SAUTEE NACOOCHEE, Ga. — The Sautee Nacoochee Center will once again transform its 8½-acre campus into an outdoor stage this summer for SOLfest 2026, a performing arts festival featuring a site-specific production of Shakespeare’s “A Midsummer Night’s Dream.”
The festival, short for Sautee Outdoors Live Festival, will stage performances June 12, 13, 19 and 20 at 7:30 p.m. outdoors across the campus of the Sautee Nacoochee Center. The production returns after a successful 2025 run and will again move audiences through multiple locations as scenes unfold, turning the grounds into a roaming theatrical experience.
The Shakespeare comedy, “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” by A Midsummer Night’s Dream, will begin in one location and shift throughout the campus, blending performance, setting and audience movement into a single immersive experience. Mobility assistance will be available.
Before each evening performance, the grounds will open at 5:30 p.m. for “Side Quests,” interactive activities designed to extend the play’s themes across the property. Activities will include fairy house hunting featuring local artists’ installations, hands-on crafts at the John Burrison Pottery Studio, storytelling at the African American Heritage Site, and costume creation in the Makers’ Space. Food, beverages and merchandise will be available in the Community Hall. Food service will end at 7 p.m.
Organizers encourage guests to arrive early, as Side Quests run from 5:30 to 7:15 p.m. before the 7:30 p.m. performances begin.
Two matinee performances will also be held June 14 and 21 at 2:30 p.m. inside the Historic Gym. For these shows, the campus will open at 1 p.m., and most Side Quests will be available indoors.
Ticket prices are $30 for adults, $23 for Sautee Nacoochee Center members, $10 for students and $5 for children 12 and under. Tickets are available at SauteeNacoocheeCenter.org or by calling 706-878-3300.
In the event of inclement weather, outdoor performances may be moved indoors, with ticket holders notified by email.
SOLfest is supported by the Thomas S. Kenan Institute for the Arts, Lew Oliver Inc., B & C Cleaners, the North Georgia Community Foundation, Habersham EMC and individual donors.
For more information or to volunteer, contact Performing Arts Director Jenna Scaramuzzo at [email protected] or 706-878-3300, ext. 303.
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