The Bala Cranberry Festival is many, many things, but most of all it’s a FUN-FILLED weekend for everyone!

• One of Ontario’s premier arts and crafts shows with hundreds of exceptional vendors

• An entertaining festival with a fall fair atmosphere. Live music, entertainers/performers and attractions all weekend long!

• Great for adults! Couples, families and friends will love the variety of vendors, live entertainment and great food.

• A family friendly event with kids’ entertainment, kids’ activities, attractions and more.

• A celebration of our beloved cranberry! A visit to Johnston’s Cranberry Marsh and Muskoka Lakes Winery should definitely be a part of your festival experience. You will need to book your own passes in advance to partake in events at the marsh.

Festival & Bala
Areas to Discover

The Festival!

Located on Maple Avenue, in the Bala Arena and the Bala Community Centre, all accessed from Maple Avenue. Discover and shop handmade Muskoka and Canadian artisans’ products, pick up fresh cranberries, enjoy epicurean delights, tantalize your taste buds with fresh cranberries dipped in candy, and be entertained with many entertainment zones and attractions.

Cranberry Portage Farmers Market

Shopping at a farmers’ market is part of the Muskoka lifestyle. Pick up Cranberry Wine, shop from merchants that are selling homemade goods, locally sourced foods, art, and other hidden gems. Across the street enjoy home made chili hosted by Bala United Church. Located at Portage Landing on HWY 169 by the waterfalls.

The Bala Cranberry Festival Shop

Stop in at our shop to find Cranberry Festival merchandise and some local Cranberry products. The Shop will be located inside the Community Centre

Bala Falls Road

Enjoy more Bala store merchants along this route and see the base of the waterfalls at Margaret Burgess Park. Enjoy Cranberry Crepes, a long-time tradition in Bala hosted by Trinity All Saints Anglican Church.

Catch the Duck Races on Saturday, hosted by Bracebridge Muskoka Lakes Rotary Club, while watching the power of Lake Muskoka merge into the Moon River at the waterfalls. Shop and mingle with a variety of store merchants along this route.

2023 FESTIVAL MAPS

*We will update the 2024 festival information and finalized map layouts as soon as we can. Please continue to check back on our website page for more information.

PARKING?

That's a big question for the Town of Bala during Festival weekend! We're a festival in a little town so parking always takes a bit of research. 

You'll notice in-town parking lots on the festival map - one of these is a paid lot being staffed by the local community groups and the funds they collect will go to their program.  

The lot off Mill St. at Muskoka Lumber is accessible parking only. The closest lot to the festival entrance, these spaces are reserved for those with a license plate or window display.  The shuttle bus stops very close by, making it a great option for those with mobility concerns. 

Roadside parking is a common practice for festival guests however be sure to pay heed to No Parking signs, Driveways, and Emergency Routes. We do hate to see people towed.

Shuttle Schedules #takethebus

In-Town Shuttles

In-town shuttles run continuously during festival hours from Windsor Park to Ted Smith Construction with multiple stops throughout the town of Bala. Accessible buses will be running as well.

Gravenhurst Shuttles 2023

When purchasing your online ticket, you can pre-register for a shuttle ride to and from Gravenhurst. We are no longer offering shuttle buses to and from Bracebridge.

Pre-registration is required by October 11th, 2023 via the ticket page here. For those who already purchased ticket, you will be notified by email when it is available.

Important: There is no bus connecting The Bala Cranberry Festival (Town of Bala) and Muskoka Lakes Farm & Winery (The Marsh)

Tour Groups and Motorcoaches

We unfortunately do not offer any group discounts for tour groups.

Tour buses have exclusive use of a large parking lot less than 1km from the festival entrance gates.  The tour bus parking lot is designated on the festival map, website, and promotional information.  The use of this lot is for the safety of the guests, as it is unsafe for the buses to park and unload guests on the roadside at the festival entrance gates.  The tour bus parking lot is directly across the street from the pickup location for a shuttle bus that with bring patrons directly to the festival entrance gates.  This system allows guests to disembark their tour bus and avoid the walk to the festival gates by taking the shuttle bus. 

This process allows for tour buses to park and unload the guests in a safe space, a Tour Escort to usher the guests onto the shuttle bus, and accompany the guests to the festival entrance gates to facilitate the ticket purchase or present the pre-purchased tickets. We highly recommend purchasing tickets in advance to avoid wait-times for your tour group.

Where can we eat & Sleep? 

There’s a plethora of dining options available in and around Bala and food vendors will be set up at the festival. There’s also many restaurants & eateries in Muskoka Lakes. We invite you to learn more about our accommodation sponsors:

The Residence Inn - Gravenhurst

For a full listing of restaurants and accommodations, visit our local Chamber of Commerce