This calendar is for Pickens County, Georgia: Jasper, Tate, Nelson, Talking Rock and Marble Hill. If most of your search results were about Pickens County in South Carolina, that’s a different county in a different state. Everything below is in Georgia, sourced, and dated with its year.
Coming up: Tate House Christmas Open House
The Tate House in Tate is a privately owned wedding venue, and the Christmas Open House is the one time it opens to the public (Tate House). For 2026 it lists a Christmas Lunch Tour at $68, Mondays through Saturdays from November 30 to December 23, booked at 770-735-3122. Tour-only tickets are $25 for adults and $5 for children 10 and under, sold December 1 to 23, Monday to Saturday from 11:00 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., with no reservation needed (Tate House).
- 2026 Christmas tour-only tickets: $25 adults, $5 children 10 and under; no reservation needed. Tours run Monday-Saturday 11:00am-1:30pm, with tickets sold December 1-23. Tate House
- 2026 Christmas Lunch Tour: $68, Mondays-Saturdays, November 30-December 23; book at 770-735-3122. Tate House
The house’s story is in our Tate House article, and the rest of Tate is on the Tate marble trail.
Every month, in season
Second Saturday Jasper
Live music and food in downtown Jasper from 4 to 9 p.m. on the second Saturday of each month, March through October (Visit Pickens). October’s was the last date of the 2026 season. If the pattern holds, it returns in March.
Jasper Farmers Market
Saturday mornings at Lee Newton Park, home of the Pickens County Visitor Center. The October 2026 listings show a 7:30 a.m. start (Visit Pickens).
Held this fall
Oktoberfest in the Alley
Held in downtown Jasper at 2 p.m. on Saturday, October 3, 2026, the same day as the Marble Festival parade (Visit Pickens).
Talking Rock Heritage Days
The 32nd annual Talking Rock Heritage Days Festival was held Saturday and Sunday, October 17-18, 2026, in downtown Talking Rock, starting at 9 a.m. It was a ticketed event (Visit Pickens). Talking Rock is about 8 miles by road from Lee Newton Park by our routing estimate.
Annual, with no date published
Sheriff’s JeepFest, Marble Hill
The Chamber says Marble Hill hosts the annual three-day Sheriff’s JeepFest (Visit Pickens). The page gives no date, and we haven’t found one.
Tate Day Festival
Held in downtown Tate, with a parade, a yard sale, tours of the Tate House and Tate Elementary, a stage, BBQ lunches and Tate High class reunions, per the Chamber’s listing, which publishes no date (Visit Pickens). Note that the Tate House tours come from the festival’s listing; the Tate House’s own site says it offers no drop-in tours outside its Christmas Open House.
The Georgia Marble Festival
This is the county’s big weekend. The Pickens County Chamber of Commerce says the festival is held the first full weekend of October, at Lee Newton Park in Jasper (Pickens County Chamber). The 2025 festival ran October 4-5, 2025 (Know Pickens), and the 44th, in 2026, ran October 3-4 (Visit Pickens).
No 2027 festival dates had been published by the Chamber, its tourism site or Know Pickens as of October 18, 2026. The only official timing statement is that the festival is held the first full weekend of October. (Pickens Chamber, checked Oct 18, 2026)
When 2027 dates are announced, they should appear on pickenschamber.com, on VisitPickensGA.com (the Chamber’s tourism site) and on the festival’s Facebook page, which the Chamber points to for details. We track it on 2027 festival dates. What happened in 2026 is on the 2026 festival page. The Marble Festival Road Race was canceled for 2026 and its future is undecided; see road race.
2026 at a glance
| Event | Where | 2026 date | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Georgia Marble Festival (44th) | Lee Newton Park, Jasper | October 3-4 | Held |
| Oktoberfest in the Alley | Downtown Jasper | October 3, 2 p.m. | Held |
| Talking Rock Heritage Days (32nd) | Downtown Talking Rock | October 17-18 | Held |
| Tate House Christmas Open House | The Tate House, Tate | November 30 to December 23 | Upcoming |
| Second Saturday Jasper | Downtown Jasper | Second Saturdays, March to October | Season over |
| Sheriff’s JeepFest | Marble Hill | Not published | Annual |
| Tate Day Festival | Downtown Tate | Not published | Annual |
Dates as published by the Pickens County Chamber, its VisitPickensGA.com site and the Tate House; details for 2027 may change.
Event listings
Oktoberfest in the Alley
Held as publishedDowntown event held on festival Saturday 2026.
Source: Visit Pickens (Chamber), checked Oct 18, 2026
32nd Annual Talking Rock Heritage Days Festival
Held as publishedTicketed heritage festival, Sat-Sun Oct 17-18, 2026 (Sunday is the check date).
Source: Visit Pickens (Chamber), checked Oct 18, 2026
Tate House Christmas Open House Tours (2026)
Published by the organizerThe only time the Tate House is open to the public. Lunch tour $68 (by reservation, Nov 30-Dec 23); tour-only $25 adults / $5 children 10 & under (Dec 1-23, Mon-Sat 11am-1:30pm, no reservation).
Source: tatehouse.com, checked Oct 18, 2026
Planning a day around an event? Our things to do in Jasper page covers downtown, the museum and the trails.
Questions people ask
When is the Georgia Marble Festival?
The Pickens County Chamber says the festival is held the first full weekend of October. The 2026 festival ran October 3-4, and the Chamber had not announced 2027 dates as of October 18, 2026.
Source: Pickens County Chamber, checked Oct 18, 2026
Is this the Pickens County in South Carolina?
No. This guide covers Pickens County, Georgia, whose county seat is Jasper. Pickens County in South Carolina is a different county with its own events.
Source: City of Jasper, Georgia, checked Oct 18, 2026
When are the Tate House Christmas tours in 2026?
The Christmas Lunch Tour is $68, Mondays through Saturdays from November 30 to December 23, 2026, booked at 770-735-3122. Tour-only tickets ($25 adults, $5 children 10 and under) are sold December 1-23, Monday to Saturday, 11:00 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.
Source: Tate House, checked Oct 18, 2026
When was Talking Rock Heritage Days in 2026?
The 32nd annual Talking Rock Heritage Days Festival was held October 17-18, 2026, in downtown Talking Rock, starting at 9 a.m. It was ticketed.
Source: Visit Pickens, checked Oct 18, 2026
When is the Sheriff's JeepFest in Marble Hill?
The Chamber says Marble Hill hosts the annual three-day Sheriff's JeepFest, but its page doesn't publish a date.
Source: Visit Pickens, checked Oct 18, 2026
