TICKETS NOW AVAILABLE FOR THE 2026 AIRING OF THE QUILTS FESTIVAL IN GEE’S BEND, ALABAMA

GEE’S BEND, ALA. (June 4, 2026) – The Airing of the Quilts Festival is excited to announce that tickets are now available for its 5th annual celebration, set for Saturday, October 3, 2026, from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. at the Gee’s Bend Welcome Center in Gee’s Bend, Alabama. Co-organized by Freedom Quilting Bee Legacy and Sew Gee’s Bend Heritage Builders, visitors from across the country  and around the world  to experience one of the most storied quilting traditions in the world. 

"We are counting down the days until this year’s Airing of the Quilts Festival,” says Kim Kelly, Executive Director of Freedom Quilting Bee Legacy. “Each year, this celebration grows in ways that continue to amaze us with more visitors, artists, and stories that will be shared. We can't wait to welcome people from around the world back to Gee's Bend this October." 

Now in its fifth year, the Airing of the Quilts Festival has become a premier cultural tourism destination in the American South. The 2025 festival drew 3,000 visitors and generated an estimated $878,000 in economic impact for Alabama, according to Grey Research Solutions. This year, Wells Fargo joins as a key sponsor, investing in a celebration that sits at the intersection of cultural preservation and community economic development. 

The festival continues a long tradition of outdoor quilt displays in Gee’s Bend, connecting visitors directly with the vibrant artistic community that has given rise to generations of African-American quiltmakers whose bold, improvisational designs have earned international acclaim and are featured in major museums and collections worldwide. Attendees can expect a dynamic, day-long experience featuring quilt displays and sales, live demonstrations, hands-on quilting workshops for all ages, guided tours connecting visitors directly with local artists and their stories, storytelling, live music, and performances, and local food vendors celebrating the flavors of Gee’s Bend.

"There is something truly powerful that happens when people make the journey to Gee's Bend,” says Claudia Pettway Charley, Co-Founder of Sew Gee’s Bend Heritage Builders. “They don't just see quilts, they meet the women and families behind them, they hear our stories, and they leave carrying a piece of this community with them. That is what the Airing of the Quilts Festival is all about. We are opening our doors wider than ever, and we invite everyone to come experience who we are, where we come from, and where we are going."

This Airing of the Quilts festival is open to the public. Tickets are available now at www.airingofthequilts.org with a recommended donation to directly support the Gee’s Bend quilt-making community. To learn more about sponsorship opportunities, please click here or contact Kim V. Kelly at kvk@fqblegacy.org or Claudia Charley at geesbendheritage@gmail.com. 

For all media inquiries or interview requests, please contact Jasmine Phillips Jones at jasmine@experiencelry.com or (662) 417-3859.