2024 in Shelby County was full of fun, excitement and events both new and old! To celebrate the start of 2025, we are counting down our Top 24 events of 2024.
January 18-20 • Columbiana, AL • Shelby County Exhibition Center
15th Shelby County Extreme Bulls Rodeo
Shelby County Extreme Bulls kicked off the year with their 15th annual rodeo! Thirty five of the country’s top bull riders competed in front of enthusiastic crowds in Columbiana. The event will return to the Shelby County Expo Center January 23-25.
February 2024 • Columbiana, AL • Shelby County Arts Council
Helen Keller Art Show
The Helen Keller Art Show is a traveling juried art exhibit displayed throughout the state. Students attending public, private, and home schools who have visual impairments, blindness, or deaf blindness are invited to submit works to the show. The Shelby County Arts Council in Columbiana hosted the show’s opening reception in 2024 and will host the gallery again in January 2025.
February 24 • Hoover, AL • Veterans Park
BCBS Kids Marathon
For the second year, the BCBS Kids Marathon made its way to Shelby County’s Veterans Park. The Kids Marathon website says it best… “The Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Alabama Kids Marathon is an innovative, endurance building program for children in kindergarten through 5th grades. Formerly part of Mercedes-Benz Marathon Weekend, the BCBSAL Kids Marathon continues the mission to foster and develop active lifestyle habits in Alabama’s kids. How it Works: Participants run the distance of a full marathon (26.2 miles) over the course of the program by logging 25.2 miles incrementally in school or at home with parents and complete the final mile of their marathon on our live course to receive their medal.” The Marathon is set to return to Veterans Park in 2025 on February 22.
March 21- March 23 • Pelham, AL • Pelham Civic Complex and Ice Arena
Southeastern Collegiate Hockey Conference Tournament
Spring of 2024 in Shelby County paved the way for multiple sporting events. In March, the Pelham Civic Complex and Discover Shelnby hosted eight Southeastern collegiate hockey teams competing for the 2024 SECHC Retire My Number Championship Trophy.
April 6 • Columbiana, AL • Shelby County Exhibition Center
Birmingham Tuscaloosa Kennel Club Dog Show
The Shelby County Exhibition Center welcomed another successful event in spring of 2024 with the Tuscaloosa Birmingham Kennel Club Dog Show from April 4- April 6. Over 700 dogs competed for a chance to be awarded top prizes. This event will be held again in 2025.
April 13 • Pelham, AL • Oak Mountain State Park
MammothMarch
In 2024, MammothMarch made its way to Oak Mountain State Park for the second sold-out event in Alabama. What started as a virtual challenge, is now sweeping the US. Not sure what MammothMarch is? MammothMarch is a timed 20 mile hike that must be completed in 8 hours to win a medal. MammothMarch will be returning to Oak Mountain State Park again April 12-13, adding a second day to this highly favored challenge!
April 19-21 • Pelham, AL • Pelham Racquet Club
NTRP Nationals 40+ Doubles
Tennis fans delighted in competition and fun in April as the Pelham Racquet Club hosted the USTA NTRP Nationals 40+ Doubles Tournament. The Pelham Racquet CLub is a hub for tennis in Shelby County and is set to host many more exciting tournaments in 2025. They also provide lessons and other opportunities to grow your tennis skills outside of competitive sports, so be sure to add them to your list as you make plans for New Year’s resolutions and new hobbies to enjoy in 2025.
April 20-September 21 • Helena, AL • Helena Amphitheatre
Helena Old Town Live Concert Series
Helena’s Old Town Live series was jamming all summer long for the second season in a row. Starting the season off on April 20 with Galactica and finishing the season on September 21st with an Octoberfest spectacular, Helena saw excellent performances and good vibes only. Other popular artists performed as well, such as, the Allman Betts Band on May 18, Lauren Alaina and Chase Wright on June 15, and Drivin N Cryin’ on July 3rd for their jaw-dropping Independence Day Extravaganza. Old Town Live is set to return summer 2025, so stay tuned!
April 20-21 • Montevallo, AL • University of Montevallo Cycling Course
ACA Middle & High School Mountain Bike Race
The University of Montevallo Cycling Course opened in 2023 to the delight of mountain biking enthusiasts across the southeast. This course offers some of the best views for spectators, making it a treat to compete and watch. On April 20, the course hosted Race #4 of the Alabama Cycling Association Middle School Race, and the High School Race followed on April 21. THe ACA will return to this course again April 12-13, 2025.
May 9-12 • Birmingham, AL • Greystone Golf Club
Regions Tradition
The Tradition was first staged in 1989 as one of the five senior major golf championships. It has been hosted at Greystone Golf and Country Club since 2016. With their Celebrity Pro-AM and ticketed food and beverage tents, the Regions Tradition offers fun for everyone and supports Children’s of Alabama, Birdies for Charity, and the Mike Slive Foundation. Regions Tradition will return to Greystone May 14-18 for another round of excitement in beautiful Shelby County.
May 17-May 19 • Pelham, AL • Oak Mountain State Park
XTERRA North American Championship
In May 2024, Oak Mountain State Park welcomed professional triathletes and competitors from across the globe. As the 2nd stop of the XTERRA World Cup, the park was electrified with the XTERRA festival, live music, games, brews, and racing. The XTERRA North American Championship will return to Selby County May 16-18 2025 for stop #4 of the World Cup.
June 7-9 • Pelham, AL • Oak Mountain State Park
BUMP N’ Grind Dirty 30 Race
In June, BUMP celebrated year thirty of their annual BUMP N’ Grind Race. The weekend featured pre-ride shuttles, Enduro, Short Track Races and the return of The Omnium. Overall the weekend was an absolute blast and an amazing tribute to all that BUMP does to benefit mountain biking in the state.
July 4 • Montevallo, AL • The American Village
Independence Day Celebration
In July, The American Village celebrated our nation’s independence at their 25th annual Independence Day celebration. With vendors, performances from America’s founding colony members, a firework spectacular, and patriotism galore, this event is one you don’t want to miss in 2025.
August 24 • Pelham, AL • Oak Mountain State Park
Buster Britton Triathlon
The 39th Annual Buster Britton Triathlon took place at Oak Mountain State Park this August. As the longest consecutive running triathlon in the US, competitors from across the country flocked to the trails to face the challenge and fun of the state park. The Buster Britton Triathlon will return to Shelby County for their 40th in 2025.
September 7, 2024 • Montevallo, AL • Orr Park
Tinglewood Festival
Tinglewood Festival is hosted annually the first Saturday after Labor Day amongst the whimsical delights of tree carvings at Orr Park. 2024 saw the sixth rendition of the Festival with crowds and vendors galore. The festival will return to Montebvallo in 2025 for the 7th year of Tinglewood fun.
September 21 • Harpersville, AL • Morgan Creek Winery
Grape Stomp
Back for the first time since its hiatus, Morgan Creek Winery hosted their Grape Stomp the weekend of September 21. With live music, wine tastings, a Lucy look a like contest, and grape stomping, this unique event was a charmer in 2024. A date for 2025 has not been set, but a visit to the winery is perfect at any point in the upcoming year.
September 27-29 • Birmingham, AL • Dunnavant Valley Fields
BUSA Birmingham Bash
The BUSA Birmingham Bash Soccer Tournament brought excitement and energy to Dunnavant Valley Fields on September 27-29. This premier youth soccer event showcased teams from across the Southeast, competing in thrilling matches held at the top-notch fields. The tournament not only highlighted the exceptional talent of young athletes but also brought new players, families, and fans to our area to discover Shelby for themselves. We are looking forward to 2025 as BUSA brings more tournaments and soccer fun to Dunnavant Valley Fields.
October • Helena Hollow • Old Baker Farm • Heart of Dixie Railroad Museum
Pumpkin Patch Fun
While the temps in Alabama falls can be unpredictable, the chance that you will have a good time is not. Shelby County’s pumpkin patches were overflowing with quintessential autumn pastimes and cozy memories to be made. While traditional pumpkin patches such as Helena Hollow and Old Baker Farm hosted droves of pumpkin pickers, Heart of Dixie Railroad Museum offered a unique experience with a fall train ride to a selection of pumpkins and games at Ozan Winery. We are already gearing up for caramel apples and pumpkin-picking in fall of 2025.
October 4-6 • Pelham, AL • Pelham Civic Complex
SORBA Board of Directors Meeting
Mountain-Biking in Shelby County continued to soar as the Southern Off Road Bicycle Association convened in Pelham for their annual Fall Board of Directors meeting. Board members, executive committee members, chapter members, and staff all met to enjoy the trails, shape the future of the organization and explore all of the awesome amenities that make Shelby County a prime mountain biking destination in the Southeast.
October 12 • Columbiana, AL • Shelby County Arts Council
Discover Shelby Fest
Discover Shelby Fest was back in Columbiana for the third annual showcase of local wineries and musical fun. With headlining band, “The Return”, guests were serenaded by the musical genius of The Beatles while sampling wines from six local wineries. The event is set to return again in the fall of 2025 to celebrate the art of wine and raise money for the Shelby County Arts Council.
October 18-19 • Columbiana, AL • Lay Lake
2024 Alabama Bass Trail Championship
The Alabama Bass Trail took to the waters of Lay Lake in the fall of 2024 for their Alabama Bass Trail Championship. 175 teams all met in the temperamental fall weather, facing weather delays and changing conditions. Ultimately, the championship was won by Nicholas Turner and Joe Lay with a weight of 31.43.
November 1-2 • Chelsea, AL • Chelsea Corners Way
Professional Cowboy Association Bikes 4 Kids Rodeo
The City of Chelsea is no stranger to good times and 2024 was not any different than past years. On November 1st and 2nd, the city was home to the third annual Bikes 4 Kids Rodeo in conjunction with the Professional Cowboy Association. This popular event raised funds to help purchase and build bikes for underprivileged families.
November 16 • Calera Courtyard • Calera, AL
Calera Nerd Fest
Calera set the stage to welcome fans of pop culture, cosplay, anime, and k-pop at their first ever Calera Nerd Fest. The event featured vendors, a dancer party with DJ Ndya, and dance and costume competitions . The Fest was a celebration of all things “fandom” and was a hit amongst attendees.
December • Shelby County Communities
Christmas Parades
Christmas in Shelby County was a sight to behold as our community parades experienced record numbers of attendees. Participants and attendees delighted in sharing the holiday spirit. From the city of Columbiana’s month long “ A Columbiana Christmas” celebration to Chelsea’s unique “Splashin’ with Santa” event at Melrose Park, the year 2024 is being wrapped up with a festive and cheerful bow. As the New Year approaches, we can all look forward to exciting things in store as we end the year with a bang!
We could not be more excited for all of the things 2025 has in store! Be sure to keep up with our events throughout the year so you don’t miss any of the fun for families and travelers of all kinds.