This weekend at the annual Airing of the Quilts Festival, “a one-of-a-kind experience found nowhere else awaits visitors to Gee’s Bend,” according to an event news release.
Dozens of Gee’s Bend quilters are expected to sell their work, much of it stitched from the same kinds of everyday cloth their ancestors used. Yards, porches and clotheslines throughout the rural community, nestled inside a bend of the Alabama River, will be filled with the quilts that made the hamlet internationally famous.
On Saturday, October 3, visitors can watch demonstrations, join hands-on workshops, take guided tours of the community, browse exhibitions, eat from local food vendors and hear live music from local choirs and performers, including the Dexter Avenue Baptist Church Choir.
“Meeting people from around the world and sharing my quilts in person makes the Airing of the Quilts Festival truly special,” Gee’s Bend quilter Doris Mosely said.
Gee’s Bend quilts hang in museums around the world. The artists who make them learned their craft from family members who developed improvisational techniques to create quilts that combined function and craftsmanship. The Airing of the Quilts Festival gives visitors a chance to see hundreds of quilts displayed outdoors and buy them directly from the women who made them.
Third-generation quilter Mary Margaret Pettway said sunlight hitting a finished quilt creates a magical experience.
“When it hits that sun, it does something different to those quilts,” Pettway said.
Gee’s Bend quilters draw tourists to Alabama’s Black Belt throughout the year, but the festival provides a one-day celebration of the area’s artistry, history and cultural heritage. Proceeds support the quilters, the local cultural economy and efforts to preserve quilting culture.
In past years, the festival has welcomed thousands of visitors from more than 36 states and six countries. Organizers expect another record year of attendance.
Global clothing brand Ralph Lauren recently announced a collaboration with two Gee’s Bend quilters, Claudia Pettway Charley and Loretta Pettway Bennett, for the “Ralph Lauren x Gee’s Bend” collection. The collaboration marks the fifth installment of the company’s Artist in Residence program.
The 2026 festival, presented by Freedom Quilting Bee Legacy and Sew Gee’s Bend Heritage Builders, along with Wells Fargo, Alabama Power Foundation, Modern Quilt Guild, Alabama Black Belt Adventures Association, Alabama State Association of Cooperatives, Alabama State Council on the Arts, Wilcox Area Chamber of Commerce, Black Belt Community Foundation, Federation of Southern Cooperatives and This is Alabama, runs from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, October 3.
A hop-on, hop-off bus service will be available for $25 per person, and tickets can be purchased online.
Festivalgoers can explore Gee’s Bend at their own pace with unlimited rides throughout the day along the Gee’s Bend Heritage Trail. Stops include local makers’ sites, the historic Boykin Mercantile and other culturally significant locations. Guides will share the community’s history and heritage along the way.
The tour is family-friendly, and children under 12 can ride free when accompanied by a paying adult.
The Gee’s Bend Ferry will run from Camden across the Alabama River for $1 per pedestrian on festival day. Children under 12 can ride free, and a limited number of vehicle spaces will be available for $3.
Extra crossings will be added for the festival. Festival venues are ADA-compliant, with ramps, accessible restrooms and parking, though most activities take place outdoors. The festival will be held rain or shine.
“Every quilt has a unique family story behind it,” said Pam Swanner, executive director of the Alabama Black Belt Adventures Association, or ALBBAA. The organization supports the Airing of the Quilts Festival and named it a “2026 Black Belt Signature Event.”
“I find that being able to see these works of art outside of a glass case, to touch them, and to talk directly with the artisans who created them makes the encounter truly immersive. Those personal connections are what people remember, and they offer a meaningful way to discover all that the Black Belt has to offer.
“If you’ve never attended the Airing of the Quilts, this is the year to go. And if you’re returning, you already know what makes it so memorable—and why it’s truly a day well spent.”
The Black Belt includes 23 counties: Barbour, Bullock, Butler, Choctaw, Clarke, Conecuh, Crenshaw, Dallas, Greene, Hale, Lee, Lowndes, Macon, Marengo, Monroe, Montgomery, Perry, Pickens, Pike, Russell, Sumter, Tuscaloosa and Wilcox.
