What is the name of the Virginia festival celebrating Gordonsville’s fried-chicken history?

The festival celebrating Gordonsville’s fried-chicken history is the Gordonsville Fried Chicken Festival.

Gordonsville, Virginia, became associated with fried chicken through women who sold meals to passengers and crews on trains stopping in the town during the nineteenth century. These vendors became known for carrying baskets of fried chicken onto railway cars.

The tradition helped give Gordonsville the nickname “Chicken Capital of the World.” The festival commemorates that local history with food, music, vendors, and community activities.

The event is sometimes confused with broader chicken festivals elsewhere in the United States. Gordonsville’s celebration is specifically tied to the town’s railway-era chicken vendors and its Virginia setting.