HISTORY

Jewlery Vendor

THE LEGACY OF SUWANEE FEST



Suwanee Fest, formerly known as and fondly named “Suwanee Day,” started in May 1984 as a small, one-day celebration of community next to the old fire station on Main Street. As the City of Suwanee grew, so did the festival, moving locations to Town Center Park in 2004 to accommodate the increasing crowds. The pace didn’t slow as Suwanee Day evolved into a two-day festival in 2014, officially adopting the name Suwanee Fest.

Always a celebration of community, Suwanee Fest embraced the idea of theming each annual festival in 2016. Past themes include: superhero (2016), construction zone (2017), bicentennial (2018), circus (2019), pirate (2021), space (2022), wild wild west(2023), and honoring our 40th anniversary this year we are celebrating in 80s style!





Awards



Suwanee Fest is a nationally recognized, award-winning festival held in Suwanee, Georgia in the southeastern United States. Consistently named a Top 20 Event by the Southeast Tourism Society and repeatedly honored by the Southeast Festivals and Events Association (SFEA) as the Best Festival, Suwanee Fest is an experience you don’t want to miss. Even more, Suwanee Fest is planned and executed by two award-winning employees, both named “Event Professional of the Year” by the SFEA.

Check out the other outstanding accolades received for this fantastic two-day festival:



2023

Wild Wild West

Best T-Shirt (GOLD) | Suwanee Fest Staff Shirt “not my first rodeo,” Southeast Festivals & Events Association

Best Event Photo (GOLD) | Suwanee Fest “Storyteller,” Southeast Festivals & Events Association

Best Photo Op (SILVER) | Bob the Statuary Man, Southeast Festivals & Events Association

2022

Greatest in the Galaxy

Best Event Over $75,000 (bronze) | Suwanee Fest 2022, Southeast Festivals & Events Association

Best Children’s Event (bronze) | Suwanee Fest 2022, Southeast Festivals & Events Association

2021

Treasure Awaits

Best Event over $75,000 (Silver) | Suwanee Fest 2021, Southeast Festivals & Events Association

Best Program or Brochure | Suwanee Fest 2021 Suwanee Magazine insert, Southeast Festivals & Events Association

Best Volunteer | Kate Fanale for Suwanee Fest, Southeast Festivals & Events Association

2020

Treasure Awaits (Virtual)

Best COVID Community Response | Southeast Festivals & Events Association

2019

The Greatest Festival on Earth

Best Volunteer (Silver) | Kate Fanale for Suwanee Fest 2019, Southeast Festivals & Events Association

Best Poster (Silver) | Suwanee Fest 2019 designed by Veugeler Design Group, Southeast Festivals & Events Association

2018

A Celebration of Community

Best Event Within an Event (Gold) | Gwinnett’s Bicentennial Celebration at Suwanee Fest, Southeast Festivals & Events Association

Best Sponsor (Gold) | for Tiger Tails Animal Hospital at Suwanee Fest, Southeast Festivals & Events Association

Best Photograph (Silver) | for Suwanee Fest, Southeast Festivals & Events Association

Best Event Program (Silver) | for Suwanee Fest, Southeast Festivals & Events Association

2017

Community at Work

Best Children’s Programming (Silver) | for Suwanee Fest, Southeast Festivals & Events Association

Best Vendor (Bronze) | for Classic Tents & Events at Suwanee Fest, Southeast Festivals & Events Association

2016

Super City, Super People

Most Creative Idea (Bronze) | for Suwanee Youth Leaders/Suwanee Fest Transportation Collaboration, Southeast Festivals & Events Association

2015

For the Love of Suwanee

Best Volunteer (Silver) | for Suwanee Fest Volunteer Planning Committee, Southeast Festivals & Events Association

Best Children’s Program (Bronze) | for Suwanee Fest, Southeast Festivals & Events Association

2014

Twice as Nice

And so it was born!

Suwanee Day officially becomes Suwanee Fest, a two day affair!

Best Festival with a budget over $75,000 (Gold) | for Suwanee Fest, Southeast Festivals and Events Association

Best Volunteer (Gold) | for Suwanee Fest, Southeast Festivals and Events Association

Best Creative Idea (Gold) | for hosting a Blast a Storm Trooper activity at Suwanee Fest, Southeast Festivals and Events Association

Best T-shirt (Silver) | for Suwanee Fest, Southeast Festivals and Events Association

2013

Suwanee Day

Best Creative Idea (Gold) | for Suwanee Day sponsor gifts, Southeast Festivals and Events Association

Best Event Photo (Bronze) | for Suwanee Day, Southeast Festivals and Events Association

2012

Suwanee Day

Best Sponsor (Gold) | for Suwanee Day sponsor Lewis Expo and Logistics, Southeast Festivals and Events Association

Best Event Photo (Silver) | for Suwanee Day, Southeast Festivals and Events Association

Best T-Shirt (Bronze) | for Suwanee Day, Southeast Festivals and Events Association

Best Creative Idea (Bronze) | for Suwanee Day volunteer pocket guide, Southeast Festivals and Events Association

Best Vendor/Supplier (Bronze) | for Suwanee Day vendor FunFare, Southeast Festivals and Events Association

2011

Suwanee Day

Best Event within an Event (Silver) | for Suwanee Day Flash Mob, Southeast Festivals and Events Association

Suwanee Day named to Top 20 Events for September 2011 | Southeast Tourism Society

2010

Suwanee Day

Best Festival (with a budget under $75,000) (Silver) | for Suwanee Day, Southeast Festivals and Events Association

Best Volunteer (Silver) | for Suwanee Day, Transportation Chair Doug Schwendy, Southeast Festivals and Events Association

Best Green Component (Bronze) | for Suwanee Day, Southeast Festivals and Events Association

2009

Suwanee Day

Best Sponsor (Gold) | Ippolito’s, for Suwanee Day, Southeast Festivals and Events Association

2008

Suwanee Day

Best Event Volunteer – Events Under $75,000 (Gold) | for Suwanee Day, Southeast Festivals and Events Association

Best Event Website (Bronze) – suwaneeday.com | Southeast Festivals and Events Association

Best Miscellaneous Merchandise (Bronze) | for Suwanee Day 2008 Commemorative Poster, Southeast Festivals and Events Association

2007

Suwanee Day

Best Event Sponsor (Primrose Schools of Suwanee) | for Suwanee Day, Southeast Festivals and Events Association

Best Event Volunteer (Kim Towne) | for Suwanee Day 2007, Southeast Festivals and Events Association

Best Event Within an Event | for Sail-A-Bration at Suwanee Day 2007, Southeast Festivals and Events Association

2006

Suwanee Day

Southeast Tourism Society Top 20 Event for September 2006 | Suwanee Day Festival