"For the first time, the G&G Society Gathering is open to all." That line comes from Garden & Gun's event page for October 22 through 25, 2026. The next sentence names where it happens: Alys Beach, which the magazine calls "one of the South's most architecturally distinctive communities."
Three weeks after that, Crafted opens its fifth year. Its 2026 schedule includes The Summerhouse at The Silva, a building that didn't exist when last November's festival ran.
The two largest events of the season have the same focus this year. Each one builds its program around the town's architecture and its newest building, so the town's buildings are part of the program, not just a place to hold it.
Garden & Gun Has Always Picked a Property. This Year It Picked a Town.
The magazine lists its earlier gatherings on the same event page, and each was hosted by named inns or ranches. The fourth was at Gasparilla Inn & Club in Boca Grande. The fifth was at The Swag and Cataloochee Ranch in Maggie Valley, North Carolina. The sixth was at The Loren in Bermuda. Garden & Gun's recap of that Bermuda weekend, published in December 2025, describes it as taking place "this fall." Alys Beach is the first of those locations that is a town and not an inn or resort, and the program reflects that.
The guest list includes Marieanne Khoury-Vogt, listed by title as Alys Beach Town Architect. The magazine's itinerary includes an Alys Beach architecture lunch and walking tour. Most event weekends on 30A use their setting as scenery. This one gives the person responsible for the town's look a place on the program next to the chefs and the winemaker.
The rest of the lineup Garden & Gun has announced:
- Rebecca Darwin, CEO and founder of G&G, and David DiBenedetto, editor in chief
- David Bancroft, executive chef and owner of Acre Restaurant and Bow & Arrow Barbecue
- Bobby McAlpine, architect and interior designer at McAlpine
- Chuck Wagner, owner and winemaker at Caymus Vineyards
- Beth Walton, executive director of Oyster South
- Rachel Mazer of Oh My Mahjong
- Kathleen Edwards, singer-songwriter
The published itinerary connects those names to specific events. It starts with a beachside welcome featuring cocktails, Gulf seafood and live music. There's an oyster-focused lunch and conversation with Bancroft and Walton, plus croquet and a mahjong social. The weekend closes with a Caymus dinner that ends with Kathleen Edwards performing. The town's own event listing calls it "an immersive four-day event" with dinners, conversations, architectural tours and outdoor excursions "throughout Alys Beach." Tickets are sold through Garden & Gun.
Crafted's Fifth Year Moves Into the Newest Building
Crafted's 2025 festival ran November 12 through 16, and 30A.com called it the festival's fourth year. The 2026 edition runs November 11 through 15. Comparing the two schedules shows where the festival has moved.
| Event | 2025 venue | 2026 venue |
|---|---|---|
| Songwriters session | Red Loggia at Caliza | Red Loggia at Caliza |
| Experiential dinners | Red Loggia at Caliza; Fonville Press Market + Café; Papilio Park | Red Loggia at Caliza; George's at Alys Beach; The Summerhouse at The Silva |
| Holiday Makers Market | Amphitheatre | Amphitheatre |
| Firkin Fête | Central Park | Central Park |
| Spirited Soirée | North Sea Garden Walk | North Sea Garden Walk |
| Cocktails & Clay | Not on the 2025 program | The Summerhouse at The Silva |
The Silva wasn't one of Crafted's venues in 2025. 30A.com reported in July 2025 that it was scheduled to open in 2026. The 2026 schedule gives it two events. When VIE covered The Silva's completion in June, it described the pool, restaurant, bar, event lawn and Summerhouse as facilities for residents and vacation-rental guests. Crafted's ticketed events are the first published festival programming held in that building. For a summary of how The Silva and Indaco changed the town center this summer, see our earlier report on Alys Beach's summer openings.
Here are the 2026 programs in order:
- Wednesday, November 11, 5:30 p.m. The 30A Songwriters Session at Red Loggia at Caliza.
- Thursday, November 12, 5 p.m. Three dinners at the same hour. Chef Rob McDaniel cooks with Foursquare Rum Distillery at Red Loggia. Chef Camille Withall pairs with Brown Forman Spirits at George's. Chef Drew Dzejak, Menagerie Wines, Yarrow Art and Alys Beach Culinary host the dinner at the Summerhouse. José Medina Camacho and Nicole Greenwell are named as cocktail collaborators.
- Friday, November 13. The Holiday Makers Market runs from 2 to 4:30 p.m. at the Amphitheatre. Cocktails & Clay with local ceramicist Sarah Bumanglag starts at 2:30 p.m. at the Summerhouse. Firkin Fête with musician Scott T. Smith runs from 6:30 to 9 p.m. in Central Park.
- Saturday, November 14. The Makers Market runs from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. The Spirited Soirée runs from 1 to 4 p.m. on North Sea Garden Walk.
- Sunday, November 15. The Makers Market's last day runs from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Two details for planning. First, the Cocktails & Clay page gives two different dates. Its heading says Friday at 2:30 p.m., but its description says Saturday from 3 to 5 p.m. The official schedule and 30A.com's preview both list Friday at 2:30. Second, the ticket button on the Crafted schedule page still links to last year's 2025 ticket listing, so check that the event you're buying for is the 2026 one.
The 2025 program included an architectural tour on North Sea Garden Walk. The 2026 schedule doesn't list one. The architecture walking tour on this fall's calendar is part of Garden & Gun's program.
The October Rhythm Underneath
Both large events take place on top of a smaller weekly calendar run by the town's own businesses, and that calendar continues on its usual schedule.
Wine + Song at NEAT runs every Tuesday in October, including tonight. It's $30 per person for four wines and live music. This month's performers are Mari Gleason, Max McCann, Steven Theriot and Corey Hall. Parasol holds its Hayley Style trunk show October 8 through 10, with the collection available to browse all three days. On Friday, October 9, from 8:30 to 10 a.m., Alo in Motion combines mat Pilates, an Alo fashion presentation and shopping, with pumpkin-spice cold brew from Fonville Press.
Thursday, October 22 is the most crowded date. Garden & Gun's gathering starts that day, and the same afternoon, from 4 to 7 p.m., the town center hosts Howl-O-Ween + Merchant Trick-or-Treating. It includes a costume contest for dogs and their owners, trick-or-treating at the shops, and a DJ. The listing says the event depends on the weather. So on the first day of a weekend run by a national magazine, the town center is also hosting a dog costume contest.
The other early-October event has already happened. Cars of 30A took place October 2 and 3, with a Friday cocktail dinner and a Saturday automotive showcase for all ages.
After Crafted, the Calendar Opens to Everyone
From late November on, the calendar shifts to free events open to the public. On the Friday after Thanksgiving, November 27, Alys in Winter Wonderland runs from 4 to 6:30 p.m. It includes a holiday concert, the tree lighting, photos with Santa and cookie decorating. It's free, and the town says more details are coming.
The year ends with the Noon Year's Eve Party on December 31, from 10 a.m. to noon at the Alys Beach Amphitheatre. It's also free and public, with live music, crafts, face painting, a snow globe and a Fonville Press bar.
On Thanksgiving morning, RUN Alys Beach is a registered team in the 30A 10K Thanksgiving Day Races on November 26. Those races start and finish on Scenic Highway 30A in Rosemary Beach, not Alys Beach, and include a 10K, a 5K and a one-mile fun run. Our Rosemary Beach fall calendar piece covers what else is happening at that end of the road.
The Short Calendar
| Date | Event | Where |
|---|---|---|
| Tuesdays in October | Wine + Song, $30 | NEAT |
| Oct 8–10 | Hayley Style trunk show | Parasol |
| Oct 9, 8:30–10 a.m. | Alo in Motion | Town center |
| Oct 22, 4–7 p.m. | Howl-O-Ween + Merchant Trick-or-Treating | Town center |
| Oct 22–25 | G&G Society and Friends Gathering | Throughout Alys Beach |
| Nov 11–15 | Crafted, fifth year | Caliza, George's, The Silva, Central Park, Amphitheatre |
| Nov 27, 4–6:30 p.m. | Alys in Winter Wonderland, free | Town center |
| Dec 31, 10 a.m.–noon | Noon Year's Eve Party, free | Alys Beach Amphitheatre |
If you're thinking about how a calendar like this one affects the way owners use their homes, or what it could mean for a rental season or a planned sale, Diana Kish has followed Alys Beach since the town's early years and can walk you through it. Request a Complimentary Market Consultation before the Summerhouse hosts its first Crafted dinner on November 12.
