Bear on the Square Mountain Festival

Bear on the Square Mountain Festival, Inc., which stages the festival each year, is a 501(c)3 not-for-profit cultural arts organization. It is dedicated to celebrating and preserving the culture of the Southern Appalachian region through the presentation of music, traditional arts and crafts, storytelling, and folkways.

Dahlonega’s Bear on the Square has been a local legend since 1996, going back to the time when a bear cub took refuge in the sycamore tree that used to grace a corner of the Square.

The story began on a spring morning when a mama bear with two cubs made their way into the town’s historic square, causing a “big commotion”. Many residents and merchants gathered around the Square as word spread of the bears' visit. The mama bear and one cub apparently escaped from town and were seen out on North Grove Street that afternoon. The other cub, however, decided to climb the sycamore tree, where it remained for several hours.

The Department of Natural Resources was notified, and the cub was eventually coaxed down from the tree by Forest Service rangers and delivered unharmed back into the mountain woodlands.

Shortly after the bears’ Dahlonega adventure, several local residents began kicking around the idea of throwing a “party” to give a boost to local business during a slow time, and this ultimately led to what is now the Bear on the Square Festival - now a yearly celebration of Southern Appalachian culture that includes Bluegrass and Old Time music performances and jams, traditional arts and crafts, storytelling, and folkways.