Zestaponoba 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

Zestaponoba is the annual city day of Zestaponi, a town of roughly twenty thousand people in the Imereti region of western Georgia. The Georgian word is built in the same way as the names of many other local festivals: the city name “Zestaponi” takes the suffix “-oba,” which in Georgian turns a noun into the name of a feast, condition or collective occasion (the same pattern gives Tbilisoba, the capital’s own autumn city day). Literally, Zestaponoba means something close to “the day of Zestaponi” or “Zestaponi-ness” — a civic rather than a religious celebration.

The festival is organized by the Zestaponi municipal authorities for residents of the town and the wider Zestaponi municipality, and it draws back former residents and relatives who have moved to Tbilisi, Kutaisi or abroad. Zestaponi sits on the Qvirila River at the eastern edge of the Imeretian lowlands, close to the Rikoti Pass that has long linked western and eastern Georgia, and the town’s modern identity is tied closely to industry, particularly ferroalloy production. Zestaponoba is the occasion on which that civic identity, together with Imeretian food, music and craft, is put on public display.

Historical background

• Bronze Age — Archaeological material associated with the wider Colchian culture has been recovered in the Qvirila valley, part of the lowland corridor of western Georgia settled long before written records.
• Medieval period — The Qvirila valley lay within the Kingdom of Imereti, on the route connecting the Imeretian lowlands to Kartli across the Rikoti Pass, a corridor that shaped the area’s later role as a crossing point.
• 1870s — Construction of the Transcaucasus Railway line linking Poti, on the Black Sea, with Tbilisi passed through the Qvirila valley, drawing the small settlement of Zestaponi into Georgia’s expanding rail network, a line still operated today by Georgian Railway.
• 1933 — The Zestaponi Ferroalloy Plant began production, among the earliest ferroalloy works built anywhere in the Soviet Union, and the settlement grew rapidly around it into an industrial town.
• Mid-20th century — According to Georgian municipal administrative history, Zestaponi was reorganized with formal city (qalaqi) status as its population and industrial base expanded under Soviet planning.
• 1991 — Georgia regained independence; across the country, Soviet-era civic calendars were replaced or supplemented with locally organized city days reflecting individual towns’ own identities.
• 2000s–2010s — Zestaponoba developed into a multi-day September program coordinated by Zestaponi City Hall, combining stage concerts, sport tournaments, school and craft exhibitions, and food stalls.
• Today — Zestaponoba continues as a municipally organized, non-religious civic festival, with its exact dates confirmed by the local authorities each year rather than fixed in national law.

Zestaponi’s modern character owes more to the twentieth century than to antiquity. Before the railway and the ferroalloy plant, the Qvirila valley was agricultural and relatively quiet, overshadowed by older Imeretian centers such as Kutaisi. Soviet industrialization changed that abruptly: ferroalloy production, closely tied to the manganese mines of nearby Chiatura, turned Zestaponi into one of western Georgia’s principal industrial towns within a generation, and that identity — workers, rail lines, furnaces — remains visible in how the town understands itself.

City days such as Zestaponoba are a distinctly post-Soviet Georgian institution. They are not prescribed by national law or tied to a saint’s feast, unlike most of the Georgian Orthodox calendar’s major holidays; instead, each municipality sets its own date and program, usually clustering celebrations in late summer or early autumn when weather is favorable and the agricultural calendar allows time for public gatherings. Georgia’s national framework of public holidays, set out in national legislation published through the Legislative Herald of Georgia, does not include city days among the designated non-working holidays, which is why Zestaponoba functions as a local, rather than nationwide, event.

Meaning and traditions

Zestaponoba (ზესტაფონობა) centers on a free, open-air program rather than private ritual. A typical schedule includes an opening ceremony with speeches from the sakrebulo (city council) and mayor, stage concerts featuring both folk ensembles and contemporary Georgian pop performers, sport competitions such as football and wrestling tournaments, and exhibitions where schools, craft workshops and local producers present their work. Food stalls sell Imeretian specialties: khachapuri imeruli (the round, cheese-filled bread typical of the region, flatter and simpler than the Adjarian boat-shaped version), mtsvadi (grilled skewered meat), lobio (bean stew), and churchkhela, the strung-walnut sweet dipped in grape must.

Because the festival falls close to the start of rtveli, the Georgian grape harvest, wine and qvevri culture often appear in the program even though Imereti is less internationally known for wine than Kakheti. A supra, the traditional Georgian feast with its sequence of toasts led by a tamada (toastmaster), is common in private homes around the festival even where it is not part of the official municipal program. Visitors invited to a supra should expect to remain for the full sequence of toasts and to reciprocate hospitality rather than decline outright, though a polite, brief toast is acceptable if alcohol is not wanted.

When it happens

Zestaponoba does not have a fixed calendar date. Like most Georgian city days, it is set by the municipal authorities each year, typically for a weekend in mid-to-late September, after the worst summer heat has passed and close to the start of the grape harvest. The date is confirmed publicly by Zestaponi City Hall only a few weeks or months in advance, so travelers planning a visit around the festival should check closer to the time rather than relying on a fixed annual date.

In 2026, Zestaponoba was held in September, with the exact dates set locally. For 2027, organizers have indicated 18–19 September as the likely dates, though this remains to be confirmed. Zestaponoba is not a national public holiday under Georgian law, so government offices, banks and most businesses elsewhere in the country operate normally; within Zestaponi itself, schools and some local offices may adjust hours on the main festival day.

Where to experience it

The festival centers on Zestaponi’s main square and the area around the City Hall, where the stage program, speeches and evening concerts take place, typically running from afternoon into a fireworks finale after dark. Craft and food stalls line nearby streets, and sport events are usually held at the town stadium earlier in the day. Visitors interested in the town’s industrial identity can view the ferroalloy plant from a distance along the main road, though it is an active industrial site and not open for casual tours.

A short drive from Zestaponi, the village of Shrosha is known for roadside pottery workshops producing qvevri and other clay vessels, and makes a natural half-day addition to a festival visit. As with any Georgian public gathering, modest dress is appropriate, and if visiting a church in the area, shoulders and knees should be covered and voices kept low during services.

Did you know

• Zestaponi’s ferroalloy plant, built in 1933, was among the earliest facilities of its kind constructed in the Soviet Union.
• The nearby village of Shrosha has produced qvevri, the large clay vessels used for traditional Georgian wine fermentation, for generations of local potters.
• Zestaponi lies on the historic Rikoti Pass corridor, the principal land route connecting eastern and western Georgia since before the railway era.
• The Qvirila River, which flows through Zestaponi, is a tributary of the Rioni, the major river draining Imereti to the Black Sea.
• The “-oba” suffix that names Zestaponoba is the same grammatical pattern used for Tbilisoba, the capital’s own well-known autumn city festival.

Practical tips for visitors

Zestaponi is most easily reached via Kutaisi International Airport, roughly a thirty- to forty-minute drive, or by road from Tbilisi along the main Tbilisi–Kutaisi highway through the Rikoti Pass. Georgian Railway services between Tbilisi and Kutaisi also pass through the area. Late September weather is generally mild but can turn rainy, so layered clothing and a light waterproof jacket are advisable. Accommodation directly in Zestaponi is limited, so many visitors base themselves in Kutaisi and visit for the day. GTour arranges a private driver or guide for the day, including transport from Tbilisi or Kutaisi and local introductions during Zestaponoba.

Combine it with

Zestaponoba pairs naturally with a wider tour of Imereti, the town’s home region, known for cave systems, waterfalls and Kutaisi’s medieval churches. It can also be combined with a crossing of the Rikoti Pass into Kartli, or extended toward the mountain landscapes of Racha, reached from Imereti’s eastern edge.

Questions travellers ask

Is Zestaponoba a public holiday across Georgia?

No. It is a local, municipally organized city day celebrated in and around Zestaponi, not one of Georgia’s nationally designated public holidays, so normal business hours apply elsewhere in the country.

When exactly will Zestaponoba 2027 take place?

Organizers have indicated 18–19 September 2027 as the likely dates, but as with every year, Zestaponi City Hall confirms the final schedule closer to the event.

Is Zestaponi worth visiting outside the festival?

Yes, particularly as a base for visiting the pottery workshops of Shrosha, the Rikoti Pass route and Imereti’s broader landscape, though the town’s main appeal for most travelers is industrial and civic rather than monumental.

How do I get to Zestaponi from Tbilisi?

The town is roughly two to three hours from Tbilisi by road along the Tbilisi–Kutaisi highway, or reachable by train on the Tbilisi–Kutaisi line, with onward transfer by taxi.

What food should I try during Zestaponoba?

Imeretian khachapuri, mtsvadi grilled meat, lobio bean stew and churchkhela are typical festival foods, alongside produce stalls tied to the start of the regional grape harvest.

Is the festival suitable for families and children?

Yes, the program is open-air, free to attend and includes sport events and craft exhibitions alongside evening concerts, making it accessible to visitors of all ages.

Can Zestaponoba be combined with Georgia’s grape harvest season?

Its late-September timing coincides with rtveli, the Georgian grape harvest, so visitors can combine the festival with harvest-related activity in Imereti, though the region is less set up for wine tourism than Kakheti.

What should I wear or bring?

Comfortable walking shoes, layered clothing for mild but changeable autumn weather, and modest dress if visiting any church in the area are all advisable.

Sources

• Georgian National Tourism Administration
• Georgian Railway
• Legislative Herald of Georgia (Matsne)
• Ministry of Culture of Georgia
• National Statistics Office of Georgia (Geostat)
• Georgian National Museum