The Georgia-Carolina State Fair opens Friday, the free GICH Fall Festival is Saturday at Carrie J. Mays Park, and Karlous Miller brings comedy to the Miller.

The Georgia-Carolina State Fair opens Friday, Oct. 16, and fills the weekend, with the free GICH Fall Festival at Carrie J. Mays Park, Karlous Miller at the Miller Theater and a free Sunday film of Casper alongside it.

Last checked 2026-10-15. Every listing links to the organizer’s own page; confirm before you go.

Before you go

Friday, Oct. 16

  • Georgia-Carolina State Fair, opening day, 5 to 10 p.m. at the fairgrounds, 1101 Fourth St. Admission is $5 on opening night; children 12 and under and active-duty military and veterans with ID get in free. The Exchange Club of Augusta’s 10-day fair brings a midway of rides, livestock and agricultural exhibits, a petting zoo and pig races. Our state fair guide has the full schedule (Georgia-Carolina State Fair).
  • Moonlight music cruise with Tom Reed, 6 to 7:30 p.m. on the Augusta Canal from the Discovery Center at Enterprise Mill, 1450 Greene St.: hits from the 1960s to the 1990s on the water. $27, $25 for seniors, military and students; book ahead at 706-823-0440, ext. 502 (Augusta Canal).
  • Hephzibah at Westside, Westside’s homecoming game, 7:30 p.m. at Westside High School, 1002 Patriot’s Way. Also at 7:30 p.m.: Burke County at Butler, 2011 Lumpkin Road (Richmond County School System; all games on Friday night football).

Saturday, Oct. 17

  • The Augusta Market at the River, on the 8th Street Plaza at Reynolds Street: local farmers, makers, food and live music by the river. Free to browse (The Augusta Market).
  • Augusta City Serve, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.: city crews and volunteers clean up along the Savannah River and the Riverwalk. Free; sign up through the city (City of Augusta).
  • GICH Fall Festival and Resource Fair, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Carrie J. Mays Park, 1014 11th Ave.: family activities, food, games and community resource tables. Free and open to everyone. More on our festival page (City of Augusta).
  • Georgia-Carolina State Fair, from noon at 1101 Fourth St.; admission $10, unlimited-ride wristbands $30, parking $10 (Georgia-Carolina State Fair).
  • Moonlight music cruise with Chris Ndeti, 7 to 8:30 p.m. from the Discovery Center: big vocals over percussive acoustic guitar. $27, $25 for seniors, military and students (Augusta Canal).
  • “The Family that Lies Together,” 7:30 p.m. at the Imperial Theatre, 745 Broad St.: a dramedy from Raisin AJ Productions about a family and the lies it keeps (Imperial Theatre).
  • Karlous Miller and Friends, 8 p.m. at the Miller Theater, 708 Broad St.; doors at 7 p.m.: stand-up from Karlous Miller, Nod Ross and Spencer Neal, hosted by Space God Da Thug (Miller Theater).

Sunday, Oct. 18

  • Free Sunday at the Morris, noon to 5 p.m. at the Morris Museum of Art, 1 Tenth St. Free (Morris Museum of Art).
  • Music at the Morris: Bella and Randy, Irish music at 2 p.m. in the museum’s SRP Auditorium, during Free Sunday hours (Morris Museum of Art).
  • Casper on the big screen, 2 p.m. at the Miller Theater; doors at 1 p.m. Free, but reserve a ticket in advance (Miller Theater).
  • Georgia-Carolina State Fair, from noon at 1101 Fourth St. (Georgia-Carolina State Fair).

All weekend

  • Plantation Blood, a haunted attraction at 4127 Wallie Drive, open Friday to Sunday this weekend, gates at 7:30 p.m. General admission is $35 Friday and Saturday and $25 Sunday (Plantation Blood). More haunts are on Halloween events.
  • Magpie, works by Jaime Bull, Victoria Dugger and Didi Dunphy, and the fall intern show by Gabe Rawlins, at Westobou Gallery, 1129 Broad St., through Oct. 24. Open 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Friday and noon to 4 p.m. Saturday; closed Sunday (Westobou).
  • Pumpkin Fest at Sara’s Farm Adventure in Trenton, South Carolina: 2 to 10 p.m. Friday and 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Saturday and Sunday (Sara’s Farm Adventure).
  • Steed’s Dairy corn maze and pumpkin patch, 4634 Wrightsboro Road in Grovetown, about 10 miles west, open weekends through Nov. 15: $14 a person ages 3 and up, free for 2 and under (Steed’s Dairy). More farms are on fall festivals and pumpkin patches.
  • Nature and history boat tours on the Augusta Canal, Friday and Saturday, from the Discovery Center (Augusta Canal).

Regular weekend fixtures

  • The Augusta Market at the River, every Saturday through Nov. 21.
  • Free Sundays at the Morris, every Sunday, noon to 5 p.m.
  • Moonlight music cruises on the canal, Friday evenings through Oct. 30.

Coming next weekend: the state fair’s last weekend, Oct. 23-25, with $5 admission on Friday, Oct. 23, and Swan Lake by the Grand Kyiv Ballet at the Miller Theater that night.

Send us your event

Email hello@augustalocaltoday.com with the date, time, venue, price and a link to your own page, and a photo you own if you have one. We list it if we can confirm it.

Frequently asked questions

What is there to do in Augusta this weekend?

The Georgia-Carolina State Fair opens at 5 p.m. Friday, Oct. 16, at 1101 Fourth St. Saturday brings the free GICH Fall Festival at Carrie J. Mays Park, a stage play at the Imperial Theatre and Karlous Miller and Friends at the Miller Theater; Sunday has a free showing of Casper at the Miller and free admission at the Morris Museum of Art.

What is free in Augusta this weekend?

The GICH Fall Festival and Resource Fair, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday at Carrie J. Mays Park; Free Sunday at the Morris, noon to 5 p.m.; and Casper at the Miller Theater at 2 p.m. Sunday, with free tickets reserved in advance. Children 12 and under get into the state fair free.

What time does the Georgia-Carolina State Fair open this weekend, and how much is parking?

It opens at 5 p.m. Friday, Oct. 16, with $5 admission until 10 p.m., and at noon Saturday and Sunday. The fair lists admission at $10, unlimited-ride wristbands at $30 and parking at $10.