A Tale of Two Festivals

Spring is a busy festival season in the Capital City. Big name regional events like Springtime Tallahassee, Word of South, and Chain of Parks Art Festival attract an ever-growing number of locals and visitors to Tallahassee streets, parks, and town centers for music, art, food, and celebrations. Here’s all the scoop on two more festivals worth marking your busy calendars for this spring. 

DUE SOUTH

April 18, 2026

A 45-minute drive due north of Florida’s capital will land you in idyllic Thomasville, Georgia. The area is beloved by Tallahasseans for its proximity and variety of small-town boutiques and dining. But there’s reason to visit Thomasville’s oak tree-lined historic district beyond a busy shopping day. 

Thomasville’s annual Due South festival highlights all that we love about living in the South. Organized by Thomasville Center for the Arts, the festival showcases local culture through visual, performing, and culinary arts. 

Photos Courtesy of Thomasville Center for the Arts

Each year, Due South features a public art installation (and juried art competition) based on an annual festival theme. This year’s theme is “My Side of the Story,” which calls upon 30 fiber artisan teams or individuals to create an original narrative quilt that expresses a unique Southern experience. Artists can depict any person, place, or thing related to Thomasville and the Red Hills region. 

The quilts will be displayed in an exhibit on the day of the festival and available for purchase, with 30 percent of the proceeds benefiting Thomasville Center for the Arts programs and 70 percent going to the artist or artist team. An awards ceremony and celebration will be held Thursday, April 2, ahead of the festival, where the quiltmakers will present their 48-by-48-inch projects. 

At the festival, four additional art vendors in different media will offer their work, as well as a number of food trucks and pop-up vendors from the Thomasville and Tallahassee area. All culinary participants will present a Southern-inspired dish in line with the event’s theme. 

For the soundtrack, Due South showcases performing artists each year, which culminates with a uniquely Southern musical guest. This year welcomes JJ Grey & Mofro to the Ritz Amphitheater stage.  

Photos Courtesy of Thomasville Center for the Arts

Due South Key Notes

Who: 

Musical headliner  JJ Grey & Mofro,  a Jacksonville-based group known for its funkified rock and front porch Southern soul music

What: 

A celebration of  Southern culture  through the visual, performing, and  culinary arts 

Where: 

The Ritz  Amphitheater,  downtown Thomasville, Georgia

When: 

Saturday, April 18, starting at 6 p.m.

Why: 

Embrace the local culture and community  of small-town Thomasville, Georgia

Photos Courtesy of Cleaver & Cork

CLEAVER and CORK

March 1-8, 2026

Each year, Tallahassee State College (TSC) hosts an unassumingly elite food and beverage festival celebrating culinary excellence. Cleaver and Cork began in 2016 as a wine dinner experience to raise scholarship funds. A decade later, the event has expanded into eight days of dinners, pairings, celebrity chef appearances, and a full-scale foodie festival with 70 tasting tents—all in the name of scholarship funding for TSC students. This year, the celebrity chef in residence will be the highly lauded Maneet Chauhan. 

The week of eats kicks off March 1 with a “Progressive Cocktail Party,” where five restaurants present a dining course and drink pairing that play off Chauhan’s own recipes. 

In the next four days, guests experience the unique Plates & Pours events in partnership with local restaurants. Monday night, hosted by Food Glorious Food, will be a four-course “Kentucky Bourbon” culinary affair. On Tuesday, a six-course Old Florida-inspired meal will be held at the Governors Club. Wednesday night will see a four-course Turkish dinner at The Monroe. And Thursday? Caviar and champagne at Damas at Goodwood Museum & Gardens.

The “Signature Dinner,” held on Friday, will be a four-course seated menu curated by Chauhan. The menu will be announced on-site by Chauhan herself.  

On Saturday, the main festival date, over 70 food and beverage tasting tents will invite you to bring your appetite. There will be three food demonstrations by Chauhan, Justin and Jonathan Fox of Fox Bros. Bar-B-Q in Atlanta, and a surprise guest chef to be announced ahead of the event. VIP ticket holders will get a meet and greet with chef Chauhan. 

The foodie week closes out on Sunday with a Brunch & Barbecue hosted by the Fox brothers. The day will feature live music, a breakfast-meets-barbecue buffet, a champagne bar, and a bloody mary bar. 

While many of the lead-up events sell out quickly due to high demand, the main Food & Wine Festival doesn’t come with a capacity cap, and tickets can be purchased ahead of time or the day-of.   

Photos Courtesy of Cleaver & Cork

Cleaver and Cork Food & Wine Festival Key Notes

Who: 

Celebrity chef  Maneet Chauhan  and guest pitmasters Justin and  Jonathan Fox

What: 

A showcase of Tallahassee’s culinary scene

Where: 

Tallahassee State College’s intramural field

When: 

Saturday, March 7,  noon-3 p.m.  for general admission,  11 a.m.-3 p.m.  for VIP

Why: 

Explore the tastes of  Tallahassee across 70 tasting tents and chef-led activations