EUSTIS, Fla. – The City of Eustis kicked off its 123rd Georgefest on Friday.
Georgefest is the longest-running celebration of George Washington’s birthday in the state, and it’s also the longest-running celebration of its kind in the United States.
Eustis Vice Mayor Gary Ashcraft said it didn’t always start out as a celebration for George Washington’s birthday.
“Actually, in the early, early 1900s, it was actually a celebration for the snowbirds and the visitors that would live down here for four months,” Ashcraft said.
Ashcraft said the festival originally started as a way to thank tourists for visiting Eustis.
“It was during that time that they had this big parade and a nice thank you for them,” Ashcraft said. “Because Eustis actually early was big on tourism, and then over the years, they transitioned over to being a celebration around Presidents Day and George Washington’s birthday.”
Ashcraft said the festival has grown over the years.
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“I mean, when it first started, it was only one day, and it was three, then it was four now. Now, we are at a week-long celebration,” Ashcraft said.
Eustis Mayor Willie Hawkins said Georgefest is great for the local economy.
“We have people from all over Central Florida, actually the state, that come here just for this,” Hawkins said. “This event is great for our restaurants, it’s great for all of our local businesses, not only downtown Eustis, but Eustis citywide. We even have spillover into our neighbor Mount Dora and Tavares, so it’s a great regional event, but specifically for Eustis.”
One of the businesses benefitting from Georgefest is Magnolia Breeze in downtown Eustis. This is the restaurant’s first Georgefest after opening up three months ago.
“It’s nice because they do bring us business and like people that don’t usually come to Eustis, they can see what we have, and they usually end up coming back,” said Kendal Belton, who is a server at Magnolia Breeze.
Georgefest kicked off on Friday and runs through Saturday, Feb. 22.
Hawkins said that during the parade on Feb. 22, the city will attempt to break the world record for the most people wearing a tri-corner hat at once during the parade. Hats will be given away for free to people participating in the world record attempt.
For a full list of events for Georgefest 2025, click here.
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