BRANFORD
Branford Festivals and Events
By Hayli Zuccola
The small, quiet town of Branford, nestled along a bend of the Suwannee River, is a nature lover’ s paradise, with ample opportunities for fishing and birding throughout the area. Its peaceful atmosphere and small-town charm draw locals and visitors year-round, while a lineup of special events brings an extra dose of festivity to the community.
Every January through March, the Branford Farm Stand celebrates strawberry season with U-pick days, photo opportunities and its beloved strawberry milkshakes. In April, the Suwannee River Catfish Festival takes over the Suwannee River Greenway for a family-friendly day featuring games, arts and crafts vendors, food, live music and raffles. Organized by American Legion Post 59, the event’ s signature attraction since its inception in 2015 has been its catfish dinner, served with baked beans, coleslaw and hush puppies. Proceeds benefit the Gainesville Fisher House, which supports veterans and their families during medical crises, surgeries and end-of-life care, as well as local high school programs.
A few weeks later, the Farm Stand marks Mother’ s Day with Flower Fest, kicking off its U-pick flower season, which runs through early June. The weekend celebration offers flower picking, a Ferris wheel, live music, food, children’ s activities, vendors and more.
One of Branford’ s biggest celebrations arrives in July. This year, the community’ s Fourth of July festivities were especially significant as residents celebrated America’ s 250th birthday. The Branford Florida River Reunion once again organized the annual celebration at the Suwannee River Greenway. The day began at noon with an opening ceremony featuring the honor guard. At 2 p. m., attendees could participate in a cornhole tournament or head to Ivy Park for the beloved rubber duck race, when hundreds of yellow ducks are released into the river to race toward the finish line.
Live music and children’ s activities continued throughout the day, along with a watermelon-eating contest, car show and bedrock derby. The annual parade drew another crowd before fireworks brought the celebration to a close.
As temperatures drop, the fall season brings the Farm Stand’ s Fall Harvest Festival, complete with pumpkins, a corn maze and plenty of photo
98 SUWANNEE CHAMBER IMPACT | 2026-2027