April 17-19, 2026 The Bear on the Square Mountain Festival is an incredible weekend of music and art held each spring in the foothills of the North Georgia mountains. Old-time and bluegrass music will fill the Historic Public Square in Dahlonega, Georgia. Jamming goes on day and night around the square while other local, regional, and national musicians take the stage all day Saturday and Sunday. A juried artist's marketplace features traditional mountain art and crafts. Extensive music workshops, a Sunday morning Gospel Jam, a street dance, a live auction, children's activities, a heritage center demonstrating mountain traditions, and of course, food, complete the offerings, making Bear on the Square the perfect outing for the whole family.

Saturday afternoons April through October North Georgia's mountain music pickers, singers and listeners flock to the Dahlonega Gold Museum State Historic Site for the annual Dahlonega Appalachian Jam. The Appalachian Jam gives traditional mountain music players the chance to get together and celebrate the kind of music that has been performed in the Appalachian Mountains for generations. Musicians are invited to bring their instruments and gather on the historic Public Square to jam. Everyone else should come on down and listen or dance. Bring a chair or stool and stay awhile!