What is Airing of the Quilts? It’s your new fall tradition set for Oct. 3, 2026

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Experience the world-renowned, richly storied and generations-old artistry of Gee’s Bend quiltmaking at the Airing of the Quilts Festival in Boykin, Alabama, on Saturday, Oct. 3, 2026.

Located in Wilcox County about 145 miles north of downtown Mobile, the festival celebrates a living tradition that traces back here: The first named quilt maker among generations in the Gee’s Bend area was Dinah Miller, a survivor of the Clotilda, the last known slave ship that arrived here in 1860.

Miller’s story is highlighted in an exhibit at the Gee’s Bend Welcome Center, and that is one of many meaningful ways you may connect to this uniquely Alabama heritage at the festival.

Read on to learn more about the Airing of the Quilts tradition, the festival, how to plan your trip + qualify for an incredible giveaway.

What is the history behind Airing of the Quilts?

While the festival is only in its fifth year, the tradition of airing quilts has been around a long time, as we learned from Keya Nkonoki of the Freedom Quilting Bee Legacy in Alberta, which co-organizes the festival.

“The airing of the quilts is a tradition that’s been alive and well in this community for over 100 years. The festival happening in the fall is even significant, as we are transitioning to the winter months. After storing your quilts and heavy blankets, it’s time to take them out, put them on the line, air them out and let the sun hit them.”
_{– Keya Nkonoki, Director of Marketing and Tourism, Freedom Quilting Bee Legacy}

While the practice is common to many places and people, when the sun and air hit the improvisational quilts of Gee’s Bend, it reveals to the world a legacy of remarkably uncommon resourcefulness, resilience and creativity.

How did Gee’s Bend quilters become famous?

These days, you’ll find Gee’s Bend quilts in fine art museums and their creators’ stories all over the media, most recently grabbing headlines as part of a new artist residency collab between Ralph Lauren and Claudia Pettway Charley of Sew Gee’s Bend Heritage Builders, which co-organizes the festival with Freedom Quilting Bee Legacy.

Here’s a brief summary of how Gee’s Bend area quilters gained global attention:

• The quilters’ work first gained national attention in the 1960s through the dedication + work of the Freedom Quilting Bee.
• In February 1965, Martin Luther King Jr. addressed the Gee’s Bend community amid a major local conflict over civil + voting rights, and many joined King to march the following month.
• An Episcopal priest + civil rights worker named Father Francis X. Walter was in the area documenting the civil rights violations, saw the quilts and their economic potential + helped establish the Bee in 1966.
• By the 1970s, the Bee had established contracts with major retailers, including Saks Fifth Avenue + Sears.
• In the art world, collectors commissioned pieces even then + a major turning point came in 2002 with “The Quilts of Gee’s Bend” exhibit at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, after which other museums followed suit.
• In 2022, Souls Grown Deep founded the festival, now co-organized by the Freedom Quilting Bee Legacy + Sew Gee’s Bend Heritage Builders.

How to go to the Airing of the Quilts Festival 2026

If you’ve followed any of the background links so far, you know the stories within the Airing of the Quilts Festival are as fascinating and complex as the quilts made in Gee’s Bend and its surrounding communities.

The best place to learn more is the festival, of course.

Airing of the Quilts 2026 essential info

Take a tour, see quilt displays, talk to quilters, buy quilts + quilted items, watch demonstrations, do workshops, ask questions + learn.

• Where: Gee’s Bend Welcome Center, 12021 Co Rd 29, Boykin, AL 36723
• When: Saturday, Oct. 3, 2026, 9AM-5PM
• Cost: Free admission, with a suggested donation of $40
• Win: When you register ahead with the suggested donation of $40 during September, you’ll automatically be entered for a chance to win 1 of 3 handcrafted quilted bags created by renowned Gee’s Bend quilter Annie Lou Square. You do not have to be present to win.

“I love what I do, and I hope every quilted bag I make brings someone joy. I’ll always give back to this community because I love where I live, and I’m proud to share a piece of Gee’s Bend with everyone who carries one.”
_{– Gee’s Bend Quilter Annie Lou Square}

Visit the Airing of the Quilts Festival website for more details about the event and tours.

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