Pawpaw festivals
Pawpaw season brings a wave of fall festivals across the eastern United States, from long-running celebrations to brand-new community events. Here are 13 pawpaw festivals, with their 2026 dates where confirmed, plus the university field days and foraging walks. Dates are checked against a live source, but always confirm with the organizer before you travel.
Festivals by date
FALL 2026- August 29, 2026
South Carolina Pawpaw Festival
Taylors, South Carolina
Late-August pawpaw festival at Blue Oak Horticulture in Taylors with fruit tastings, speakers, plant sales, and live music. Confirm the 2026 date with the organizer.
- September 2026
Indiana Pawpaw Festival
Merom, Indiana
Merom's annual pawpaw festival; 4th annual, September 2026 (exact date to be announced).
- September 12, 2026
Boston Mountain Pawpaw Festival
Chester, Arkansas
September festival in the Boston Mountains with pawpaw tastings and local vendors.
- September 12, 2026
Louisville Pawpaw Festival
Louisville, Kentucky
Fourth annual pawpaw festival at the Louisville Nature Center with guided hikes, workshops, vendors, and live music.
- September 12, 2026
Pawpaw Festival WV
Paw Paw, West Virginia
September festival in Paw Paw, West Virginia with pawpaw variety tastings, live music, and vendors.
- September 18-20, 2026
Ohio Pawpaw Festival
Nelsonville, Ohio
28th annual Ohio Pawpaw Festival at Snow Fork Event Center in Nelsonville, September 18-20, 2026.
- September 19, 2026
Ferguson Pawpaw Fest (EarthDance Organic Farm School)
Ferguson, Missouri
Third annual Ferguson Pawpaw Fest at the Ferguson Farmers Market, September 19, 2026, 8am to noon.
- September 19, 2026
Long Creek Homestead Paw Paw Fest
Frederick, Maryland
Long-running homestead pawpaw festival; 11th annual in 2026.
- September 19, 2026
New River PawpawFest
Blacksburg, Virginia
4th annual New River PawpawFest at Rising Silo Brewery, presented by Nursery Natives; September 19, 2026, 11am. Free admission, live music, vendors, native plants, and free fresh pawpaw tastings.
- September 19, 2026
West Virginia Pawpaw Festival (WVU Core Arboretum)
Morgantown, West Virginia
WVU Core Arboretum's annual pawpaw celebration in Morgantown.
- September 19, 2026
York County Pawpaw Festival (Horn Farm Center)
York, Pennsylvania
Horn Farm Center's pawpaw festival; 22nd annual in 2026.
- September 26-27, 2026
New York Pawpaw Festival
Coeymans Hollow, New York
Inaugural two-day pawpaw and permaculture festival in the Hudson Valley.
- September 26, 2026
Paw Paw Pawpaw Festival
Paw Paw, Illinois
Third annual pawpaw festival in Paw Paw, Illinois with fruit tastings, seedling tree sales, live music, and tram tours.
Field days and foraging walks
GROWERS & FORAGERSNot festivals exactly, but worth the trip for serious pawpaw people: university field days, research demonstrations, and guided foraging walks. Links go to the organizers.
Planning a pawpaw festival trip
Most pawpaw festivals run from late August into early October, timed to the short window when the fruit ripens. Expect fresh fruit to taste, seedling and grafted trees for sale, growers to talk to, and often food, music, and workshops. If you cannot make a festival, our directory by state lists orchards, u-pick farms, and markets where you can buy pawpaws in season, and the season tracker shows when they ripen near you. New to the fruit? Start with what a pawpaw tastes like.
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