The 13th annual Bear on the Square Mountain Festival will be an incredible weekend of music and art held in the foothills of the North Georgia mountains on April 17-19, 2009. During that weekend, old time and bluegrass music will fill the Historic Public Square in Dahlonega. There will be on-stage performances by local, regional, and national musicians on Saturday and Sunday, and a juried artist's marketplace features traditional mountain art and crafts. Extensive music workshops, a Sunday morning Gospel Jam, a Saturday night street dance, a live country auction on Friday night, family activities, and food complete the offerings.

The 2009 festival weekend of exceptional music and art is scheduled Friday through Sunday, April 17-19 in Dahlonega, located in the foothills of the North Georgia mountains. The MainStage Tent acts include legendary bluegrass singer/songwriter Claire Lynch and her award-winning band; The Freight Hoppers, a high energy old-time music string band; two of the most respected players in old-time music today, the duo of Beverly Smith and Carl Jones; The Dappled Grays, honored by Creative Loafing as Atlanta's Best Bluegrass Band; the Packway Handle Band, an Athens group which excites audiences with innovative, non-traditional bluegrass stylings; and Curtis Jones and Friends, a group of talented musicians led by Dahlonega resident Curtis Jones, who has performed before audiences throughout the world.  The admission to the MainStage Tent area is $15 on Saturday and $10 on Sunday. This admission allows you to come and go (armbands). All tickets are sold at the festival. There are no advanced ticket sales.

Throughout the three-day festivities, visiting and local musicians will gather in groups beginning at midday on Friday to jam on the lawn of the historic Gold Museum and at other points around the Public Square, providing the sounds of music throughout the festival area. A series of music workshops featuring many of the festival's talented performers is being conducted, and a street dance also is planned.

The Mountain Marketplace, traditionally a key element of the annual Bear on the Square Mountain Festival in Dahlonega, has gained additional prestige by obtaining the famed John C. Campbell Folk School as Marketplace Sponsor.