Weird Southern Spring Festivals
- Cheré Dastugue Coen
- Mar 25
- 5 min read
This time of year, Southerners celebrate all good things. And we mean everything!
The flowers are blooming, the weather’s warming up and our thoughts turn to festivals. And boy, does the South have its share. Louisiana alone has 400-plus! To whet your appetite we’ve spotlighted a few of the weird ones.
April 22, 24-27, 2025, Vidalia, Geogia
This festival will bring tears to your eyes—literally! It's an annual homage to the sweet onions that only grow in this region of Georgia, and boy are they delicious. Clint Black headlines the music portion, and there's plenty of acts to follow. There will be cooking demonstrations with Vera Stewart, golf tournament, Blessing of the Crops, street dance and more. Don't miss sampling all the wonderful dishes Vidalia produces with these sweet onions. You'll be crying with happiness.
I was fortunate to visit the area during the harvest of those famous Georgia onions and I not only watched those sweet onions being harvested but sampled an array of dishes that incorporated them, including a cheesecake topped by carmelized Vidalia onions! These unique onions are perfect in a variety of dishes, especially where something sweet yet tangy makes all the difference. One of the many products I sampled while in Georgia was Braswell’s, which creates delicious jams, marinades, vinaigrettes, relish and much more. My favorite since I’m a fan of the Vidalia onion is Braswell’s Vidalia Onion Relish. Look at the end of this post for a nifty recipe incorporating that relish.
April 5, 2025, Cleveland, Tennessee
The fun happens from noon to 7 p.m. in downtown Cleveland with live music, artist exhibitors, pop-up street performances, family games, contests, food vendors and yes, hot slaw! Hot slaw is a unique side dish found in Cleveland and environs, consisting of slaw with mustard, mayo and a secret sauce concoction.
April 26, 2025, Slidell, Louisiana
Crawfish are a seafood staple on menus throughout coastal Louisiana in the spring, including in St. Tammany Parish, affectionately referred to as “The Northshore” of New Orleans. Slidell’s Cook-Off is considered the largest single-day crawfish cook-off in the world, with more than 40,000 pounds of crawfish and 17,500 pounds of fixings boiled by more than 60 teams.
April 18-June 8, 2025, Dollywood, Pigeon Forge, Tennessee
Now in its 40th year, Dolly Parton’s namesake theme park in East Tennessee’s Great Smoky Mountains welcomes spring with its annual Dollywood’s Flower & Food Festival. Look for exhilarating rides, entertainment, spring blooms, larger-than-life “Mosaicultures” crafted from thousands of living plants and 500,000 brilliant blooms throughout the park. They also can enjoy a sampling of garden-fresh bites and refreshing sips that highlight the tastes of spring in the Smokies. This year, taste new plates with international flair like the Honey Garlic Chicken Skillet and Southern-inspired favorites including the Honey & Peach Bar-B-Q Sandwich. Don't miss the Umbrella Sky!
April 25-27, 2025, on the Florida/Alabama state line, where Orange Beach, Alabama, meets the outskirts of Pensacola, Florida
People travel from across the globe to participate in this legendary event that is centered around one fish: the mullet. The Mullet Toss is a fish-throwing contest from Florida into Alabama, at a legendary roadhouse that sits right on the state line. This event was started more than 35 years ago by one of the Flora-Bama’s owners, Joe Gilchrist. After a trip out west, where he watched a cow chipping contest, Joe wanted to bring an event of similar energy back home with him. He chose to toss mullet, one of the region’s indigenous fish species. Fifty of his friends dragged a cooler on the beach behind the bar and tossed some mullet for the first year the event was held. The event has grown to include a weekend-long party with fun activities, music and food. Note: This year marks the 50th anniversary of the lounge's trademark cocktail the Bushwacker, a milkshake-style drink invented in the U.S. Virgin Islands in 1975 but made famous at the Flora-Bama Lounge. If you're done tossing mullets, take a drive along the Bushwacker Trail.
April 26-27, 2025, Hastings, Florida
This festival of three food groups celebrates the town’s agricultural roots. The event features
premier farm-to-table culinary demonstrations, an exclusive Chef Tasting event, local traditions like the Great Hastings Mow Down Lawn Mower races, an artisan market, live music, the scenic Spud Run 5K & 10K, and the Miss Potato Queen Beauty Pageant. This free event will be from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.
Saturday, April 12, 2025, Grapevine, Texas
Sip, savor and stroll at the springtime celebration on Grapevine’s charming Historic Main Street. With a souvenir wine glass and passport in hand, embark on a self-guided journey through Grapevine’s nine winery tasting rooms and art galleries from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Come early and take part in the Blessing of the Vines and Procession, a centuries-old European tradition that starts at 10:30 a.m. on Peace Plaza at Grapevine Main Station. The procession features Mariachis, Bacchus and Ariadne, the St. Urbanis statue and even a 100-pound cluster of grapes. A complimentary wine tasting immediately follows so visitors can toast the day with photos by a 1929 Chevy grape-crushing truck, affectionately called Miss Grapevine. The first 100 people will also get a blessed vine to take home. Make it a whole wine weekend by riding the Jazz Wine Train on the Grapevine Vintage Railroad Fridays, March 28, April 4 and 11, 2025, and stay in one of Grapevine’s 20 hotels including Gaylord Texan Resort, Hilton DFW Lakes, the boutique Hotel Vin and other fantastic select-service hotels. There is also a complimentary Grapevine Visitors Shuttle to help you get around with ease.
June 21, 2025, Bell Buckle, Tennessee
This Bell Buckle event is a wacky, fun-for-the-whole-family celebration of the South’s original fast food—an ice-cold RC Cola and a fresh MoonPie. (For the uninitiated, a MoonPie consists of two round graham cookies with marshmallow filling in the center, dipped in a flavored coating.) The event includes live music, clog dancing, MoonPie games and a colorful parade.
Weird, Wacky & Wild South is written by food and travel writer Cheré Dastugue Coen, who always brakes for a unique Southern festival. She even got to meet Yumion the Vidalia Onion!
Here's that recipe mentioned above: Braswell's Turkey Sliders with Vidalia Onion Relish
2 pounds ground turkey
1 jar Braswell's Vidalia Onion Relish
16 slider rolls
Lettuce and Tomato
Directions: Place ground turkey in a medium bowl and gently fold in Braswell’s Vidalia Onion Relish (over mixing will make sliders tough). Roll 2 ounces of meat mixture into a small ball and flatten to make patty. Grill, flipping once, until internal temperature reaches 160 degrees (about three minutes per side). Place sliders on warm buns and top with lettuce, tomato and your favorite condiments. Makes 16 sliders.
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