Autauga County Water Festival, Alabama
Autauga County was built on moving water. Daniel Pratt harnessed Autauga Creek to power his cotton gin works in the 1840s, the Alabama River forms the county’s southern edge, and downtown Prattville still has an artesian well in Heritage Park where residents fill jugs. So it makes sense that one of the county’s longest-running annual traditions is about water itself. The Autauga County Water Festival is not a midway-and-funnel-cake affair, though. It is a one-day, hands-on science event for the county’s fourth graders, held each winter at Prattville First Baptist Church.
The Complete Guide to Prattville’s Fourth-Grade Water Education Day in Autauga County, Alabama
You should know that before you plan around it. This is a school-based educational festival run by the Autauga County office of the Alabama Cooperative Extension System, and it is built for students, teachers, and volunteers rather than for drop-in tourists. There is no public gate, no vendor row, and no Saturday crowd. What it offers instead is a window into how Autauga County teaches its children to think about the creek, the river, and the groundwater beneath their feet, and a way for adults who care about the county to support that work.
If you are a teacher, parent, volunteer, prospective sponsor, or just a curious resident, this guide covers how the festival works, why it exists, and how to get involved. It also points you to the many places in Autauga County where the water story is on public display all year, which is the real answer for anyone searching for water-themed things to do in Autauga County.
About the Autauga County Water Festival
The Autauga County Water Festival is an annual, free, one-day educational event for fourth-grade students from across the county. In recent years it has been held at Prattville First Baptist Church, with the 2026 edition taking place on February 24 and the 2025 edition described as running morning and afternoon sessions so that classes could rotate through in groups. Local coverage has called it a longstanding tradition, and the 2026 event was reported as the 25th.
The organizer is the county’s Extension office, led by county Extension director Darrue Sharpe, who coordinates the program. The festival’s stated goal is to build awareness and respect for water as a natural resource and to show students how important it is to every form of life. It is funded largely through grants, with help from the City of Prattville, so it costs students and schools nothing to attend.
Sponsors and partners reported for the 2025 event included the Autauga County Extension, the Alabama Department of Environmental Management, the Autauga County Conservation District, the Extension programs of Alabama A&M and Auburn universities, the City of Prattville, and the Prattville-Millbrook Sunrise Rotary. That mix of agricultural, environmental, university, municipal, and civic partners is what separates it from a county fair. A fair celebrates what the county produces. This festival teaches children what the county depends on.
Because it is a school event, it takes place in late winter, in recent years in February, rather than during the fall harvest festival season or the spring and summer festival circuit. The venue is a church hall and its surrounding spaces rather than a fairgrounds, which suits a program built around indoor learning stations.
History and Origins of the Water Festival
The festival’s roots are in the Extension system’s long role as Alabama’s rural education network. Extension offices have worked with farmers, landowners, and schools in every county for generations, teaching soil, water, and conservation practices alongside crop and livestock management. A water festival for fourth graders is a natural extension of that mission, and similar water education days have been run by Extension and conservation groups in other parts of Alabama.
In Autauga County, the program has been running for roughly a quarter century. The 2026 festival was billed as the 25th, which puts the first edition around the turn of the millennium, with a few years possibly lost to disruptions along the way. That makes it one of the county’s more enduring educational traditions, though I could not find a published account of the first festival or its original location.
The county’s economy gave the idea a strong reason to take hold. Autauga County has long been a farming and timber county, with cotton, cattle, and forestry as staples, and local growers regularly earn state recognition, such as cotton producers named commodity winners in the Alabama Farmers Federation’s Young Farmers program. Farmers depend on rainfall, streams, and groundwater, and conservation districts exist precisely to help landowners manage soil and water. Prattville’s industrial history also made the lesson concrete: the city exists because of a creek that could turn a mill wheel.
Over the years the format has stayed consistent, with rotating hands-on stations and a closing show. The festival has added some memorable details, including a student logo contest whose winner’s design appears on the T-shirts worn by students and teachers, and a closing performance by an environmental magician. Those touches turn a classroom unit into something kids rememberYou should know that before you plan around it. This is a school-based educational festival run by the Autauga County office of the Alabama Cooperative Extension System, and it is built for students, teachers, and volunteers rather than for drop-in tourists. There is no public gate, no vendor row, and no Saturday crowd. What it offers instead is a window into how Autauga County teaches its children to think about the creek, the river, and the groundwater beneath their feet, and a way for adults who care about the county to support that work.
If you are a teacher, parent, volunteer, prospective sponsor, or just a curious resident, this guide covers how the festival works, why it exists, and how to get involved. It also points you to the many places in Autauga County where the water story is on public display all year, which is the real answer for anyone searching for water-themed things to do in Autauga County.
About the Autauga County Water Festival
The Autauga County Water Festival is an annual, free, one-day educational event for fourth-grade students from across the county. In recent years it has been held at Prattville First Baptist Church, with the 2026 edition taking place on February 24 and the 2025 edition described as running morning and afternoon sessions so that classes could rotate through in groups. Local coverage has called it a longstanding tradition, and the 2026 event was reported as the 25th.
The organizer is the county’s Extension office, led by county Extension director Darrue Sharpe, who coordinates the program. The festival’s stated goal is to build awareness and respect for water as a natural resource and to show students how important it is to every form of life. It is funded largely through grants, with help from the City of Prattville, so it costs students and schools nothing to attend.
Sponsors and partners reported for the 2025 event included the Autauga County Extension, the Alabama Department of Environmental Management, the Autauga County Conservation District, the Extension programs of Alabama A&M and Auburn universities, the City of Prattville, and the Prattville-Millbrook Sunrise Rotary. That mix of agricultural, environmental, university, municipal, and civic partners is what separates it from a county fair. A fair celebrates what the county produces. This festival teaches children what the county depends on.
Because it is a school event, it takes place in late winter, in recent years in February, rather than during the fall harvest festival season or the spring and summer festival circuit. The venue is a church hall and its surrounding spaces rather than a fairgrounds, which suits a program built around indoor learning stations.
The Autauga County Alabama Bluegrass Festival Festival and the Autauga County Water Festival, Alabama both highlight the community spirit and local traditions of Autauga County. While the Bluegrass Festival celebrates the region’s musical heritage with traditional performances and entertainment, the Water Festival offers activities centered around water, outdoor recreation, and community enjoyment. Together, these events showcase the diverse ways residents and visitors can experience Autauga County’s culture, natural surroundings, and welcoming atmosphere.
History and Origins of the Water Festival
The festival’s roots are in the Extension system’s long role as Alabama’s rural education network. Extension offices have worked with farmers, landowners, and schools in every county for generations, teaching soil, water, and conservation practices alongside crop and livestock management. A water festival for fourth graders is a natural extension of that mission, and similar water education days have been run by Extension and conservation groups in other parts of Alabama.
In Autauga County, the program has been running for roughly a quarter century. The 2026 festival was billed as the 25th, which puts the first edition around the turn of the millennium, with a few years possibly lost to disruptions along the way. That makes it one of the county’s more enduring educational traditions, though I could not find a published account of the first festival or its original location.
The county’s economy gave the idea a strong reason to take hold. Autauga County has long been a farming and timber county, with cotton, cattle, and forestry as staples, and local growers regularly earn state recognition, such as cotton producers named commodity winners in the Alabama Farmers Federation’s Young Farmers program. Farmers depend on rainfall, streams, and groundwater, and conservation districts exist precisely to help landowners manage soil and water. Prattville’s industrial history also made the lesson concrete: the city exists because of a creek that could turn a mill wheel.
Over the years the format has stayed consistent, with rotating hands-on stations and a closing show. The festival has added some memorable details, including a student logo contest whose winner’s design appears on the T-shirts worn by students and teachers, and a closing performance by an environmental magician. Those touches turn a classroom unit into something kids rememberYou should know that before you plan around it. This is a school-based educational festival run by the Autauga County office of the Alabama Cooperative Extension System, and it is built for students, teachers, and volunteers rather than for drop-in tourists. There is no public gate, no vendor row, and no Saturday crowd. What it offers instead is a window into how Autauga County teaches its children to think about the creek, the river, and the groundwater beneath their feet, and a way for adults who care about the county to support that work.
If you are a teacher, parent, volunteer, prospective sponsor, or just a curious resident, this guide covers how the festival works, why it exists, and how to get involved. It also points you to the many places in Autauga County where the water story is on public display all year, which is the real answer for anyone searching for water-themed things to do in Autauga County.
About the Autauga County Water Festival
The Autauga County Water Festival is an annual, free, one-day educational event for fourth-grade students from across the county. In recent years it has been held at Prattville First Baptist Church, with the 2026 edition taking place on February 24 and the 2025 edition described as running morning and afternoon sessions so that classes could rotate through in groups. Local coverage has called it a longstanding tradition, and the 2026 event was reported as the 25th.
The organizer is the county’s Extension office, led by county Extension director Darrue Sharpe, who coordinates the program. The festival’s stated goal is to build awareness and respect for water as a natural resource and to show students how important it is to every form of life. It is funded largely through grants, with help from the City of Prattville, so it costs students and schools nothing to attend.
Sponsors and partners reported for the 2025 event included the Autauga County Extension, the Alabama Department of Environmental Management, the Autauga County Conservation District, the Extension programs of Alabama A&M and Auburn universities, the City of Prattville, and the Prattville-Millbrook Sunrise Rotary. That mix of agricultural, environmental, university, municipal, and civic partners is what separates it from a county fair. A fair celebrates what the county produces. This festival teaches children what the county depends on.
Because it is a school event, it takes place in late winter, in recent years in February, rather than during the fall harvest festival season or the spring and summer festival circuit. The venue is a church hall and its surrounding spaces rather than a fairgrounds, which suits a program built around indoor learning stations.
History and Origins of the Water Festival
The festival’s roots are in the Extension system’s long role as Alabama’s rural education network. Extension offices have worked with farmers, landowners, and schools in every county for generations, teaching soil, water, and conservation practices alongside crop and livestock management. A water festival for fourth graders is a natural extension of that mission, and similar water education days have been run by Extension and conservation groups in other parts of Alabama.
In Autauga County, the program has been running for roughly a quarter century. The 2026 festival was billed as the 25th, which puts the first edition around the turn of the millennium, with a few years possibly lost to disruptions along the way. That makes it one of the county’s more enduring educational traditions, though I could not find a published account of the first festival or its original location.
The county’s economy gave the idea a strong reason to take hold. Autauga County has long been a farming and timber county, with cotton, cattle, and forestry as staples, and local growers regularly earn state recognition, such as cotton producers named commodity winners in the Alabama Farmers Federation’s Young Farmers program. Farmers depend on rainfall, streams, and groundwater, and conservation districts exist precisely to help landowners manage soil and water. Prattville’s industrial history also made the lesson concrete: the city exists because of a creek that could turn a mill wheel.
Over the years the format has stayed consistent, with rotating hands-on stations and a closing show. The festival has added some memorable details, including a student logo contest whose winner’s design appears on the T-shirts worn by students and teachers, and a closing performance by an environmental magician. Those touches turn a classroom unit into something kids rememberYou should know that before you plan around it. This is a school-based educational festival run by the Autauga County office of the Alabama Cooperative Extension System, and it is built for students, teachers, and volunteers rather than for drop-in tourists. There is no public gate, no vendor row, and no Saturday crowd. What it offers instead is a window into how Autauga County teaches its children to think about the creek, the river, and the groundwater beneath their feet, and a way for adults who care about the county to support that work.
If you are a teacher, parent, volunteer, prospective sponsor, or just a curious resident, this guide covers how the festival works, why it exists, and how to get involved. It also points you to the many places in Autauga County where the water story is on public display all year, which is the real answer for anyone searching for water-themed things to do in Autauga County.
About the Autauga County Water Festival
The Autauga County Water Festival is an annual, free, one-day educational event for fourth-grade students from across the county. In recent years it has been held at Prattville First Baptist Church, with the 2026 edition taking place on February 24 and the 2025 edition described as running morning and afternoon sessions so that classes could rotate through in groups. Local coverage has called it a longstanding tradition, and the 2026 event was reported as the 25th.
The organizer is the county’s Extension office, led by county Extension director Darrue Sharpe, who coordinates the program. The festival’s stated goal is to build awareness and respect for water as a natural resource and to show students how important it is to every form of life. It is funded largely through grants, with help from the City of Prattville, so it costs students and schools nothing to attend.
Sponsors and partners reported for the 2025 event included the Autauga County Extension, the Alabama Department of Environmental Management, the Autauga County Conservation District, the Extension programs of Alabama A&M and Auburn universities, the City of Prattville, and the Prattville-Millbrook Sunrise Rotary. That mix of agricultural, environmental, university, municipal, and civic partners is what separates it from a county fair. A fair celebrates what the county produces. This festival teaches children what the county depends on.
Because it is a school event, it takes place in late winter, in recent years in February, rather than during the fall harvest festival season or the spring and summer festival circuit. The venue is a church hall and its surrounding spaces rather than a fairgrounds, which suits a program built around indoor learning stations.
History and Origins of the Water Festival
The festival’s roots are in the Extension system’s long role as Alabama’s rural education network. Extension offices have worked with farmers, landowners, and schools in every county for generations, teaching soil, water, and conservation practices alongside crop and livestock management. A water festival for fourth graders is a natural extension of that mission, and similar water education days have been run by Extension and conservation groups in other parts of Alabama.
In Autauga County, the program has been running for roughly a quarter century. The 2026 festival was billed as the 25th, which puts the first edition around the turn of the millennium, with a few years possibly lost to disruptions along the way. That makes it one of the county’s more enduring educational traditions, though I could not find a published account of the first festival or its original location.
The county’s economy gave the idea a strong reason to take hold. Autauga County has long been a farming and timber county, with cotton, cattle, and forestry as staples, and local growers regularly earn state recognition, such as cotton producers named commodity winners in the Alabama Farmers Federation’s Young Farmers program. Farmers depend on rainfall, streams, and groundwater, and conservation districts exist precisely to help landowners manage soil and water. Prattville’s industrial history also made the lesson concrete: the city exists because of a creek that could turn a mill wheel.
Over the years the format has stayed consistent, with rotating hands-on stations and a closing show. The festival has added some memorable details, including a student logo contest whose winner’s design appears on the T-shirts worn by students and teachers, and a closing performance by an environmental magician. Those touches turn a classroom unit into something kids rememberYou should know that before you plan around it. This is a school-based educational festival run by the Autauga County office of the Alabama Cooperative Extension System, and it is built for students, teachers, and volunteers rather than for drop-in tourists. There is no public gate, no vendor row, and no Saturday crowd. What it offers instead is a window into how Autauga County teaches its children to think about the creek, the river, and the groundwater beneath their feet, and a way for adults who care about the county to support that work.
If you are a teacher, parent, volunteer, prospective sponsor, or just a curious resident, this guide covers how the festival works, why it exists, and how to get involved. It also points you to the many places in Autauga County where the water story is on public display all year, which is the real answer for anyone searching for water-themed things to do in Autauga County.
About the Autauga County Water Festival
The Autauga County Water Festival is an annual, free, one-day educational event for fourth-grade students from across the county. In recent years it has been held at Prattville First Baptist Church, with the 2026 edition taking place on February 24 and the 2025 edition described as running morning and afternoon sessions so that classes could rotate through in groups. Local coverage has called it a longstanding tradition, and the 2026 event was reported as the 25th.
The organizer is the county’s Extension office, led by county Extension director Darrue Sharpe, who coordinates the program. The festival’s stated goal is to build awareness and respect for water as a natural resource and to show students how important it is to every form of life. It is funded largely through grants, with help from the City of Prattville, so it costs students and schools nothing to attend.
Sponsors and partners reported for the 2025 event included the Autauga County Extension, the Alabama Department of Environmental Management, the Autauga County Conservation District, the Extension programs of Alabama A&M and Auburn universities, the City of Prattville, and the Prattville-Millbrook Sunrise Rotary. That mix of agricultural, environmental, university, municipal, and civic partners is what separates it from a county fair. A fair celebrates what the county produces. This festival teaches children what the county depends on.
Because it is a school event, it takes place in late winter, in recent years in February, rather than during the fall harvest festival season or the spring and summer festival circuit. The venue is a church hall and its surrounding spaces rather than a fairgrounds, which suits a program built around indoor learning stations.
History and Origins of the Water Festival
The festival’s roots are in the Extension system’s long role as Alabama’s rural education network. Extension offices have worked with farmers, landowners, and schools in every county for generations, teaching soil, water, and conservation practices alongside crop and livestock management. A water festival for fourth graders is a natural extension of that mission, and similar water education days have been run by Extension and conservation groups in other parts of Alabama.
In Autauga County, the program has been running for roughly a quarter century. The 2026 festival was billed as the 25th, which puts the first edition around the turn of the millennium, with a few years possibly lost to disruptions along the way. That makes it one of the county’s more enduring educational traditions, though I could not find a published account of the first festival or its original location.
The county’s economy gave the idea a strong reason to take hold. Autauga County has long been a farming and timber county, with cotton, cattle, and forestry as staples, and local growers regularly earn state recognition, such as cotton producers named commodity winners in the Alabama Farmers Federation’s Young Farmers program. Farmers depend on rainfall, streams, and groundwater, and conservation districts exist precisely to help landowners manage soil and water. Prattville’s industrial history also made the lesson concrete: the city exists because of a creek that could turn a mill wheel.
Over the years the format has stayed consistent, with rotating hands-on stations and a closing show. The festival has added some memorable details, including a student logo contest whose winner’s design appears on the T-shirts worn by students and teachers, and a closing performance by an environmental magician. Those touches turn a classroom unit into something kids remember
Autauga County’s Water Heritage
Water explains much of Autauga County’s geography and history. The county lies on the Alabama Coastal Plain, where the land flattens out below the fall line, and the Alabama River runs along its southern edge. Prattville sits on Autauga Creek, which drops through the town and once supplied the power that made it an industrial center. Daniel Pratt’s gin factory, which grew into one of the largest cotton gin manufacturers in the world, depended on that water.
The creek still defines the city’s character. The Autauga Creek Canoe Trail runs through downtown, an annual canoe fun run lets people of all ages paddle it, and a creek walk follows the banks past the old mill district. In Heritage Park, an artesian well lets residents and visitors drink groundwater straight from the earth, a physical reminder that the water cycle the festival teaches is happening beneath Prattville.
The festival’s most popular lesson reflects this. Students learn how aquifers work by building a model of one from edible ingredients, then eating it. Alabama’s Coastal Plain has important groundwater systems, and rural households in many parts of the state rely on wells, so understanding how water moves through sand, clay, and rock is practical knowledge as well as science.
The Alabama River also shapes recreation and community life. Cooter’s Pond Park in Prattville sits along the river and offers a riverwalk, docks, boat ramps, and pavilions. Together these places make Autauga County a good outdoor classroom, and the festival gives teachers a way to connect that setting to the science standards fourth graders are learning.
What to Expect at the Festival
Main attractions and activities
The festival is organized as a series of hands-on learning stations. Classes rotate through them in groups, with each station covering a different aspect of water: the water cycle, conservation, water quality, groundwater, and how people and wildlife depend on it. Presenters come from the partner agencies and universities, which gives students a chance to meet people who work in water management and environmental science.
The aquifer activity is the best known. Students build layered models using edible materials, so they can see how water flows through porous layers and collects underground, then eat the results. The event closes with a magic show by an environmental magician, who uses illusions to reinforce lessons about the water cycle and protecting natural resources.
There are no competitions in the fair sense, but the logo contest functions as one. A student’s design is chosen for the festival T-shirts, giving the winner bragging rights across the county. The layout is a church campus arranged for classroom rotation, with stations in different rooms or areas and a larger space for the closing show.
Food and vendors
Do not expect a festival food scene. There are no vendor booths or food trucks associated with the event in the coverage I found. The food that matters is the edible aquifer, which turns snack time into a science lesson. Lunch and refreshments are handled through the schools and organizers, so teachers and chaperones should check with the Extension office about what is provided.
If you are looking for local food around Prattville after a festival day, downtown Prattville’s restaurants and the Main Street corridor are a short drive from the church. That is a separate outing rather than part of the festival.
Family and children’s activities
The entire festival is a children’s activity. It is aimed at fourth graders, who are about nine or ten years old, and it uses games, models, demonstrations, and a performance to keep that age group engaged. Peer helpers from Prattville High School have volunteered in recent years, which gives older students a chance to mentor younger ones.
Younger siblings and the general public are not typically part of the program. Families who want a similar experience can take children to the creek walk, the canoe trail, or Heritage Park, and the city’s Pratt Pool and splash pad give kids a more playful water experience in summer. If your child is in fourth grade in Autauga County, the school will typically coordinate attendance.
Planning Your Visit: Practical Information
Getting to Autauga County
Prattville is the county seat and largest city in Autauga County, about 12 to 15 miles northwest of downtown Montgomery. From Interstate 65, you reach Prattville on U.S. Highway 31 or U.S. Highway 82, and Alabama Highway 14 runs through the county toward Autaugaville and the river towns. Montgomery Regional Airport is the nearest commercial airport, roughly 25 to 30 minutes away.
The festival has been held at Prattville First Baptist Church, so navigation to the church name should work. Because the venue and date can change, confirm both with the Autauga County Extension office before you go. School groups normally travel together, so most students arrive by bus or through school arrangements, and neighboring counties such as Elmore, Montgomery, and Chilton are not part of the participant pool.
Where to stay
Most people involved with the festival live in the county, so lodging is rarely a factor. If you are visiting from outside the area as a presenter or guest, Prattville has chain hotels along the I-65 and U.S. 31 corridor, and Montgomery offers a wider range. Camping and RV options near the festival site are limited, and the event does not have an overnight component.
Parking and crowd logistics
I could not find published parking or crowd details for the festival. The event is a school field-day, so the main traffic is buses and chaperone vehicles rather than a public crowd, and there is no peak Saturday. It has been held on a weekday during school hours, which is also when the church campus will be busiest.
If you are a volunteer, sponsor, or chaperone, ask the Extension office for arrival instructions and drop-off procedures. Arriving early is sensible, since the program runs on a tight rotation.
Admission, costs, and ticket information
The festival has been described as free to students, supported by grants and city assistance. There is no public ticketing. Organizations that want to take part as sponsors or presenters should contact the Extension office, since funding and partnerships are what keep the event free. Confirm current details directly with the office.
Weather and what to wear
Late winter in Autauga County is mild but changeable. Daytime highs in February commonly reach the 50s and 60s, nights can drop below freezing, and rain is common. Because the festival is held at a church campus with indoor stations, weather matters mostly for the walk between buildings and for bus arrival.
Dress in layers, bring a light rain jacket, and wear closed-toe shoes. Students and teachers wear the festival T-shirt, so a jacket on top is a good idea in cooler weather.
Beyond the Festival: Exploring Autauga County
If you want to see the water story that the festival teaches, Prattville makes it easy. Start in Historic Downtown Prattville and walk the Autauga Creek walk, where the old mill district and the creek show how water powered the town. The artesian well in Heritage Park is nearby, and the Prattaugan Museum on East Main Street explains Daniel Pratt’s gin works and the industrial history that grew from it.
Paddlers can try the Autauga Creek Canoe Trail, which runs through downtown. On the Alabama River, Cooter’s Pond Park offers a riverwalk, docks, and pavilions, and it is a good place for a picnic. The city’s Pratt Pool and splash pad are open in warmer months and make a good stop with children.
For a full weekend, treat the festival as a weekday school event and spend the following Saturday exploring. Walk the creek in the morning, visit the museum after lunch, and finish at the river. Golfers can also play the Capitol Hill courses on the Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail, and the Prattville Creative Arts Center and Gallery on South Chestnut Street is a good rainy-day option. If you are looking for public water-themed events in summer, Prattville’s Fourth of July festivities have included a cardboard boat race at the Pratt Pool.
The Economic and Community Significance of the Festival
The Water Festival is not a tourism driver. It brings in few outside visitors, and its value to the county’s economy is indirect. It exposes students to careers in environmental science, agriculture, and resource management, and it reinforces the stewardship ethic that farmers, timber growers, and landowners in Autauga County rely on.
What it does have is deep civic infrastructure. The Extension office organizes it, state and federal grants help pay for it, the city contributes support, and the Rotary Club and local agencies provide volunteers and presenters. High school peer helpers join in, and teachers across the county build it into their schedules. That network is much like the volunteer base behind the county’s larger public events, but it is aimed at children instead of crowds.
The festival also builds continuity. A fourth grader who built an edible aquifer in 2002 may be bringing a child to the same event two decades later. In a county that has grown quickly as a commuter community for Montgomery, a shared experience like this gives newer and older families a common reference point.
Frequently Asked Questions
When is the Water Festival in Autauga County?
Recent festivals were held in February, including February 24, 2026. Dates are set by the Autauga County Extension office and can change, so check with them for the next edition.
Is the Water Festival free to attend?
Yes, for the students who take part. It is funded through grants and city support, so schools do not pay. The general public is not typically invited, and there is no public admission.
Where is the Water Festival held?
It has been held at Prattville First Baptist Church in Prattville. Confirm the location each year before you travel.
How long does the Water Festival last?
It is a one-day event. The 2025 festival included morning and afternoon sessions so that different groups of classes could attend.
What is Autauga County known for?
Autauga County is known for Prattville, Daniel Pratt’s cotton gin manufacturing history, Autauga Creek, and the Alabama River. It is also known for farming, timber, and the Capitol Hill golf courses.
Is the Water Festival good for kids?
It is designed for fourth graders and is full of hands-on activities, from building an edible aquifer to a closing magic show. It is not set up for younger children or families who are not part of a school group.
What should I bring?
If you are a teacher or chaperone, bring layers, a rain jacket, and anything your school requires. Students typically wear the festival T-shirt. Check with the Extension office about food and supplies.
Are pets allowed at the Water Festival?
Pets are not part of the event, and it is held in a church campus with students present. Service animals should be arranged with the organizers in advance.
The Autauga County Water Festival is a modest event with a long reach, a day when hundreds of children learn why a creek in Prattville once powered an industrial empire and why the water under their feet still matters. If you cannot attend, you can still follow its lesson on a walk along Autauga Creek, and if you are a business or civic group, sponsoring it is one of the most direct ways to invest in the county’s next generation of stewards.
