Bittersweet Festival
Join us for the 2025 Bittersweet Festival on Main Street in downtown Mt. Vernon, Kentucky on October 2-4th. It is FREE to attend with fun activities such as car show, inflatables, parade, contests, craft vendors, live music, plane kiddie rides, razzmatazz ballistic swings, games, and more. Presented by the City of Mount Vernon and Mount Vernon - Rockcastle County Tourist Commission. Craft Vendor signups must contact City Hall at 606-256-3437 to register by September 25, 2025.
Thursday, October 2nd
Car Show 4:30 PM to 9:00 PM
Friday, October 3rd
Festival Hours 4:00 PM to 10:00 PM
Saturday, October 4th
Festival Hours 9:00 AM to 10:00 PM
Parade at 12:00 PM
Courthouse Stage Performances & Contests
2:30 PM Dance Class Performance
3:00 PM Best Beard Contest
3:30 PM Mullet Contest
4:00 PM Parent-Child Lookalike Contest
4:30 PM Lumber Jack & Jill Contest
5:00 PM Briely Jean
6:00 PM Donovan Howard
7:00 PM Acoustic Breakaways
8:00 PM Call to Post
9:00 PM 21 Dust
Bittersweet Best Beard Contest
Saturday, October 4th, 2025
Register On Site 2:00 PM to 3:00 PM
Contest starts at 3:00 PM
1st Place: $100
2nd Place: $75
3rd Place: $50
Free to enter - All Ages
Bittersweet Best Mullet Contest
Saturday, October 4th, 2025
Register On Site 2:30 PM to 3:30 PM
Contest starts at 3:30 PM
1st Place: $100
2nd Place: $75
3rd Place: $50
Age Categories (Age as of October 1, 2025)
Under 5 Years Old
6 Years to 12 Years
13 Years to 18 Years
18 Years and Older
Free to enter
Bittersweet Parent - Child Lookalike Contest
Saturday, October 4th, 2025
Register On Site 3:00 PM to 4:00 PM
Contest starts at 4:00 PM
1st Place: $100
2nd Place: $75
3rd Place: $50
Free to enter - All Ages - Can be any duo combination of Parent or Grandparent and Child or Grandchild.
Bittersweet Lumber Jack and Jill Contest
Saturday, October 4th, 2025
Register On Site 3:30 PM to 4:30 PM
Contest starts at 4:30 PM
1st Place: $100
2nd Place: $75
3rd Place: $50
Free to enter - All Ages - Men's & Women's Division
See who can outlast the others by holding a piece of lumber in the air the longest.