Presenting the 2026 official trout festival of georgia

This 9th annual TROUT FEST – April 25 in downtown Blue Ridge, Georgia – gathers fishermen, river sports enthusiasts and outdoor recreation fans and their families at Blue Ridge’s downtown city park for a day full of outdoor recreation services, fun, food, activities, entertainment and shopping, while increasing the public's knowledge of trout and cold-water conservation associated with the national organization Trout Unlimited (TU). 

More than 4,000 visitors are expected at TROUT FEST ’26 to learn where, when and how to fish for trout while also booking their fishing guides; participating in free fly-fishing/trout-fishing instruction; buying their outdoor gear, art and clothing; snacking on great foods and enjoying the Trout Fest Beer Garden with cold beer, wine and ciders ... all of this topped off with a free concert! 

YOUR SPONSORSHIP

Financial  support of Trout Fest '26 is based on a fund-raising program across five tiers of deductible opportunities for your organization to participate at many levels.

$10,000 -- PLATINUM 

$5,000 -- DIAMOND 

$2,500 -- GOLD 

$1,000 -- SILVER 

$500 -- BRONZE 

$125 -- BANNER 

Each level of donating to Trout Fest provides added exposure of your brand, services and products to Trout Fest visitors through key  placement of your brand and message. 

Learn more:  Sponsorship Program/more info

                        Sponsorship short form

The all-volunteer Blue Ridge Mountain Trout Unlimited #696 -- the local chapter of TU -- hosts TROUT FEST to anchor the organization’s fundraising goals. Event sponsorships generate the funding to operate TROUT FEST. In turn, the chapter’s funding grows for community partnerships that range across  education, conservation, recreation and community awareness, outreach and wellness programs associated with the Toccoa River watershed in Fannin County and other cold-water resources across the North Georgia mountains.

Locally, Fannin County carries more than 500 miles of trout streams in the Toccoa River watershed, attracting tens of thousands of visitors annually who enjoy outdoor recreation for a day, a weekend, a week, a month -- all year long! With its economic teeth embedded in tourism that benefits local businesses, Fannin County embraces visitors who return over and over again to enjoy fishing, hunting, lodging, camping, paddling, biking, hiking, climbing and boating, while contributing deeply to regional economic impacts. So does TROUT FEST!

Since 2016 -- across eight annual festivals -- TROUT FEST sponsorships have helped Blue Ridge Mountain TU raise more than $200,000 for its programs. Its board of directors annually identify organizations that meet TU’s funding criteria and approved beneficiary descriptions. These include:   

• Casting for Recovery 
• Project Healing Waters 
• Rivers Alive
• Fannin County High School scholarship program
• Trout in the Classroom (Fannin County Schools)
• Fannin Family Connection
• Friends Of The Hatchery
• UGA Foundation - TU Coldwater Scholarship
• Mercier Orchards’ Family Fishing Days
• Trout Adventure Trail
• Fannin County High School Fishing Club
• Georgia Trout Camp
• Save Georgia’s Hemlocks 

And our organization participates with these government agencies: 

• USFWS/Chattahoochee Forest National Fish Hatchery (at Rock Creek)
• USDA Forest Service (cold-water resources)
• Georgia Department of Natural Resources
• Georgia Department of Economic Development
• Fannin County
• Tennessee Valley Authority

Together, TROUT FEST and its SPONSORS promote, grow and service the thriving, repeating, tourism-driven economy of Blue Ridge and Fannin County, while supporting cold-water conservation, education, recreation and community awareness, wellness and outreach.

Thank you so very much to the 2026  Ever-Best Festival Sponsor Team of TROUT FEST. We look forward to your future participation, working with you and working for you! 

JOIN THE TROUT FEST '25 SPONSORSHIP PROGRAM

Sponsorship Program/more info

Sponsorship short form

Bob Borgwat, event coordinator

phone: 770-827-6657

email: INFO@BlueRidgeTroutFest.com