Nova Scotia Wild Blueberry Harvest Festival

Nova Scotia's provincial berry gets a two-week celebration every August, and the Wild Blueberry Harvest Festival returns August 16 to 30, 2026 across central Nova Scotia. Founded in 1988 in Oxford — billed as the Wild Blueberry Capital of Canada — the festival has grown into a province-wide food celebration. Restaurants, bakeries, farmers' markets, cafés and community venues put wild blueberries on the menu in every form imaginable: fresh berries, pies, pancakes, jams, ice cream, smoothies, and even blueberry wine and cider.

The heart of the program is “Taste of the Festival,” a running list of participating food and beverage businesses across the region featuring wild blueberry specials throughout the two weeks. Farmers' markets join in with market-day extras, and the Truro Farmers' Market hosts the festival's signature Wild Blueberry Pie Eating Contest on Saturday, August 22 at 15 Young Street. In Oxford, community activities fill the first week of the festival, and the historic Cumberland County Exhibition — an agricultural fair running since 1918 with livestock shows, 4-H events, vendors and live entertainment — caps off the region's late-summer festivities with six days of small-town fair tradition from August 31 to September 6.

The festival coincides with the real thing: August is when Nova Scotia's wild blueberry crop comes off the barrens, and the province is one of the world's largest producers of the lowbush berry. Roadside stands, U-pick operations and farm markets across the Northumberland Shore are at their liveliest, making the festival window the best time of year to taste the province's signature fruit at its source.

Most festival events are free, with food and market items priced individually. The full schedule — including market appearances, dining specials and community events — is published at wildblueberryfest.com and on the festival's Facebook and Instagram pages. Oxford sits on Highway 104 near the Nova Scotia–New Brunswick border, about 45 minutes west of Truro, making the festival an easy stop on a Fundy or Northumberland Shore road trip.

Make the most of your time in Northumberland Shore - pair Nova Scotia Wild Blueberry Harvest Festival with our Sable Island guide, culinary trails guide, and Family Travel Guide. They're each packed with itinerary ideas, local tips, and everything you need to extend your stay.