Plan your visit with friends and family around one of Statesboro’s exciting annual events! From festivals to 5k’s, we have something for everyone! For more information on upcoming events, visit our events page.
JANUARY
F1rst Friday – Downtown Shopping
Come downtown on F1RST Friday to explore all of the shopping and dining opportunities.
Martin 
Luther King Jr Day Parade
In Statesboro, the annual parade packs North and West Main streets. Organized by the local chapter of the NAACP, the parade brings together local churches, civic organizations, and schools to unite all aspects of the community.
FEBRUARY
F1rst Friday – Date Night
Downtown Date Night on West Main downtown. Food Trucks, Live Music, Dancing in the Street, specials, extended hours for shopping, vendors, art and an outdoor movie.
5k – Chocolate Run
Enjoy the sweet 5K/10K Run through the beautiful Georgia Southern University Campus in Statesboro, Georgia. As a reward for your participation in the race to raise money and awareness for the Open Hearts Community Mission, you will be indulged with some sweet treats and a race t-shirt.
MARCH
F1rst Friday – Green Grits
Statesboro’s March F1RST Friday event is a combination of a St. Patrick’s theme and sustainability. Attendants of the event get to indulge in green food and drinks provided by vendors and sponsors. There is also a dog costume contest. Dress up your pup with lots of green and you could win treats and prizes.
Swing in to Spring
Cheer on your team, get ready to scream, and ‘Swing into Spring’! The night includes music, interactive games, a parade of teams, first pitches and fireworks!
Splashy’s Egg Dive & Family Fun Fest
Join Splashy at Splash in the Boro under the dome for an egg hunt in the pool! There will be games, water safety tips, prizes and much more!
APRIL
Spring into Statesboro
Kick off Spring by enjoying this Kids Arts & Crafts Festival. Bring the children downtown for live entertainment, fun games and food. Take them on a Dinosaur Dig or let them enjoy the Bubble Art or Bounce House!
F1rst Friday – Fine Arts
Statesboro’s Fine Arts F1RST Friday event is an elegant and entertaining evening in the heart of our downtown. Live performances from jazz bands and other local artists fill the air with the spectacular sounds that ensure a fabulous relaxing evening downtown. Food and business vendors fill up the Courthouse lawn so attendants can browse all that Statesboro has to offer in one fell swoop.
ArtsFest
Bulloch County Parks and Recreation invites you to Georgia Southern University’s beautiful Sweetheart circle for a day of art, music, dance and delicious food! With over 25 different art studios where the featured artist is you, this day plans to be full of family fun!
Kiwanis Rodeo
Two days of family fun and excitement along with a herd of world champion bulls and broncos to produce an International Professional Rodeo Association (IPRA)-sanctioned rodeo.
Amazing Blue Mile Challenge
Welcome to Statesboro’s own national treasure and first adventure race! This race is part scavenger hunt, part Statesboro exploration, and definitely all fun. It’s a race to test your brain as much, if not more, than your legs. The expedition will consist of a series of clues which will take contestants on a wild adventure through Downtown Statesboro. Teams of 2-4 participants will have to figure out the clues and map their own course to complete mental and physical challenges in different locations along the Blue Mile in Downtown Statesboro.
Relay for Life
Join Bulloch County each year as they take a fight against cancer at the Kiwanis-Ogeechee Fair Grounds. Georgia Southern University is also hosting a Relay for Life event on the campus earlier that week. It’s a great time for celebration, remembrance and overall family fun.
Jim Kruse Century Bike Ride
Quiet back roads, beautiful rural scenery, and little elevation change make the Jim Kruse Century a fun and family friendly ride. Saturday’s ride offers a 25, 50, 65, and continuous 100 mile option. All routes are mapped, marked, and well sagged.
MAY
F1rst Friday – Fiesta de Mayo
Enjoy this cultural celebration with authentic food, live music, and dancing, as well as Spanish arts and culture. First Friday celebrations are from 5:30pm – 8:00pm.
Youth Fishing Tournament
Kids…bring your bait and fishing pole for a fun morning at Mill Creek Park Pond. Statesboro-Bulloch Parks and Recreation and the Bulloch Bassmasters present the Annual Youth Fishing Tournament. This tournament is FREE for all children ages 5 to 15.
Southern Cruisers Classic Car Show
Come see classic and restored rides from Corvettes and Camaros to Mercedes and Mustangs! The Southern Cruisers is a charitable organization providing financial and spiritual support to needy families with seriously ill children in the area.
JUNE
F1rst Friday – Staycation
In June, F1RST Friday celebrates all the great things about summer in Statesboro. Come out and celebrate friends and family, and local activities to keep everyone of all ages entertained.
JULY
F1rst Friday – Fun in the Sun
It’s hot in Statesboro in July! Our F1RST Friday provides community members with cooling refreshments to beat the heat. Free lemonade and watermelon are given out while Statesboro enjoys a lovely evening with their family and friends and enjoy live entertainment performances inside the Averitt Center for the Arts.
Firecracker Fest (Fourth of July)
Celebrate our nation’s independence with the family at Mill Creek Park. There’s plenty to do including games, contest, live music and spectacular fireworks.
AUGUST
F1rst Friday – Pep Rally
In August our F1RST Friday brings together all of the spirited high schools in the Bulloch County area to have to have one huge pep rally to get the community and students excited for all the fun that the new school year brings. The football players, cheerleaders and bands share their energy and spirit for their school with the Statesboro community in this entertaining high enthusiasm event.
SEPTEMBER
Brooklet Peanut Festival
Festivities include the annual parade, beauty pageant contest, a 5K run, numerous vendors, live entertainment and a slow tractor race. Don’t miss out!
F1rst Friday – Taste of Downtown
What better way to spend your first Friday of fall by giving your taste buds something it will remember for a long time? The taste of downtown is a F1RST Friday event gives the attendants a chance to sample savory delights from the restaurants located in Downtown Statesboro. Break the chain and enjoy one of the most delectable F1RST Fridays Statesboro has!
OCTOBER
F1rst Friday – Ag Night Out
An evening that celebrates agriculture and agribusiness in Bulloch County. We close off streets and enjoy tractors, food, farm animals and more as we gather to celebrate our largest industry in Bulloch County.
Scare on the Square
Get your scare on at Scare on the Square! There’s costume contests, hay rides, and Halloween activities for the whole family. The Thriller Zombie Dance and Trunk or Treat are Statesboro traditions.
Kiwanis Ogeechee Fair
The Kiwanis Club would like to invite you to a party that they celebrate every year! With a kickoff at the Downtown Parade, the Kiwanis-Ogeechee Fair promises six days of fun, excitement, and good food.
Trick or Treat at Mill Creek
Are you ready for Halloween? Celebrate the Fall Season with a journey on the large candy trail! Play games and try traditional festival foods from concessions.
Turpentine Festival
This festival celebrates the history of turpentine at the historic E. C. Carter turpentine still, located in Portal, Georgia.
5k – True Blue 5k/10k
GreenFest
Join us for this community sustainability celebration with green exhibits and vendors as well as workshops for how to save green while living green. There’s live music and sustainable fun for the kids, and great information and sustainable solutions for the whole family. This event is hosted by Georgia Southern University’s Center for Sustainability and sponsored by Gulfstream.
Rocky Horror Picture Show
Experience the Annual Rocky Horror Picture Show LIVE! This wild evening has become a highlight of the Halloween season in Statesboro. Come in your favorite costume and join the fun. First timers are more than welcome. Show is for mature audiences only. No one under 18 years of age is permitted unless accompanied by an adult.
Haunted Forest
The Haunted Forest is a spooky tradition you can’t miss!
Ghost Tours by Lantern Light
Meet ghosts seeking to reconnect with the living and relive historical, crazy stories of unusual happenings in downtown Statesboro.
NOVEMBER
F1rst Friday – A Day for Statesboro
This year, Georgia Southern wants to turn the tables and show its love for the Statesboro-Bulloch County community with A Day for Statesboro. Come to downtown Statesboro for First Friday with live music, food, fun Georgia Southern displays and a few surprises!
Shopping by Lantern Light
Kick off the holiday season with our traditional “Shopping by Lantern Light” event held in beautiful historic Downtown Statesboro. Here, shoppers have the chance to purchase locally-grown foods and handmade crafts and gifts perfect for holiday gatherings.
5k – Turkey Trot
From start to finish, this 5K race is open to all ages and fitness levels.
DECEMBER
F1rst Friday – Holiday Celebration
Our December F1RST Friday fills our downtown with Holiday Cheer as the streets are filled with holiday food and arts and crafts vendors while the sounds of seasonal music fill everyone’s ears. Audiences line the streets as the holiday parade with Santa Claus travels through the streets of downtown. In addition to all the festivities, a Chili Town Cook-Off where attendants can taste different chilies and vote for their favorite.
Chili Town Cook-Off
Think you’ve got the best Chili in the Boro? Here’s your chance to prove it! Join us in Chili Town on December 1st at the Downtown Statesboro Holiday Celebration. It’s FREE to enter and registration is easy!
TMT Farms Christmas Lights Display
The Christmas display features sculptures, inflatables, and over a million lights scattered among antique farm equipment, an old moonshine still, and replicas (storefronts) of some of Bulloch County’s historical businesses such as Snooky’s restaurant as well as an old Western town. Guests drive down the winding path of Christmas lights and displays, culminating in the Western Town where parking and exploring on foot is encouraged. Admission is free, however, they ask that you bring non-perishable food items. Cash donations are also accepted. They also accept pet food, and supplies, to help out area rescues! The food will be distributed to needy families throughout Bulloch and surrounding counties. The monetary contributions are used to purchase gift cards for needy families.
5k – Run the Boro
