Planning your summer getaway? A rolling green region in Ohio should make the top of your list: Ohio Amish Country. Summer brings long, warm nights and light breezes that make Berlin, New Philadelphia, Sugarcreek, and Dover, Ohio, the places to be for the festival season.
Your Family’s Place vacation homes give you a delectable mix of cozy and modern amenities that feel like a home away from home while you experience a diverse array of family-friendly music and food events only found in an Amish Country summer.
Fancy new wines and juicy BBQ meats? How about succulent, fresh strawberries or a bluegrass live music performance? Walk with us through Ohio Amish Country’s fabulous summer fests for you to make your next vacation one to remember.
Olde Canal Days
Ohio’s Canal Fulton is famous for preserved historic architecture and the long-running Olde Canal Days festival! This July will mark the 56th year of the family fun annual event, featuring fireworks, a grande parade, food trucks, museum tours, and live music at the St. Helena Amphitheater every evening.
If you can’t make it to all three days, take the kids to the Saturday Trucks n Tykes event at noon on Saturday. And if you have a lot of family members itching for something different, a vintage baseball game takes place around the same time!
2024 Lineup/Details
- Location: 123 Tuscarawas St NW, Canal Fulton, OH
- Date: June 27-29, 2024
- Notable features: Fire show, museum tours, amusement rides, Miss Olde Canal Queen Pageant, live entertainment, beer garden, Grande Parade, and a vintage baseball game.
Music on the Square
Music on the Square in Berlin, Ohio, is a charming gathering that brings together locals and tourists to celebrate music and community. A lively atmosphere fills the air as the melodious tunes of different genres fill the square, making it difficult not to join in!
The open-air amphitheater creates a unique ambiance where families sit on blankets, sip on their favorite drinks and relish the eclectic sounds. Music on the Square offers something for every musical taste, from bluegrass to country, jazz to classical. The music starts at 7 p.m. each evening and often features regional talent.
2024 Lineup/Details
- Location: The Square, Berlin, OH
- Notable Features: Local music in a variety of styles.
- Dates: May 24-Sept 13, 2024
- Artists: High Country Bluegrass, Low Gap, The Lovedays, County Line, New Sound, and John Schmid, among others.
Swiss Festival
Many of the Amish people’s ancestors emigrated to Ohio’s Amish Country from Switzerland in the mid-1800s. So, what better way to honor that historical significance than to host a grand Swiss Festival? Sugarcreek is home to the event. While we love the regular summer fest live music and food vendors, the Swiss Festival is on a whole other level when it comes to activities.
When was the last time you let out a yodel? Channel your inner die Schweizer at the festival’s Yodeling Contest, complete with a Swiss Costume Contest to boot! An extra cultural treat? The Amish Country’s biggest game of Steinstossen, a Swiss sport where players throw 138-pound and 75-pound stones to see who can get them the farthest!
We can’t even list all the kid-friendly activities without running out of breath. Take them to watch the Garaway Pirate Parade, or enroll your little princess in the Ms. Ohio Swiss Festival Queen Pageant.
Of course, the Swiss love their craft beer and wine. So cheeky parents will still enjoy a little adult fun with the craft beer tasting and wine and cheese events on the schedule!
2024 Lineup/Details
- Location: Main & Third Street, Sugarcreek, OH
- Notable Features: Pageants, Steinstossen game, and a yodeling contest.
- Dates: September 26-28, 2024
- Artists: Live music entertainment to be announced
Dennison Railroad Depot Festival
You can’t discuss railroad history in America without Dennison, OH. This small town in Amish Country was the stopping point for tons of big-city trains. Every single train that went from St. Louis, Missouri, to New York City stopped in Dennison, OH.
What pairs well with railroad history? How about calm yet harmonized country vocals to soothe the soul? You’ll find both at the Dennison Railroad Festival, which takes place every year the Wednesday to Saturday after Memorial Day.
The historic train exhibits are the depot’s oeuvre. Still, kiddie pedal pulls, magic shows, fresh pretzel vendors, beauty pageants, and carnival rides all beckons for you to enjoy with the little ones.
2024 Lineup/Details
- Location: Centre Street, Dennison, OH
- Notable Features: Railroad history & carnival rides.
- Dates: May 29-Jun 2, 2024
- Artists: Check here as the event approaches!
First Town Days
Welcome back to the 47th Annual First Town Days in New Philadelphia, Ohio. Pie eaters, singers, car enthusiasts, and Ferris-wheel riders unite! This Fourth-of-July Festival has exciting activities like a five-kilometer run, fireworks, whiffle ball tournaments, talent shows, and more.
Of course, there will also be live music to suit all tastes — especially country and organic guitar lovers. Take the seniors to Bingo and the kiddoes to the parent-child sack races! The best part? This year, the city of New Philadelphia is going all out with fireworks, predicting the largest-scale show in the city’s history!
2024 Lineup/Details
- Location: 927 Al Maloney Midway, New Philadelphia, OH
- Dates: July 4-7, 2024
- Notable Features: Crafts, fishing derbies, live music, talent shows.
- Artists: Alex Hursey, Brothers, Ed Kilpatrick, Fueled by Crown, Marc Davis, Mike Wikoff, Prime, Brady McBride, and Teddy Snyder
Strawberry Festival
The Village of Bolivar is known for the historical Fort Laurens site — a war fort from the late 1700s. But if you’re looking for a little more action in this small town nestled between Canton and New Philadelphia, you might check out the annual Strawberry Festival — a fantastic way to ring in the summer!
Your kids will oooh and ahh at the impressive Firemen’s Parade or the singing Bolivar Idol Live Music Contest. Plus, the farms around this village are brimming with juicy strawberries for everyone to enjoy at the festival. And if you enjoy them a little too much, you might try your hand at the Strawberry Eating Contest! You’ll also notice tons of food vendors, concessions, and a beer tent for the adults.
This festival also has three separate beauty pageants, including one for senior ladies — quick, make sure you sign grandma up, too!
Bolivar serves up history and strawberries by the heaps, but the small town is developing quickly. If you’re into baseball, you might check out the new Massarelli Baseball/Softball Complex for lessons and games on an impressive 21-acre field.
2024 Lineup/Details
- Location: Canal Street, Bolivar, OH
- Dates: June 6-8, 2024
- Notable Feature: Strawberry eating contest; 5k run.
- Artists: Tim White, Tusky Valley Jazz Band, Realm of the Reptiles, Ed Kilpatrick, Liverpool Lads, Low Budget Band, Tim and TJ Gang, Chris Higbee, New Delhi Monkeyman
Dandelion Festival
Dandelions might make you sneeze, but the good folks at Breitenbach Wine Cellars have celebrated the versatile flower for the last 30+ years. The Dandelion Festival runs rain or shine and is a must for any early summer/spring event calendars.
Care for a refreshing dandelion sangria? How about a herbaceous dandelion lasagna? You can also sign up for exciting 5k and 10k runs and kid’s scavenger hunts!
Missed the Dandelion Festival this year? Don’t worry; this is an annual event, so you can mark it on your event calendar for next year.
2024 Lineup/Details
- Location: 5934 Old Route 39 Northwest, Dover, OH
- Dates: May 3-4, 2024
- Notable Feature: Locally sourced ingredients and unique dishes with dandelions.
Art in the Alley
It isn’t a proper summer in New Philadelphia without a stop at the town’s infamous Art on the Alley festival! This tight-knit community dedicated itself to supporting local artists, inviting vendors and nonprofits in the Tuscarawas area to show off their talent and wares.
If you’re traveling with kiddos, this is a fantastic festival to attend. They’ll marvel at the caterpillar-butterfly encounter event and let their creativity run wild with free reign of chalk on the sidewalks. Plus, Art on the Alley is well-known for their endless arts and crafts activities for both parents and children to relish. Do you have a video game enthusiast in your group? You’ll love the festival’s Oversized Games and Cosplay Event!
Of course, we can’t forget all the live music. Bob your head to acoustic guitar riffs and smooth country vocals from Eddie Kilpatrick and Dan Gribble, among many more talented artists.
2024 Lineup/Details
- Location: Downtown New Philadelphia, Ohio
- Dates: May 9, 2024; October 13, 2024
- Notable Feature: Sand-wax candle-making, Cosplay event, and live country music.
- Artists: Kami Huff, Sam & Jimmy, Saxy Rob, Smalls Smalley, T Valley Ukulele Players, Ed Kilpatrick
Celebrate Summer in Amish Country
Apple butter, painted crafts, ice cream, and homemade wines are just a touch of the locally inspired goodness that powers Ohio’s Amish Country summer festivals. This year, enjoy a wholesome experience with your family and take pleasure in life’s simplest pleasures: a juicy strawberry on a hot summer’s day, a dip in the pool with Bluegrass music playing in the background, a delicious hot dog and french fries shared with the kids.
Ohio Amish Country is all about a small-town feel and community. And at Your Family’s Place, we love to help our guests foster that sense of community by creating a comfortable space for the entire family.