Bartender Competition · Fireside Chat · Volunteer · Year 12 · July 12, 2026

Pour Your Best.
Win $1,000.

PeachFest 2026 is at Underground Atlanta. We're looking for Atlanta's best bartenders to compete for $1,000, voices for a live Fireside Chat under a real peach orchard, and volunteers ready to earn their GA ticket. Find your section below.

$1,000 Top Prize

20+ Competitors

July 12 Underground Atlanta

Year 12 Since 2014

Enter the Bartender Competition → Chef Sign-Up ↗

Peach Pit Invitational · Bartender Competition

Win Up to $1,000.
Best Peach Cocktail in Atlanta.

The Peach Pit Invitational is an invitation-only bartender competition at Underground Atlanta as part of PeachFest. The best peach cocktail wins up to $1,000 cash. Post your recipe to social and you qualify for the full purse. Every competitor brings 400 ounces and pours 2-ounce cocktails, will be provided ice, a budget, and a feature spirit that goes perfectly with peaches. The competition is July 12 at Underground Atlanta.

The Team Behind the Competition

Taste Network has produced cocktail competitions in over 20 cities across a decade — including Punch Kings and many other well-known and celebrated bartender competitions. We were responsible for the revitalization of punch as a cocktail format and service style across the Southeast. We know how to run a great competition. You're in good hands.

Full Prize — Post to Social

$1,000

Win the competition AND post your recipe + cocktail photo tagging @ATLPeachFest before the event. You take the full peach and the full purse.

Day-Of Prize — No Post Required

$500

Win without the social post. $500 cash on the day.

2nd + 3rd Place Split

$500

Remaining $500 split between second and third place finalists.

⚠ Read Before You Submit

Filling out this form is an application for consideration — not a confirmed spot.

This is an invitation-only competition with 20 competitors. Submitting the form puts you in for consideration. It does not guarantee your spot.

To be confirmed, you will receive an official confirmation via email, text, and Instagram DM. Follow @ATLPeachFest on Instagram now so we can reach you. We will confirm on all three channels.

📧 Email 📱 Text 📸 Instagram DM — @ATLPeachFest

Competitors

20+ Competitors

Invitation-only — confirmation required after you apply

Judges

7-Judge Panel

Well-respected Atlanta beverage leaders — your peers pick the winner

What You Pour

400 oz · 2 oz pours

Ice, budget, and a featured spirit provided — peach is non-negotiable

Ingredient

Pearson Farm Peaches

Provided at no cost — required in every entry

Follow @ATLPeachFest on Instagram so we can confirm you when selected.

🍑 Submit for Consideration → Follow @ATLPeachFest

Education Layer · Top Level · Under the Orchard

The Fireside Chat.
30 Years of Atlanta Food.

A live 30-year retrospective of Atlanta food happening under a real peach orchard at Underground Atlanta. Four conversation blocks, 20–25 minutes each, amplified from stage. Farmers, chefs, and food thinkers. The 1996 Olympics as the anchor. This is the intellectual and cultural heart of PeachFest 2026.

Block I
20–25 min

The Land & City Story — Pearson Farm + John Short

The Pearson Farm family opens with the story of Georgia peach farming — soil, seasons, and 30 years of change. John Short follows with the supply chain perspective: farm to plate, and how the 1996 Atlanta Olympics became the turning point for Atlanta's food identity.

Block II
20–25 min

The Chef Story — 30 Years of Atlanta Agriculture

OG Atlanta chefs on what it was actually like to cook in this city three decades ago. Ingredients impossible to find. How Georgia-grown went from afterthought to identity. War stories, laughs, and real talk on the evolution of farm-to-table in the South.

Block III
20–25 min

Peach 101 — Pit to Skin, Tips, Tricks & Hacks

The fun one. A hands-on live demo covering every part of the peach — pit infusions, dehydrated skin, fermented peach, bitters, and more. A crowd-gathering, hands-in-the-air moment. Grab a cocktail. Stay for the reveal.

Format

3 Blocks · Live Stage

20–25 minutes each · amplified from stage

Location

Under the Orchard

Top level · Underground Atlanta

Total Runtime

~90 Minutes

Conversation, not a panel

Content

Wayfinder on the Road

Every block = a standalone clip

Interested in speaking or being featured on the Fireside stage? Submit the form below.

🔥 Express Interest in the Fireside →

Peach Drive · Pre-Event + Day-Of · Earn Your GA Ticket

Volunteer.
Earn Your GA Ticket.

Spend three hours to confirm a General Admission ticket to PeachFest as your reward. Help get Pearson Farm peaches into Atlanta's hands — and turn a farmers market morning into a live ticket-selling activation.

📋

Step 1

Check In with Pearson Farm

Arrive at the market or John Short's warehouse at your assigned time. Get your bags, stickers, and flyers. This is your first task — get checked in, get your materials.

🏷️

Step 2

Sticker the Bags

Insert flyers and apply PeachFest 2026 branded stickers to the bags. One sticker per bag. Get this done before you start sampling.

🍑

Step 3

Sample and Invite

Bring a small knife and a small plate. Once bags are done, work the line. Slice peaches, hand them out, hand out flyers, talk about PeachFest. Ask if they've been. Tell them where to get 10% off.

🎟️

Your Reward

1 GA Ticket + 50% Off for a Friend

Complete your shift and you get a confirmed General Admission ticket to PeachFest 2026 — plus a second ticket at 50% off for a friend. This is a confirmed offer, not a maybe.

What You Earn
1 GA Ticket + 2nd at 50% Off
Your reward for completing a 3-hour volunteer shift. Confirmed. Not a maybe.

What Guests Get from the Bag

10% Off a PeachFest Ticket

Every bag has a QR code. Guest scans it, gets 10% off a ticket. You're turning a farmers market into a live sales activation — and a whole lot of smiles along the way.

Three Ways to Volunteer

Pick what works for you. Same playbook at every location.

John Short's Warehouse

Head to John Short's warehouse on a specific day and time. Structured and easy. Sign up for a slot, show up, do the playbook above. Brady works directly with John to confirm available days.

Atlanta Farmers Markets

Head out to one of the Pearson Farm Atlanta farmers markets on specific days and times. Long list of market locations available. You pick your market, day, and time when you sign up.

Work the Festival — July 12

Come to the event and be part of the crew. Roles include festival registration, culinary assistant to the founder, stagehand, and event support. Day-of volunteers work the event itself.

Pour Your Best.Win $1,000.

Win Up to $1,000.Best Peach Cocktail in Atlanta.

The Fireside Chat. 30 Years of Atlanta Food.

Volunteer.Earn Your GA Ticket.

Three Ways to Volunteer

Questions?We're Here.

Pour Your Best.
Win $1,000.

Win Up to $1,000.
Best Peach Cocktail in Atlanta.

The Fireside Chat.
30 Years of Atlanta Food.

Volunteer.
Earn Your GA Ticket.

Questions?
We're Here.