For a quarter century, a single fall weekend in Richmond Hill packed live music, seafood, arts and crafts, amusement rides and games into one festival. That run ended in January 2025. The Bryan County Chamber's board said then that the Great Ogeechee Seafood Festival "will not return to Richmond Hill this fall," a few months after the event marked its 25th anniversary.
In fall 2026, one event does not fill the gap. The festival's pieces have been split up. The Chamber now runs a ticketed music night. The Richmond Hill Historical Society hosts the local-business fair. The City brings the crowd back to J.F. Gregory Park, but not until the week before Thanksgiving. Each piece has its own venue and its own date, and they are spread from late October to early December.
What the old festival bundled together
The Great Ogeechee Music & Seafood Festival worked because it combined several things in one place. Bryan County News described it as an event with "live music, food, arts & crafts, and a variety of amusement rides and games for families" that "had become a well-known attraction for locals and visitors alike." A single weekend gave you:
- A headline music stage
- Food vendors
- Local makers and businesses selling goods
- Rides and games for kids
- A town gathering at the city's central park
That bundle explains why the cancellation hit hard. A nearby business owner told WTOC that festival Saturdays brought "so much business" from people heading to the music, and that "it just feels weird that it's not going to be there anymore."
The Chamber explained the decision this way:
"As Bryan County has experienced significant growth, now recognized as the fastest-growing county in Georgia, our business community has also expanded. To ensure that the Chamber effectively supports our business members and aligns with its mission, we have decided to prioritize new initiatives over the festival in our 2025 Program of Work."
Mayor Russ Carpenter said the city was "disappointed" but backed the Chamber's choice to "realign with the Chamber's mission." Chamber President and CEO Summer Beal said a new event would be announced "for the fall of 2025."
The event that did happen in fall 2025 came from a different group. The City and the Richmond Hill Farmers Market held a Fall Festival at J.F. Gregory Park on September 20, 2025. It ran 3 to 6 p.m. with vendors, food trucks, inflatables, a pie-eating contest, hayrides and a rock wall. Even that first year, the work of the old festival was shared among several hosts.
The Chamber kept the music and took it to a new location
The Chamber's own fall event arrives this year as Boots & Roots, which it calls its "Music & Food Truck Festival" and a new tradition. It's on Saturday, November 7, at Belhaven. Gates open at 3:30 p.m., and the music starts at 4. The lineup lists Will Moseley, Hannah Dasher, Chuck Courtenay and Derrick Flowers, plus food trucks and a Front Row VIP option. Event listings give 4 to 10 p.m. as the full window.
Three things set it apart from the seafood festival.
The venue. Belhaven is a private event venue at 1000 Belfast River Road. It sits on 14 acres in Richmond Hill with pine, oak and magnolia trees and three small ponds. The venue describes itself as about 20 minutes from Pooler, Savannah and Hinesville. The seafood festival took place at J.F. Gregory Park, the city's own park, where the Chamber said the festival grounds covered about 17 acres.
The ticket. Admission is through the Chamber's ticketing page, and VIP is sold as a separate tier.
The purpose. The Chamber says proceeds "support the Chamber's ongoing efforts to advocate for local businesses, strengthen leadership and workforce initiatives, and create meaningful opportunities for connection across Bryan County." That matches the mission the Chamber laid out when it ended the seafood festival in 2025.
The Chamber's 2026 materials don't mention Great Ogeechee, and they don't call Boots & Roots a renamed or rescheduled version of it. The fairest description is a new Chamber event that carries on the old festival's music role. The rides, the craft tents and the seafood are not on the bill.
The local-business fair moved to Ford Avenue
The part of the old festival that put residents in front of local businesses now has its own afternoon. Fall Neighbor Fest runs Saturday, October 24, from 1 to 5 p.m. at the Richmond Hill History Museum, 11460 Ford Avenue.
The Richmond Hill Historical Society calls it "A Community Resource Fair." It's free to attend, and the goal is to connect residents with local businesses and resources. Vendors can display or sell goods, hand out giveaways or host activities. This season, the Society is replacing its usual scavenger hunt with a prize-winning activity at its own table.
The same Saturday, the Richmond Hill CVB calendar also lists a Fall Festival at Spirit of Peace Lutheran Church. October 24 is the closest thing this fall has to the old Saturday spread across town, with two community events on one day and Ford Avenue as the main address.
J.F. Gregory Park gets its crowd back in November
The seafood festival's biggest role was bringing people together at the city's central park, and that's the one pushed latest into the season. The City's Tree Lighting & Winter Market is Thursday, November 19, from 5 to 8 p.m. at J.F. Gregory Park, 521 Cedar Street. It's free. The listing includes vendors, the tree lighting, live entertainment, food trucks, Santa photos and trackless train rides.
Compare that list with the seafood festival's description. Vendors, live entertainment, food, kids' rides and a central-park setting all show up again. They arrive on a weeknight in late November, with a holiday theme in place of a fall one.
Then comes the parade. The City's 30th Annual Christmas Parade steps off Saturday, December 5, at 10 a.m. The theme is "Scenes of the Season." Participants stage at the Timber Trail Recreation Complex on Ballpark Road from 7 to 8:45 a.m. It's one of the few traditions on this calendar that goes back almost as far as the seafood festival did.
The six weeks, in order
Here's where each piece of the old festival now falls:
- Saturday, October 24, 1 to 5 p.m.: Fall Neighbor Fest, Richmond Hill History Museum, 11460 Ford Avenue. Free. Hosted by the Historical Society. Spirit of Peace Lutheran Church's Fall Festival is the same day.
- Saturday, November 7, gates 3:30 p.m., music from 4: Boots & Roots, Belhaven, 1000 Belfast River Road. Ticketed. Hosted by the Bryan County Chamber.
- Thursday, November 19, 5 to 8 p.m.: Tree Lighting & Winter Market, J.F. Gregory Park, 521 Cedar Street. Free. Hosted by the City.
- Saturday, December 5, 10 a.m.: 30th Annual Christmas Parade, "Scenes of the Season." Hosted by the City.
That's three hosts and four locations. If you want the whole set this year, plan on four outings instead of one weekend.
A new everyday stop between the dates
The fall calendar has gaps between these events, and a new everyday option has opened nearby. The Row, a retail center at Poplar Place in Heartwood's Town District near Exit 82, held its grand-opening brunch and ribbon-cutting on September 24. Announced tenants include Pin High Indoor Golf, The UPS Store, Keller's Woodfire Pizza and LuFinity Nails, with more to come. The announcement said some tenants were still finishing their spaces and would share their own opening dates, so a ribbon-cutting doesn't mean every business is open yet. Check a shop's own channels before you drive over for pizza or a round of indoor golf.
Another nearby project is further out. Hop Atomica broke ground in April at Heartwood's Outfitters Village on Heartwood Avenue for a brewery, distillery and restaurant. The expected opening is Spring 2027, so it won't be part of this fall.
Each fall, our team at McIntosh Realty Team keeps track of how Richmond Hill's calendar changes, both for our clients and for ourselves as neighbors. If you're trying to fit Neighbor Fest, Boots & Roots and the tree lighting into one busy season, or you're new to town and wondering what took the place of the festival everyone keeps mentioning, contact us. We're glad to share what we know about how fall works in Richmond Hill now.
