The Pigeon Forge Rotary Club Craft Fair, which began on the Parkway 50 years ago and moved to Patriot Park many years ago, is still drawing shoppers looking for handmade goods, and this year's milestone run continues through Oct. 24. The festival is open daily from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., with jewelry, pottery, woodworking, quilts, candles, home décor and other Smoky Mountain crafts filling booths across the park.
The 50th-anniversary festival runs from Sept. 25 through Oct. 24, 2026, according to themountainpress.com. The event has become a fixture of the fall calendar, and the City of Pigeon Forge Department of Tourism has posted about the fair's handmade goods and local artisans. Organizers describe the show as a gathering of local and regional artisans selling handcrafted jewelry, pottery, woodworking, quilts, candles, home décor and one-of-a-kind Smoky Mountain crafts, per mypigeonforge.com.
A Half-Century of Local Vendors
Several of the vendors are local, including the Jenkins family, which has sold at the fair for almost 50 years, the same report notes. Brenda Robinson, who paints wood, has participated in the fair for more than 30 years. The show features dozens of artisans working in mediums ranging from woodworking to quilt sewing, according to the same account.
In years past, shoppers have found custom-carved knives, fall decorations, Christmas ornaments, jewelry and monogrammed items at the fair, per a 2023 report from wvlt.tv. That report also noted that some booths rotate from week to week, meaning the lineup of goods can shift as the weeks go on. At that time, the station described the Rotary Club as having hosted the craft fair for more than 40 years, a run that has since grown into the current 50th-anniversary milestone.
Daily Giveaways Mark the Anniversary
To celebrate reaching the half-century mark, the club plans a special giveaway each day of this year's festival, themountainpress.com reports. The fair has also become a draw well beyond Pigeon Forge: organizers say they welcome thousands of visitors each year, and many plan their vacations around the event, according to smokies.live.
Admission is free, donations are encouraged, and parking is free. Freewill donations benefit local charities, mypigeonforge.com notes.
Where the Proceeds Go
Those donations have funded a range of community causes over the years. Organizers have said the club provides $50,000 in high school scholarships and gives to groups including Isaiah 117 House and Sevier County Food Ministries, per themountainpress.com. The craft fair is held annually each October and brings together regional artisans and crafters at Patriot Park, according to vendorsmap.com, making this year's 50th edition the latest chapter in a tradition that has outlasted decades of changing vendors and shifting fall crowds in Pigeon Forge.
