Sweet Water Festival
Downtown Milledgeville
Milledgeville, GA 31059
(478) 414-4014

SWEETWATER FESTIVAL is a cultural arts and music festival that is located in historic downtown Milledgeville and composed entirely of regional talents, artists, and vendors. It beckons travelers from all over with an antique car show, live entertainment ranging from bluegrass to rock-and-roll, artist market, and a KidZone. Sports fanatics will get their fix in the EndZone, an area outfitted with recliners and wide-screen televisions featuring everyone's favorite teams. The festival will also once again hold a sanctioned Memphis-in-May BBQ cook-off contest featuring the first People's Choice award that will draw BBQ connoisseurs from around the Southeast.

The name SWEETWATER FESTIVAL is derived from the story of the settling of Milledgeville. Some will claim it as truth while others dismiss it as legend. When a group of commissioners who were given the task of finding a new capital city came upon Jarrett Springs in Milledgeville, they mixed the water with their whiskey and claimed it had a sweetness that was unmatched by any other substance during that time. They then declared Milledgeville the site of the new capital. The spirit soon became known as Sweetwater and since it was this which brought people here over 200 years ago, it seemed fitting for the tradition to continue with the celebration of our discovery and hometown with this festival.

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