Every town expresses its unique character in its festivals and celebrations. Charlottesville has long-standing events which celebrate its range of historical roots…. from agriculture to education. Check out the links below for our 5 Favorite Charlottesville Festivals.
1. Carter’s Mountain Apple Festival. This is so much fun. 
If you love autumn weekends and apples of all kinds…. old fashioned varieties as well as all of your favorites… it’s worth the trek/drive to the top of the mountain to attend (and the views are amazing too). In addition to pecks and baskets and barrels of apples, there’s apple cider and baked goodies. In our somewhat biased opinion, the best apples are Ginger Gold… even when sliced or pared, they don’t turn brown, and they’re wonderful for crispy eating or delicious pies. Our #1 reason to attend the Apple Festival is apple cider donuts…. handmade onsite, warm and wonderful.
2. Virginia Festival of The Book. The Festival of the Book is generally timed as a kickoff to the spring season in Charlottesville, a full 5 days dedicated to books and authors and all things literary. It is billed as “the largest gathering of authors, writers, and readers in the Commonwealth, and indeed, the Mid-Atlantic region”. 
It’s no surprise that books and learning are a central part of Thomas Jefferson’s town, and this is a wonderful opportunity to interact and introduce yourself to all aspects of the celebration of literacy. It’s fun to talk with your favorite authors and to have the chance to hear of upcoming ‘written events’. Whether it’s poetry, mystery, politics, history, recipes or children’s books…. this is definitely a festival to indulge your passion for books.
3. The Dogwood Festival in Charlottesville. Even though 
sometimes it feels as though this festival is a guarantee of spring rains, each year the whole city of Charlottesville is decked out and celebrating the lacy colorful dogwood trees. Other trees and flowers are always in bloom at the same time in central VA (redbuds, daffodils, forsythia etc) and the effect is truly stunning. This festival even includes a parade.
4. The Vegetarian Festival . This free 1-day festival is held outdoors in Charlottesville each year, and draws in excess of 6,000 people during that day.
The 100 or so exhibitors include a diverse collection of sources for vegan alternatives, natural foods and sustainable living choices. In addition the event is sponsored by an animal rescue organization and features a humane pet adoption fair during the day. There are plenty of samples to nibble and lots of vegetarian information too.
5. The Virginia Film Festival. This year marks the 25th year of the film festival, sponsored by the University of Virginia and held in November. 
Over 60 films will be showcased over a 4-day period, and each year UVa selects a theme for the overall content. Speakers include directors, actors, scholars and writers. Check out this extensive alphabetized list of participants.
Comments on this entry are closed.