OUR 2025 FESTIVAL INFORMATION IS TBD

Please check back on our website soon.
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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.

2024 FESTIVAL MAPS

*Although these maps provide a general idea of the layout, the finalized 2024 maps will be available soon. Please check back for updates.

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 2024

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 14th, 2024 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.

Please purchase your group tickets in advance to avoid congestion and to let your attendees enjoy the festival as soon as possible!

For safety reasons, we do not encourage Tour buses to drop off patrons at Maple Avenue (entrance to the Festival).  

• We recommend the tour bus drop off patrons at Ted Smith Construction (3206 Muskoka Road 169) to catch the in-town shuttle bus that can bring patrons directly to the festival entrance gates at the shuttle bus stop.  Accessible buses will also be running at this time. The shuttle bus routes are clearly indicated on the festival map attached, website and promotional information.  

• Tour buses have exclusive use of a large parking lot just up the road at Pratt's Garden Centre (3233 Muskoka Road 169) less than 1km from the festival entrance gates.  The tour bus parking lot is clearly designated on the festival map.

• We recommend a tour Escort accompany their guests to the festival entrance gates and the Escort go to the ticket booth and acquire tickets for the whole group. 

• At the end of the day, simply do the reverse ... catch the in-town shuttle back to Ted Smith Construction where the tour bus can pick them up.  The in-town shuttle bus runs the full length of town for all hours of the festival.

• The Johnston's Cranberry Marsh / Muskoka Lakes Winery are located further up the road, and tours must be pre-purchased.  Most likely they are sold out at this point in the month.  For convenience they have a booth on Maple Avenue as well as the Portage Farmers Market in the centre of town with their cranberries and other products!

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

The Bala Bay Inn - Bala

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