Gemo Fest Imereti in Georgia: dates, meaning and how to experience it

By Mariam Lomidze, GTour desk · Fact-checked against the sources listed · Last checked 25 October 2026 · Editorial policy

What it is

Gemo Fest Imereti takes its name from the Georgian word gemo (გემო), meaning “taste” or “flavor.” It is a regional gastronomy festival held in Kutaisi, the historic capital of the Imereti region in western Georgia, dedicated to the dishes, wines and produce that define Imeretian cuisine. Unlike the fixed-date religious feasts of the Georgian Orthodox calendar, Gemo Fest Imereti is a modern civic event organized as part of a national program promoting regional food tourism.

The festival is attended chiefly by domestic visitors, food travelers passing through Kutaisi’s airport gateway, and local producers — winemakers, cheesemakers, bakers and farmers from the villages around the Rioni valley. It functions as both a public celebration and a working showcase: a place where small producers meet visitors and buyers directly, and where dishes that are normally eaten at home or at a family supra (feast table) are prepared and tasted in public for a day.

Historical background

• 8th–6th century BC — The area around Kutaisi corresponds to ancient Colchis, a region long associated in Greek tradition with the myth of the Golden Fleece.
• 2nd century BC onward — Kutaisi (ancient Kutatisi) develops as a political and trading center of western Georgian kingdoms on the Rioni river.
• 1008 — Bagrat III unites the Georgian kingdoms; Kutaisi later serves as a royal seat within the unified Georgian monarchy.
• 15th–18th century — Following the fragmentation of the united Georgian kingdom, Kutaisi becomes the capital of the independent Kingdom of Imereti, a period during which many local dishes and wine customs still practiced today take their recognizable form.
• 19th century — Georgian and Russian ethnographers and travelers record Imeretian table customs, including the open-faced cheese bread and the use of walnut-based sauces, in written accounts.
• 2013 — The ancient Georgian traditional qvevri wine-making method, practiced widely in Imereti, is inscribed on the UNESCO Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.
• 2010s — The Georgian National Tourism Administration begins organizing regional “Gemo” culinary festivals in several wine and food regions as part of a strategy to build gastronomy tourism around Georgia’s protected and traditional products.
• Present day — Gemo Fest Imereti is held annually in mid-June at Veriko Anjaparidze Square in central Kutaisi, with exact dates confirmed each year by the organizers.

Imeretian cuisine developed within a fertile, well-watered lowland region distinct from the mountain diets of Svaneti or Racha and from the meat-forward Kartli tradition. Corn, beans, walnuts, fresh and smoked cheeses, and the native Tsitska and Tsolikouri grapes fermented in buried clay qvevri vessels form the backbone of its table. These staples survived through the centuries of shifting rule between Imeretian princes, Ottoman pressure on the Black Sea coast, and later Russian imperial administration, remaining largely a matter of household and village practice rather than courtly cuisine.

Gemo Fest Imereti is a recent, deliberately public reframing of that household tradition. Rather than reviving an old ritual, it borrows the format of a market-day feast and places it in the city’s central square, inviting both Georgians and foreign visitors to taste dishes that are otherwise mostly encountered inside a private home or at a family celebration. It sits alongside similar GNTA-backed tasting events in other regions, each built around that region’s own native grape varieties, cheeses and bread styles.

Meaning and traditions

At the center of the festival is khachapuri imeruli, the round, closed cheese bread of Imereti often considered the ancestor form from which the Adjarian, Megrelian and other regional khachapuri styles developed. Alongside it visitors find elarji, a stretchy dish of cornmeal cooked with Imeretian cheese until it forms long elastic strings; bazhe, a walnut sauce used over poultry and vegetables; lobio, bean stew often served in individual clay pots; and imeruli kveli, the fresh brined cheese that gives the region’s cooking its distinctive tang.

Wine is poured from qvevri-aged bottlings of Tsitska and Tsolikouri, the pale, dry white grapes native to the lowland valleys around Kutaisi, and sometimes chacha, the distilled grape pomace spirit, is offered for tasting in small measures. As at any Georgian table, toasting customs matter: a tamada, or toastmaster, may lead rounds of toasts even in a festival setting, and visitors should expect to be invited to try a dish or a sip rather than simply observe. Stalls are typically arranged by village or producer rather than by dish, so the same walk through the square moves between a cheese stand, a bakery demonstrating fresh khachapuri, and a winemaker pouring directly from a qvevri-filled barrel truck.

Regional variation within Imereti itself is part of the appeal: cheese and bread recipes differ slightly between the Rioni lowlands near Kutaisi and the higher villages toward the Racha border, and producers at the festival often identify their stall by village name rather than by a single standardized recipe.

When it happens

Gemo Fest Imereti does not follow a fixed date in either the civil or the church calendar. It is scheduled by the Georgian National Tourism Administration in mid-June each year, with the precise two-day dates confirmed closer to the event. For 2027, the organizers have indicated 19–20 June, described as provisional pending final confirmation; an edition would also be expected around mid-June 2026, though exact dates for that year should be checked with the organizer before travel is booked around it.

The festival is not a public holiday. Government offices, banks, schools and most businesses in Kutaisi and across Georgia operate normally on festival days; only the square itself and immediately surrounding streets are given over to stalls, stages and seating for the duration of the event.

Where to experience it

The festival takes place at Veriko Anjaparidze Square in central Kutaisi, within easy walking distance of the Rioni river embankment and the city’s main pedestrian streets. Daytime hours bring cooking demonstrations, tastings and producer stalls; evenings typically add folk music and dance performances on a stage set up in the square. Visitors should expect to pay small amounts in cash for tastings and full portions, as pricing at individual stalls is usually set by the producer rather than by the festival organizer.

No religious etiquette applies to the festival itself, but Kutaisi’s churches and the nearby Bagrati Cathedral and Gelati Monastery, both reachable as a short excursion from the square, expect modest dress — covered shoulders and knees, and headscarves for women — if visitors combine the food festival with a same-day visit to either site.

Did you know

• Khachapuri imeruli, the closed round cheese bread served at the festival, is widely regarded as the base form from which other Georgian regional khachapuri styles, including the boat-shaped Adjarian version, later developed.
• Kutaisi, the festival’s host city, is one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in Georgia and served as capital of the independent Kingdom of Imereti after the fragmentation of the unified Georgian monarchy.
• The qvevri wine-making method central to Imereti’s wine culture was inscribed by UNESCO on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in 2013.
• Tsitska and Tsolikouri, the native white grape varieties poured at the festival, are grown almost exclusively in western Georgia and are rarely found as varietal wines outside the country.
• Elarji, the stretched cornmeal-and-cheese dish served at the festival, is traditionally eaten by twirling the strings of cheese around a fork, a technique that takes most first-time visitors several attempts to master.

Practical tips for visitors

Kutaisi International Airport serves regional and low-cost European routes and sits roughly a twenty-minute drive from the city center, making the festival an easy add-on to a western Georgia itinerary. Mid-June weather in Kutaisi is warm and generally dry; light clothing and sun protection are advisable for daytime hours in the open square. Because dates are confirmed only shortly before the event, travelers planning a trip specifically around the festival should check the Georgian National Tourism Administration’s current listings before booking flights or accommodation. Entry to the square is typically free, with payment required only for individual food and drink tastings; carrying cash in small denominations is useful, as not every stall accepts cards.

Combine it with

A visit to Gemo Fest Imereti pairs naturally with a broader tour of Imereti, including the Gelati and Motsameta monasteries and the Prometheus and Sataplia caves near Kutaisi. Travelers with more time can continue into the mountain villages of Racha, known for its own distinct wines and smoked meats, or cross to the vineyards of Kakheti for a comparison of Georgia’s eastern and western wine traditions.

Questions travellers ask

Is Gemo Fest Imereti a public holiday in Georgia?

No. It is a tourism and cultural event, not a state or religious holiday, so businesses, schools and government offices remain open on festival days.

How are the exact festival dates announced?

The Georgian National Tourism Administration sets and confirms dates for each edition shortly before mid-June; travelers should check the current year’s announcement rather than relying on a fixed calendar date.

Is there an entrance fee?

Entry to Veriko Anjaparidze Square during the festival is typically free; visitors pay directly at individual stalls for food and wine tastings.

What is the single dish to try first?

Khachapuri imeruli, the closed round cheese bread, is the dish most closely identified with the region and a reasonable starting point before trying elarji or bazhe-sauced dishes.

Can children attend?

Yes, the festival is a family-oriented outdoor event with music and food stalls, though alcohol tastings are limited to adults.

How do I get from Kutaisi Airport to the festival?

Taxis and pre-arranged transfers cover the roughly twenty-minute drive from Kutaisi International Airport into the city center near Veriko Anjaparidze Square.

Does the festival overlap with other Imereti attractions?

Many visitors combine the festival day with a half-day visit to Gelati Monastery, Bagrati Cathedral or the nearby karst caves, all within short driving distance of central Kutaisi.

Is advance booking needed for tastings?

Individual stall tastings generally do not require booking, but accommodation in Kutaisi should be reserved ahead given the concentration of visitors during the festival weekend.

Sources

• Georgian National Tourism Administration
• Qvevri wine-making method, UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage
• Georgian Ministry of Culture, Sport and Youth
• Georgia Today
• Agenda.ge