern Gospel groups from around the region. The Gay Street Stage is a pro-touring stage that will feature two-days of the regions best country, rock, indie-rock and acoustic music.The Gathering Place Stage will be dedicated to bluegrass artists.
The children’s area, sponsored by the Unicoi County Family YMCA, will feature games and rides for the young and young at heart.
Bring your appetite and let it have a festival. You can enjoy everything from Chinese to Greek foods, traditional foods such and barbecue and homemade hamburgers to apple pies and apple fritters. For your convenience, three food courts including tables and chairs have been established.
To enliven one’s competitive spirit, the Unicoi County Apple Festival includes many activities and contests. For the athletic competitors, a week-long tennis tournament, sponsored by Farm Bureau Insurance will be held at Fishery Park. On October 8, runners from across a five-state region will converge on the streets of Erwin for the running of the Nuclear Fuel Services Apple Festival 4-mile footrace and 2-mile race walk.
The 37th annual Blue Ridge Pottery show and sale, held at the Unicoi County Intermediate School, is a must-see for Blue Ridge pottery collectors and admirers. Rare pieces can often be found during the show.Blue Ridge Pottery, now sought after by collectors worldwide, originated in Unicoi County.
The festival spans across a 5 block section of downtown Erwin and includes adjoining side streets.From Interstate 26, take Exit 37 into downtown Erwin.Several parking areas around Exit 37 have been secured for festival attendees.
To ensure the safety of the large number of attendees, festival organizers ask that you please do not bring pets onto the festival grounds. Bicycles and skateboards are also not permitted on festival grounds.