Apple Festival of Kendallville 2024 in Midwest

The Apple Festival of Kendallville is an annual family-friendly event featuring unique entertainment, delicacies cooked over the fire, antiques and handmade goods at traders' village, and much more. The festival takes place every October at the Noble County Fairgrounds, in Kendallville, Indiana. Gathering about 70,000 attendees and over 100 traders and dealers every year, this community event is a great opportunity to celebrate the harvest season.

Entertainment Program

The central theme of the Apple Festival of Kendallville is America in 1830‑1860, the Pioneer Era. Many of the volunteers at the festival are dressed in historical costumes. Visitors can observe skilled demonstrators at craft village, shop for antiques and crafts checking out over 35 vendors, take part in exciting contests and try old-style foods. The festival features a large kid's area with activities, games, crafts, and rides. There is a Civil War encampment and live music on three stages.

Craft Vendors at the Fest

The festival market and craft fair is one of the most prominent attractions, drawing in hundreds of customers. You can shop for antiques and crafts from more than 30 different vendors, who sell everything from rolling pins and dolls to pottery, hand-made decor, and costume jewelry. The food section doesn't disappoint, with a wide variety of sweets, including ice cream, mini donuts, and pies, and apple delicacies like apple dumplings, fritters, apple hamburgers, and apple hot cider.

Schedule & Admission

The two-day weekend event runs from 9 am to 6 pm on Saturday and from 9 am to 5 pm on Sunday. Admission to the festival is completely free. Unfortunately, pets are prohibited from entering the event. Parking at the festival venue costs $5 per vehicle but is completely free at the Fairview Plaza Parking lot. During the festival, visitors can hop on free shuttle buses from Fairview Plaza and other spots in downtown Kendallville.

Location

The event takes place at the Noble County Fairgrounds, located in the north part of town. The grounds are situated not far from Round Lake and Little Long Lake. The town of Kendallville itself is located approximately 27 miles (43 km) from Fort Wayne and 106 miles (170 km) from Toledo, Ohio.

History of the Festival

The Apple Festival dates back to 1985, initiated by four residents: Gary and Kay Shepherd, Barb Kelly and Kathy Baker, who had a dream about giving Kendallville a festival. They began with just $5000 and six antique dealers on the festival grounds. Nowadays, the festival budget expanded to $100,000, with almost 70,000 visitors flocking to the city.