The 14th annual Bear on the Square Mountain Festival , an incredible weekend of music and art held each spring in the foothills of the North Georgia mountains, will be April 16-18, 2010.

Old time and blue grass music will fill the Historic Public Square in Dahlonega, GA. Jamming goes on day and night around the square while other local, regional, and national musicians take the stage all day Saturday and Sunday.

A juried artist's marketplace features traditional mountain art and crafts. Extensive music workshops, a Sunday morning Gospel Jam, a street dance, a live auction, children's activities, a heritage center demonstrating mountain traditions, and of course, food, complete the offerings, making Bear on the Square the perfect outing for the whole family.

The 24^th Annual Mountain Flower Fine Art and Wine Festival will be held Saturday May 15th and Sunday May 16th on the Dahlonega Public Square.

Come out and enjoy over 70 artists of all varieties and even watch some of them as they create their art on the spot. From pottery to two dimensional artwork, to photography, we have something for everyone.

As the heart of Georgia's Wine Country, Dahlonega has two great wine festivals on June 5th & 6th, 2010. Visit the Georgia Fine Wine Festival on the grounds of BlackStock Vineyards & Winery, then head over to Three Sisters Vineyards & Winery to enjoy the Georgia Wine Country Festival. This is sure to be a great weekend in Dahlonega for wine connoisseurs everywhere!

The 20th Annual Mountain Top Rodeo, June 25th & 26th, 2010, will be a highlight on the Rodeo circuit not only for all the world-class competitive action, but also for the breathtaking beauty of it’s North Georgia Mountain location. This year promises to be one of the best years to date with non-stop action, hilarious antics, and more fun than you can handle!

The Midway will be filled again with vendors with everything from funnel cakes, boiled peanuts and grilled hamburgers and hotdogs to bungee jumping, a rock wall, and a mechanical bull. So shine up your spurs, get out your timers, and let’s get ready to RODEO!

Join us on July 4, 2010 to celebrate the Fourth family-style in Dahlonega on the historic town square. Do you remember being a child and what the 4th of July meant –hot dogs, watermelon, parades, flags waving and fun with family and friends while you waited until it got dark enough for the fireworks?  Then you sat watching the skies with anticipation as you heard the swoosh of the rocket and the ooohs and ahhhs at the burst of light and sparkles.  

Saturday, August 21, 2010, the Fool's Gold 100 is Georgia's first and only 100 mile mountain bike race, brought to you by the race director of the largest and most fun 24 hour mountain bike race in the Southeast, the BURN 24 Hour Challenge!

Expect lots of singletrack with a few gravel road grunts. Be prepared to ride hard..and drink a few brews. With the low entry great schwag, all of the essential amenities (i.e. optional lodging with meals & beer) all weekend, and cash payout for the Open Men/Womens class in the 100 miler, we think this one will be on your race calendar for good!

Blues, Barbecue, and Bikes! That will be the theme for the inaugural Georgia Bluesfest 2010, to be held on August 21, 2010.  Along with a full day of superb Blues music, the BluesFest will be smokin’ up the mountains with a championship barbecue cook-off, featuring some of the most mouth-watering and delicious cookin’ you’ll ever wrap your lips around. Wait till you see what is in store for all you barbecue aficionados.

Coming on September 26, 2010 and taking place in Georgia's Premier Cycling Venue, the Six Gap Century & Three Gap Fifty boasts many of the same roads and mountain climbs as the elite Tour de Georgia. Come ride the Ride of the Pros!

The Dahlonega-Lumpkin County Chamber of Commerce is proud to present the 22nd Annual Six Gap Century and Three Gap Fifty Bike Ride – Tour of the North Georgia Mountains.

Gold Rush Days are held the third weekend in October (the 16th and 17th for 2010), when thousands come to see fall colors peaking and celebrate Dahlonega's 1828 discovery of gold. Over 300 art and craft exhibitors gather around the Public Square and Historic District in support of this annual event, and it is estimated that a crowd of over 200,000 visit over the weekend to join in the fun and excitement!

While in town for Gold Rush, come out on October 16th & 17th, 2010 to visit the Dahlonega Rock & Mineral Show. Proceeds from the show will go to raise money to preserve the Captain McDonald House. The McDonald House belonged to a Confederate Captain who fought with the Blue Ridge Rifles from Dahlonega. He was wounded near the end of the war and was not at his units surrender at Appomatox. His home is the last Confederate officer's house in the county. This fundraiser will help preserve the history behind the house for future generations.

HemlockFest is an annual benefit music festival, held on November 5-7, 2010, to increase public awareness and generate funds to help save the eastern and Carolina hemlock trees.  Money raised will be used for support of the Georgia laboratories rearing adelgid-devouring beetles, education and research on the HWA problem, and assisting businesses and homeowners to protect hemlocks on their private property.

Welcome To Booklover's Paradise! The Dahlonega Literary Festival and Writer’s Conference is a celebration of books, authors and literacy.  The 7th Annual Festival will be held this year November 13-14, 2010, in and surrounding Dahlonega’s Historic Public Square. Begun in 2004 by Kate Quigley McElliott, the Dahlonega Literary Festival celebrates books, writers, literacy, storytelling and literary performance art. Late in December, 2003, Kate called together a group of interested community and university people to begin The Dahlonega Literary Festival & Writer’s Conference.

Dahlonega's Old Fashioned Christmas is a month-long celebration set into motion on Friday, November 26, 2010 with the Lighting of the Square. A real home-town parade officially bringing Santa to town occurs on Saturday, December 4th.

Plenty of other festive holiday events continue almost daily throughout December until after New Year’s with caroling, entertainment, wine sampling, live theater Christmas events.

For more information, please contact the Dahlonega-Lumpkin County Visitors Center at 706-864-3513.