Weaving Traditions: The 2026 Vermont Sheep & Wool Festival Returns this October
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Need another reason to visit Vermont on a gorgeous October weekend (as if the fall foliage weren’t enough)?
If you are looking for a barn full of alpacas, the warm smell of lanolin, a plethora of hands-on fiber workshops and demonstrations, and more yarn than you can shake a sheep at, head to Tunbridge for the 38th annual Vermont Sheep & Wool Festival.
Taking place at the Tunbridge Fairgrounds on Saturday and Sunday, October 3 and 4, this year’s festival theme is Weaving Tradition.
If you have never been, picture a country fairground overrun by fiber, fiber crafts, and fiber enthusiasts: fleeces judged and sold, spinning wheels humming, herding dogs at work, and dozens of small Vermont farms and makers set up with hand-dyed yarn you did not know you needed. Fair warning: give yourself more time than you think you need.
At-A-Glance: Vermont Sheep & Wool Festival 2026
| Dates | Saturday and Sunday, October 3-4, 2026 |
| Hours | Saturday 10 am to 5 pm, Sunday 10 am to 4 pm |
| Location | Tunbridge Fairgrounds, Tunbridge, Vermont |
| Admission | $12 per person per day, or $10 if you buy online in advance |
| Kids | $5 for children under 12; toddlers are free |
| Theme | Weaving Traditions |
| Dogs | Service dogs only. Leave your own pup at home. |
| Good to know | ATM available on site. Public camping is offered Saturday night only. |
Highlights of This Year’s Festival
Over on the Green across from the Dodge Gilman building, Steve Lyons will be running herding demos at 11, 1, and 3 both days, and Siri Swanson will be demonstrating sheep shearing at noon and 2.
Floral Hall is the beating heart of the fiber side, home to the Fleece Show and Sale, the Fiber Arts Contest, and ongoing demos with the Green Mountain Knitting Guild.
This year’s headliner is special guest Nikyle Begay, who will demonstrate traditional Navajo weaving in the Judging Arena at 10:30 and 2:30 on both Saturday and Sunday.
If you want to dig a little deeper, Begay is also teaching a three-day Navajo Twill Weaving class earlier in the week, one of a full slate of fiber arts classes running Thursday through Sunday at the Tunbridge Town Hall.
We love the Shepherd Talks in the Animal Barn Tent, fascinating for anyone who owns fiber animals or is thinking about it. This year covers a lot of ground, from shearing Angora bunnies and a camelid Q&A with Snowshoe Farm Alpacas to a talk on Gotland sheep and their Swedish homeland.
My favorite title on the schedule is Paula Aarons speaking at 3 pm on “Things I learn from my sheep: Calamity Jane and the lessons of listening and mercy.” If that does not sell you on the quiet wisdom of small-farm life, nothing will.
Here’s an overview of the highlights. It’s by no means the full schedule:
| Day | Time | Highlight | Where |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sat & Sun | 10:30 am & 2:30 pm | Traditional Navajo weaving with special guest Nikyle Begay | Judging Arena |
| Sat & Sun | 11 am, 1 pm, 3 pm | Herding demos with Steve Lyons | The Green |
| Sat & Sun | Noon & 2 | Shearing demos with Siri Swanson | The Green |
| Sat & Sun | Ongoing | Fleece Show & Sale and Fiber Arts Contest, plus Knitting Guild demos | Floral Hall |
| Sat | 2 pm | Camelid Q&A with Ron Miller, Snowshoe Farm Alpacas | Animal Barn Tent |
| Sat | 3 pm | “Calamity Jane and the lessons of listening and mercy” with Paula Aarons | Animal Barn Tent |
| Sun | Noon | Introduction to Angora goats with Christine Staffa, Wiseacres | Animal Barn Tent |
| Sun | 2 pm | Tanning sheepskins naturally with Vermont Natural Tannery | Vendor Pavilion |
| Sat & Sun | Midday | Live music from local acts | Music Stage |
As always, food vendors are on site, and there is an ATM near the entrance, though many small makers take cards these days. Hands-on demos in Heritage Hall are mini fiber arts classes with a small materials fee, no pre-registration, so if you have ever wanted to try Yorkshire buttons or turn a knitting needle into a pair of earrings, this is your low-commitment way in.
Support Small Fiber Farmers!
The mission of the Vermont Sheep & Wool Festival is to produce an annual event showcasing natural fibers and the fiber arts while educating and entertaining the public and providing a venue for small farms and fiber producers to promote their businesses.
When you buy a skein here, sign up for a class, or just show up and pay admission, you put money directly into the hands of the people raising the animals and doing the work to keep fiber farming and fiber crafts alive.
In a world that is increasingly high-tech and disconnected, the Vermont Sheep & Wool Festival is a reminder that connecting to the land and traditional crafts is grounding in a way that makes you feel like you are part of something bigger and more meaningful. I hope to see you there!
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