Crowd at outdoor fair with tents, trees, and a cloudy sky.

The Cotton Fair

A Southern tradition since 1972! Join us in May and October for two days of handmade artisan goods, antiques, live music and farm-fresh food in the historic town of Gay, Georgia.

Ticket to the Cotton Fair in Gay, Georgia, showing admission hours of 9AM to 5PM on certain days.
Map showing directions from Atlanta to Columbus, Georgia, and nearby cities.
Logo for Artisans & Antiques, featuring illustrations of hands shaping clay, crossed paintbrushes, and a vintage key.
Logotype with a graphic of a plate with a fork, knife, and spoon, and the text "Farmers Food Southern Fair Food from Local Vendors"
Logo of Towerhouse Farm Brewery with an illustration of a farmer on a tractor, and the text "FARM RESPONSIBLY" and "ON-SITE TAPROOM AT LONGLEAF".
Promotional poster for a live music performance featuring regional talent on the fairgrounds stage, with graphics of a guitar and microphones.
Logo with shaking hands and the text "The Cotton Fair, Established 1972, Gay, Georgia" surrounding it.
Message encouraging viewers to stay in the loop and join the newsletter for fair updates.
Crowd gathered at the Cotton Fair in Gay, Georgia, with trees and a cloudy sky in the background.
Decorative logo with the phrase 'Plan Ahead' in cursive blue font, flanked by yellow and white starburst designs on a black background.

VISITING THE FAIR

Everything you need to know before you head to Gay, Georgia

A poster promoting tickets for the 2027 Spring Fair, featuring an illustration of a ticket with a clock symbol, and text indicating ticket information will be announced.
A beige-colored sign for the Cotton Fair, located in Gay, Georgia, with a circular logo featuring cotton plants and the establishment year 1972, and directions for location and weekend hours.
FAQ section about Cotton Fair visit, asking if viewers have questions and directing them to find answers on the website.
Text about the Cotton Fair dates and weather, with a small icon of a calendar at the top left corner.
Group of people standing behind a sign at the Cotton Fair in Gay, Georgia, celebrating the event's history since 1972, with the sign mentioning the first weekend of May and October, and a logo at the bottom reading 'The Cotton Fair Gay, Georgia'.

Learn more detailed history of The Cotton Fair’s location and structures.

The Cotton Fair's History
Vintage-style banner promoting a children's theater, featuring red, white, and blue colors, with stars, decorative borders, and the text "The Cotton Fair Children's Theater Big Stories for Young Dreamers."
Santa Claus sitting on a green velvet sofa outdoors with a clown celebrating behind him in front of a barn. The clown has colorful rainbow clothing and rainbow hair, and the scene is at a children's theater event.

The Children’s Theater at The Cotton Fair is a must stop location! Come to be entertained and leave with stories everyone will be talking about all the way home!

Christmas magic is in the air as Santa is making an early appearance at The Cotton Fair! Santa Ken Kringle brings his gift of story telling and his puppets quickly come to life, before you know it the children aren’t just listening. They’re laughing, calling out, and waiting to see what his puppet will say next! 

Clementine and Company are coming and bringing the good times with them! Clementine the Clown brings her own delightful brand of wonder. Balloons twist into surprising shapes and transform into anything you can imagine, tiny and giant bubbles drift just beyond little outstretched hands, and her comedy keeps everyone laughing. Don’t miss the enchantment of the Children’s Theater.
Play. Laugh. Imagine.

Logo for The Vendors with stylized text and comic-style starbursts on both sides.
Festival map of The Cotton Fair in Gay, Georgia, held October 3-4, 2026, featuring booths, stages, parking areas, and entrances.
A detailed list of various craft, hobby, and DIY categories and projects, including antiques, furniture, accessories, gardening accents, leather, wood, metal, children's activities, outdoor activities, jewelry, folk art, soap and products, and toys and dolls.
Promotional graphic for The Fall Cotton Fair 2026, stating 'Take Me to the Program' with information about program availability, part of the Cotton Fair event in Georgia, featuring cotton imagery.
Blue promotional poster for The Cotton Fair in Georgia, encouraging artisans and makers to apply to be vendors, with details about the application dates and a logo featuring a cotton plant.
Black background with the words 'Community Partners' written in a brown, cursive font and decorated with two starburst symbols, one on each side of the text.
Black background with the words 'Community Partners' written in a brown, cursive font and decorated with two starburst symbols, one on each side of the text.

Support Our Civic Organizations

Local clubs, churches, nonprofits run many of the food stands at the fair. Every dollar is reinvested back into Meriwether County.

Stop by, say thanks, & grab a bite.

Group of four smiling people standing behind a service table at the Meriwether Rotary Club event, with a menu sign and jars of pickles on the table, and a food item labeled Footlong Hotdogs in front of the person on the left, and Candy Apples in front of the person on the right.
A webpage featuring Lions Club of Manchester with the slogan 'Kindness matters'. The top shows an outdoor scene with a man in a yellow hat and yellow shirt pointing towards a logo, with a draped building in ruins and a beach in the background. Below, the webpage displays images of a slice of pizza and a ham biscuit, labeled 'Pizza' and 'Ham Biscuit' respectively.
A group of Boy Scouts and adults at an outdoor event with tents and tables, a large tree in the foreground, and a display of a peach cobbler in a cast iron skillet in the lower section of the image.
A group of six people standing inside a rustic wooden stall at an outdoor festival, with a sign above them that reads 'Mount Venus Baptist Church Fried Chicken' and a menu board listing various fried chicken meal options. The people are smiling and appear to be staff or volunteers at the event.
A group of five people standing in front of a booth at an event, with a large sign reading 'Greenville Lions Club.' The booth displays two types of nuts: boiled peanuts and roasted pecans, with photos of both types below the signs. The people are smiling, wearing name tags, and two of them wear matching yellow shirts. The booth appears to be outdoors with a wooden structure and some greenery in the background.
A nonprofit animal shelter webpage header featuring a white dog with brown spots looking upward on the left side, a circular logo with a stylized dog and cat face in the center, and a second photo of a white dog wearing a yellow bandana with 'Adopt Me' written on it against a wooden fence background at the bottom.
Vintage-style logo reading 'Our Sponsors' in green cursive font with starburst accents at each end.
Business card for Jason Mask & Company, Rolloff, with phone number 770-210-6690, featuring logo with a red and black stylized 'M' inside a circle on a white background.
Logo of The Bear 92.5 radio station with a black bear paw print, the station's frequency in red, and the tagline 'The Southside's Best Country'.
Logo of the Joy FM radio station, featuring white text 'the joy fm' inside a red circle on a dark grey background.
Business card for Mask Tire in Hollonville, Georgia with tire logo and contact number 678-572-4092.
Close-up of a red Coca-Cola logo on a dark gray background.
Company logo for Janson Trucking Inc., including website URL and contact number.
Logo of First People’s Bank with green text on a circular white background, enclosed in a dark blue rectangle.
Mason Tractor Co. logo with text 'Since 1940' on a circular badge with teal background.
Logo of Perkins Generator Store, a company specializing in generator sales and service.
Text overlay on promotional material for becoming a sponsor at the Cotton Fair in Gay, Georgia. It encourages local businesses to partner and help maintain Georgia tradition.

On The Grounds

While You Are Here

Outdoor seating area with wooden chairs and a fire pit in front of a white building labeled 'Towerhouse Farm Brewery,' with trees and a gravel ground. Indoor section shows a cozy bar/restaurant with vintage furniture, green leather couch, high tables, and red curtains. Another image shows industrial-style interior door with metal handle and rustic decor.

Towerhouse Farm Brewery

An on-site taproom pouring farmhouse-style beer alongside the weekend's artisan booths and live music

Visit Towerhouse Farm Brewery

Old, weathered wooden house with rusted metal roof surrounded by greenery and white flowers in a rural setting.

Longleaf

A collection of restored historic buildings that host the fairgrounds, serve as a backdrop for weddings, gatherings and the occasional film crew.

Visit Longleaf