Bala Cranberry Festival 2026: dates, tickets, parking, shuttles and what to know
Cranberries pictured on the Bala Cranberry Festival’s official website.
Photo credit: Bala Cranberry Festival
The Bala Cranberry Festival returns to Bala, Ontario, from Oct 16, 2026 through Oct 18, 2026, bringing juried markets, art, live music, buskers and family programming back to the Muskoka community. The three-day event is spread across festival sites around the village, while Muskoka Lakes Farm & Winery operates separately and many of its harvest activities require advance booking.
Visitors should plan around festival hours and transportation before arriving. Friday runs from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Saturday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., with in-town shuttle service operating during festival hours.
Tickets and festival admission
The festival currently lists single-day admission at $10 in advance or $15 at the gate. Admission for children aged five and older is currently listed at $5, and children are admitted free on Friday.
The festival currently lists a three-day pass at $15 in advance or $20 at the gate, with a three-day children’s pass at $8. The festival says ticket prices are subject to HST.
Festival admission does not include activities at Muskoka Lakes Farm & Winery. The farm’s harvest activities are handled separately, and most require advance booking, which is worth sorting out before making plans for both destinations on the same weekend.
Parking and shuttle options
The festival lists several community-operated paid parking areas. Parking at the Precambrian Shield lot and Jaspen Park is $10 per day, while the Bala Legion lists parking at $20 per day.
Accessible parking is available at Muskoka Lumber on Mill Street, near the festival entrance. The festival says its in-town shuttles run continuously during festival hours and that accessible buses are included in the service.
Shuttle service from Gravenhurst is available with advance registration, including separate mobility-bus departures. There is no festival shuttle between Bala and Muskoka Lakes Farm & Winery, and the farm says roadside parking is prohibited; visitors with farm reservations have parking included with their booking.
Markets, art, music and family programming
The festival’s shopping areas include the juried Arts & Crafts market and Country Bazaar, along with the Cranberry Portage Farmers Market at Portage Landing. The festival describes the main market offerings as handmade Muskoka and Canadian artisan products, while the Portage market adds local merchants and homemade goods.
Bala Plein Air runs throughout the weekend, and the entertainment program includes live music, Busker Square and roaming performers. The official music schedule includes Emma Clendenan, Kyler Mackenzie, Julia Middleton and Virgil Scott among the performers booked for the weekend.
Family programming includes the trackless train and inflatables, with additional Saturday and Sunday activities such as Crafting with Cranberries with Muskoka Arts & Crafts, Science North programming and Scales Nature Park exhibits. Sunday’s schedule also includes Cranberry Queen judging at noon.
Access notes before you go
The festival is dog-friendly in its outdoor areas for well-trained, leashed dogs and says service animals are permitted throughout the grounds. Its website also asks visitors with service animals for “proof of service animal registration.” Ontario’s accessibility guidance says service animals do not require a certificate or identity card; where an animal is not readily identifiable as a service animal, documentation from a regulated health professional may be requested. Accessible parking and accessible shuttle service are also listed in the current festival transportation information.
The festival is still labelling its 2026 maps as “TBD” and displaying older maps underneath. For now, visitors should rely on the current written parking and shuttle information and check the festival site closer to the event for any updated 2026 map.
