Johnny Appleseed Festival

The Johnny Appleseed Festival in Fort Wayne, occurring September 20-21, 2025, is a family-friendly event celebrating the life and times of Johnny Appleseed around the year 1842. It features traditional pioneer foods cooked over wood or coal fires, pioneer crafts, continuous live entertainment on multiple stages, historical encampments, craft demonstrators, antiques, and a dedicated children’s area. The festival is wheelchair accessible and takes place primarily at Johnny Appleseed and Archer Parks, as well as the Allen County War Memorial Coliseum parking lot.

The festival’s vibe is historical and educational, aiming to immerse visitors in the pioneer era with costumed settlers demonstrating historic crafts and life skills, creating a lively yet authentic pioneer atmosphere. It is alcohol-free and pet-free to maintain a family-friendly environment.

Key activities at the festival include:

• Traditional pioneer food sampling, provided largely by nonprofit food vendors supporting local organizations.
• Pioneer crafts demonstrations.
• Continuous entertainment across four stages with live music and performances.
• Historical reenactments and encampments with costumed settlers.
• An antiques area.
• Children’s activities and crafts in a dedicated area.

The rough schedule is:

• Saturday, September 20, 10:00 AM to 6:00 PM
• Sunday, September 21, 10:00 AM to 5:00 PM

The Settlers’ Pioneer Village, a key attraction within the event, is open from 10:00 AM to 6:00 PM on Saturday and until 5:00 PM on Sunday, offering various hands-on demonstrations of historic hand arts, music, and pioneer life skills.

The festival is a long-standing tradition marking its 50th anniversary in 2025, always held on the third full weekend in September. It is an invitation-only event for vendors, who must comply with 1800s period rules—no modern booths or power usage—to preserve historical authenticity. The festival is rain or shine, emphasizing immersive cultural heritage education and family entertainment.