Admission to the Mountain Moonshine Festival is free, but parking is a donation of $10 to $25 depending on the lot, shuttles run only Saturday and Sunday, and Friday is not the full festival. That is most of what first-timers get wrong about the 59th edition in Dawsonville, Georgia, October 23 to 25, 2026. The rest is below, sourced line by line.
The flyer from Kare for Kids, the charity that runs the festival, is a good schedule. It just leaves out the practical stuff. All 2026 times on this page are as published by Kare for Kids and subject to change. Confirm them at kareforkids.org the week you go.
Free to get in, but bring parking money
Destination Dawsonville, the county tourism office, lists free admission and a parking donation ranging from $10 to $25 depending on location. That is the only 2026 parking figure published anywhere, and it comes with a “subject to change” warning. Nobody has published which lot charges what, and the organizer’s own pages give no price. Nobody has said whether lots take cards either, so small bills are the safe bet.
Nine lots, and the GPS trick for the junior high
The organizer’s parking page lists nine lots. Each has handicap spaces, and buses run all day Saturday and Sunday between the lots and the festival.
| Lot | Address as published |
|---|---|
| Dawson County High School | 1665 Perimeter Rd |
| Robinson Elementary | 1150 Perimeter Rd |
| Dawson County Junior High | GPS: Bowen Arts Center, 334 GA-9 |
| Dawson County Head Start Pre-K | 409 Allen St |
| Bailey Tower | 32 Jack Heard Dr |
| Dawson County Public Health Department | Old building 54 Hwy 53 East; new building 751 Hwy 53 Ste 100 |
| Grace Presbyterian Church | 170 Hwy 9 |
| Dawson County Board of Education | 28 Main St |
| Dawson County Library | 342 Allen St |
The junior high is the one that trips up phones. Set your GPS to the Bowen Arts Center at 334 GA-9. The school is just past it on the left, and there is no public parking on the school’s Allen Street side. For general parking, the organizer says to stay on Hwy 53 East or Hwy 9 and follow the signs. From GA 400, Hwy 53 West takes you about 6 miles into town. Our parking and shuttles page puts all nine lots on a map, and getting there covers the drive.
Show cars enter on Allen Street, cash only
Bringing a car to show? Online pre-registration closed October 5, per the car show page. Every show car enters on Allen Street. Cars that are not pre-registered pay at that entrance, and the festival details page says it is cash only. The 2026 day-of amount has not been published, so bring enough and do not rely on last year’s flyer. Show cars leave beside Bojangles onto Main Street, and car haulers park at the new Dawson County Courthouse, 25 Justice Way. More on our car show guide.
The times moved from 2025
If you went last year, reset your clock. Comparing the organizer’s 2025 flyer with the 2026 flyer:
| 2025 | 2026 | |
|---|---|---|
| Saturday parade | 9 a.m. | 10 a.m. |
| Opening ceremony and Moonshiner’s Hall of Fame induction | 10 a.m. | 11 a.m. |
| Parking donation | $10 to $20 | $10 to $25 (Destination Dawsonville) |
Some listings online still show the old Saturday times. The organizer’s own parade page still carries 2025 text, too. Go by the 2026 flyer, which also names Danny “Chocolate” Myers as this year’s Grand Marshal.
Friday is not the full festival
On the flyer, Friday is car show registration (8 a.m. to noon), the car show (8 a.m. to 5 p.m.) and the Moonshine Run (check-in 9 a.m., departure 10 a.m. from Bearden’s Funeral Home). There is no “Festival Opens” line for Friday, and no Friday shuttle is published. The full festival with vendors and music runs Saturday and Sunday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. We break the days down in which day to go.
Rules that catch people out
- Service dogs only. The 2026 flyer is explicit. Leave pets home.
- No golf carts. Destination Dawsonville says golf carts are not permitted.
- Rain or shine. The organizer says the festival goes on regardless of weather.
- No driving through the festival area. The organizer’s vendor terms bar all vehicles except emergency vehicles from the festival area between 7:30 a.m. and 7 p.m.
- City Hall is closed. The City of Dawsonville lists it closed October 23 to 25. Do not plan city business that weekend.
Coming in an RV
RV parking is limited, per the festival details page. It is behind Robinson Elementary, off Allen Street, at $1 per foot per day with a $50 per day minimum. Check-in starts at 1 p.m. Friday, October 23, and you call the KARE office at 706-216-5273 when you arrive.
Find the KARE booth
The K.A.R.E. booth is where you buy raffle tickets, the event shirt and souvenirs. The festival details page puts it behind the Georgia Racing Hall of Fame and at the corner of Main Street and Memory Lane, which is also the shuttle drop-off. The 50/50 drawing and the silent auction both close at 4 p.m. Sunday. The festival is Kare for Kids’ largest fundraiser, and proceeds go to children in need in Dawson County. Our Kare for Kids page explains the work.
What nobody has published
We looked. These answers are not on the organizer’s site, the tourism office’s listing or the city’s page as of October 17:
- Cooler and outside-alcohol rules, and whether alcohol is sold on the grounds.
- ATMs or card acceptance (only the car-show gate is published as cash only).
- The parade route.
- Kids Market hours (the map says Sunday only).
- Shuttle start and end times beyond “all day.”
- Road closures, beyond the vendor-terms vehicle ban.
For any of these, go to the source. Kare for Kids answers at 706-216-5273 and kareforkidsoffice@gmail.com; its office at 66 Highway 53 W is by appointment only. The county tourism office is at 706-265-6278. Our festival FAQ collects the answers that are published.
Questions people ask
How much is parking at the Moonshine Festival?
Destination Dawsonville lists free admission and a parking donation of $10 to $25 depending on the lot, subject to change. No per-lot prices have been published.
Source: Destination Dawsonville, checked Oct 17, 2026
Where do I park for the Dawson County Junior High lot?
Kare for Kids says to set your GPS to the Bowen Arts Center, 334 GA-9. The school is just past it on the left, and there is no public parking on the school's Allen Street side.
Source: Kare for Kids, checked Oct 17, 2026
Can I bring a golf cart to the Moonshine Festival?
No. Destination Dawsonville says golf carts are not permitted at the festival.
Source: Destination Dawsonville, checked Oct 17, 2026
Do I need cash to enter a car in the show?
Cars that are not pre-registered pay at the Allen Street entrance, and Kare for Kids says it is cash only. The 2026 day-of amount has not been published.
Source: Kare for Kids, checked Oct 17, 2026
Written by the Dawsonville Moonshine Festival Guide Editorial Team. AI tools help us draft; people check every fact before it publishes.
