The Fire Ant Festival began in 1996 when Ashburn decided to embrace fire ants during its annual Wiregrass Festival, turning an invasive pest into a beloved local mascot. Held the fourth weekend of March for roughly thirty years, it features offbeat contests including a Fire Ant Calling Contest and the Manty Hose Competition.
Its odd insect identity makes it a good weird/unique Georgia row.
Few festivals turn an agricultural nuisance into their central identity as directly as Ashburn's does: fire ants are an invasive species that plagues South Georgia farmland, and rather than ignoring or fighting that reputation, the town leaned into it in 1996, folding a fire-ant theme into its existing Wiregrass Festival
The bit stuck, evolving into a stand-alone event built around genuinely wacky, off-the-wall competitions like the Fire Ant Calling Contest and the Manty Hose Competition, events that exist because the town committed fully to the joke rather than treating it as a passing gimmick
The Fire Ant Calling Contest and the Manty Hose Competition are the festival's signature
deliberately absurd traditions
unique enough that they do not exist under those names at any other Georgia festival
The event's origin within the town's older Wiregrass Festival remains part of its identity even as the fire-ant theme became the dominant draw
26–27 March 2027
Driving is typical.
Casual spring festival wear: comfortable shoes for walking festival grounds and light layers appropriate to South Georgia's mild late-March weather.
Keep valuables light, follow local instructions, and watch how residents use the space before joining in.
Ashburn
Check official or local sources for ticketed areas, paid stands, and same-year access rules.
USD
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Fire Ant Festival is listed for 26–27 March 2027. Always re-check the official or local source close to travel.
The festival is listed in Ashburn, United States. The map coordinate is a planning reference, not a guarantee of a ticket gate or exact venue.
2 days is the listed festival span. Add time for arrival, local transport, queues, and any route changes during the event.
Official source linked. Eventisimus separates source confidence from travel suggestions, so check final details before booking.
Ashburn, GA
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