The widely popular Gainesville Chicken Festival returns Sat., Nov. 6, for the first time in over two years with a new name and location.
The festival, previously known as the Spring Chicken Festival, was last held in the spring of 2019. 2020's festival was canceled due to concerns regarding the COVID-19 pandemic.
Robyn Lynch, director of tourism with the City of Gainesville, said the Spring Chicken Festival was pushed to fall of 2021 due to similar COVID-19 concerns earlier in the year. The name of the festival was also changed to the Gainesville Chicken Festival since it is no longer taking place in the spring season.
"Depending on the crowd's reaction, and how the cook teams feel, we may continue to do this in the fall moving forward," Lynch said. "But, we're not going to make that decision quite yet."
The support for the festival from the community has also pushed a change in location, according to Lynch.
"We have honestly just outgrown all of the other locations," Lynch said. "It used to be held on Roosevelt Square and we outgrew that. Then we moved it to the square, and with all of the construction going on, three years ago we did move to Longwood Park, and we were overflowing ... so we're really excited to move it out to Lake Lanier Olympic Park."
The event, which will be held from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., is free and open to the public, however, those wishing to experience the flavors of Gainesville's poultry industry are asked to purchase a cluck wristband. A $6 wristband allows visitors to get ten samples from cook teams at the festival. Cluck wristbands can be purchased online or at the event.
Proceeds from the festival will go to an annual scholarship for students that are pursuing an education in poultry science, according to Lynch.
Lynch said visitors can taste varieties of wings, grilled chicken, fried chicken, as well as chicken from a general chicken category.
Poultry is not the only attraction at the Gainesville Chicken Festival, live entertainment and a marketplace will also be a part of the celebration.
