10/17/2025
Come enjoy some AMAZING dishes from Ninja Pig in their FINAL competition! ๐คฃ
๐ฎ๐ฌ๐ฎ๐ฑ ๐๐ฎ๐ถ๐ป๐ฒ๐๐๐ถ๐น๐น๐ฒ ๐๐ต๐ถ๐ฐ๐ธ๐ฒ๐ป ๐๐ฒ๐๐๐ถ๐๐ฎ๐น, ๐บ๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ธ๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐ฎ๐ฌ๐๐ต ๐ฎ๐ป๐ป๐ถ๐๐ฒ๐ฟ๐๐ฎ๐ฟ๐, ๐๐ฒ๐ ๐ฆ๐ฎ๐๐๐ฟ๐ฑ๐ฎ๐, ๐ข๐ฐ๐. ๐ญ๐ด
๐๐ฐ๐ถ๐ญ๐ต๐ณ๐บ ๐๐ข๐ฑ๐ช๐ต๐ข๐ญ ๐ฐ๐ง ๐ต๐ฉ๐ฆ ๐๐ฐ๐ณ๐ญ๐ฅ ๐ต๐ฐ ๐ฉ๐ฐ๐ด๐ต '๐๐ฆ๐ฐ๐ณ๐จ๐ช๐ข'๐ด ๐๐ง๐ง๐ช๐ค๐ช๐ข๐ญ ๐๐ฉ๐ช๐ค๐ฌ๐ฆ๐ฏ ๐๐ฐ๐ฐ๐ฌ-๐๐ง๐ง' ๐ง๐ณ๐ฐ๐ฎ 11 ๐ข.๐ฎ.-4 ๐ฑ.๐ฎ. ๐ข๐ต ๐๐๐๐
GAINESVILLE, Ga. (Oct. 9, 2025) โ Consider flocking to Gainesville-Hall County Saturday, Oct. 18, to celebrate 20 years of the Gainesville Chicken Festival, "Georgia's Official Chicken Cook-Off", lakeside at Lake Sidney Lanier.
Known as the Poultry Capital of the World, the City of Gainesville, Georgia looks forward to bringing back this fan-favorite event from 11 a.m.-4 p.m., featuring 17,000 pounds of freshly cooked chicken. Sample tried-and-true recipes, plus some new ones, from professional and amateur pitmasters cooking on the Lake Lanier Olympic Park (LLOP) Plaza who know how to prepare award-winning drumsticks, wings, legs, tenders and thighs.
"The Gainesville Chicken Festival is one of our favorite โ and tastiest โ events at Lake Lanier Olympic Park," said LLOP Tower/Plaza Special Events Manager Morgan Wingler. "The planning committee has been hard at work since summer to ensure attendees not only get a taste of chicken Oct. 18, but a taste of true Southern hospitality dished out by the 'Hospitality Capital of the World'. We're looking forward to delicious food, cold drinks, a wing-eating contest and, of course, seeing which cook teams take home the coveted grand champion title and People's Choice Award."
To indulge in savory samples of chicken and other offerings, attendees must purchase a wristband. A $6 wristband gets you 10 ample samples and there's no limit on the number of wristbands you can purchase. Purchase a single wristband or bring the family and get five for $25. Wristbands may be purchased at the gate or in advance until 3 p.m. Friday, Oct. 17, online: https://gainesvillega.governmentwindow.com/estore/298-chicken-festival/10-chicken-festival-tickets.html Those securing presale wristbands may pick them up the day of from the Will Call tent or from the Gainesville Financial Services Department between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. Monday-Friday at the Gainesville Administration Building, located at 300 Henry Ward Way, Suite 201.
The following cook teams โ which will be barbecuing, frying, grilling and sautรฉing the day's grub โ will be judged in multiple categories for a chance to win the grand champion title, among others: Gainesville Fire Department, Smokin' Daves, Peckerwood Country Club, River Roadies, Girl Dad BBQ, Off the Dec BBQ, Off-Duty Q, Fired Up, High Iron BBQ, Matt's Chicks, T & G Chicken Cookers, Ninja Pig BBQ, Pinch & Pull Seafood, BellyFullCookingCo, Bob's Spicy World, Trust the Process BBQ and Slater House BBQ. Festival-goers will have the final say as to which team receives the prized People's Choice Award, so don't forget to vote! Drop used wristbands in the ballot box belonging to the team you feel deserves the title and we'll do the rest!
Returning for 2025, Taco Mac Gainesville will sponsor a wing-eating contest at 12:30 p.m., which is open to the public. Those interested should report to the lower level of the plaza at 12:15 p.m. The first 12 people to sign up will chow down on 15 wings (seven drumsticks and eight flats). The first participant to consume their 15 wings (clean to the bone) wins! In the event of a tie, there will be a five-wing "run-off" competition to determine the winner. Find additional details here:https://www.exploregainesville.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/2025-Wing-Eating-Contest.pdf Additional competitions are also planned.
To add to the atmosphere, Gainesville-based jB JAMS Entertainment & Events will play music the day of the 2025 Gainesville Chicken Festival.
Companion food and beverage vendors in attendance will include Downtown Drafts and Tap It Growlers, offering beer and wine; Paw Paws Peanuts, offering boiled peanuts and freshly squeezed lemonade; and Frozen Frenzee and Street Sweets, which will be serving up desserts.
Stop by the concession stand where the City will be slinging some Gainesville Chicken Festival-branded merch, like T-shirts, sweatshirts, walking chicken balloons and more.
Have the kids with you? Donโt miss out on a rock-climbing wall provided by the Army National Guard, carnival games and caricatures with The ToonHeadz.
Enjoy the best of what the 2025 Gainesville Chicken Festival has to offer, including a FREE shuttle to and from the event. Take the headache out of parking and park off site at New Horizons Lanier Park, located at 675 White Sulphur Road, Gainesville. From there, attendees will be shuttled to LLOP. Shuttles will run from 10:45 a.m.-4:45 p.m. and are handicap accessible, service animal friendly โ no pets, please. Parking at LLOP remains limited, but available on a first come, first served basis. For boats, courtesy docks will also be available on a first-come, first-served basis as only 15 spots are available.
Finally, last but certainly not least, thank you to our amazing 2025 event sponsors: Cobb-Vantress, Fieldale Farms, LAD Truck Lines, Marel, Mar-Jac Poultry, National Chicken Council, Tip Top Poultry, Tyson, United Community Bank, Wayne-Sanderson Farms LLC, Eric Sterling Law Firm, Northeast Georgia Rentals Inc., Coca-Cola, The Poultry Times, Chastain Insurance Agency, Syfan Logistics, Wilheit Packaging LLC, Georgia Mechanical, Window Nation, Central Carolina Scale Inc., North Georgia Industrial Services, Floor Coverings International of Northeast Georgia, Duplicating Products, Cadence Bank, Premier Pump and Ava Oakwood. Several sponsors will have a presence at the event.
For more information, including updates, "Like" on Facebook or visit exploregainesville.org.
