Annual Events in Clermont, FL: A Local's Calendar

How Clermont's Hills and History Shape Its Event Calendar

Clermont was established in 1884, incorporated as a town on 9 June 1891, disbanded on 25 May 1895, and reincorporated as a city on 28 December 1916. The name comes from the French hometown of A.F. Wrotnowski, who managed the Clermont Improvement Company. For decades, the economy ran on citrus, until repeated freezes and suburban development wiped the groves out. What remained was the topography: the steepest ground in peninsular Florida. That combination—lost industry and stubborn elevation—produced a town that builds its public life around endurance. The hills are no longer planted; they are climbed, ridden, and circled. The events here reflect that shift.

Pig on the Pond: Clermont's Biggest Festival at Waterfront Park

The anchor of the calendar is Pig on the Pond, a three-day event at Waterfront Park on Lake Minneola. It is the biggest event in south Lake County, drawing more than 20,000 people, and it is run by Project Scholars, a non-profit. The 2026 edition was the 27th, which means the festival has outlasted most of the citrus operations that once defined the area. It supports scholarships, which is fitting for a town that now markets itself on training and achievement. The event packs the park with people, food, and community fundraising—no citrus required.

Other Clermont Events: Races, Rides, and Community Gatherings

The rest of the calendar is less formal but no less physical. Clermont adopted the slogan Choice of Champions in 2014, on the strength of the National Training Center established there in 2001. That center pulls athletes year-round, and the town’s identity has followed. Local gatherings skew toward the active: races, rides, and training events that use the hills as a feature rather than a flaw. The census backs up the shift—35.7 percent of residents hold a bachelor’s degree or higher, and the median household income is $79,789. This is not a farm town anymore. It is a suburb with a gradient.

The Citrus Tower: A Landmark Watching Over Clermont's Changes

Built in 1956, the Florida Citrus Tower still stands over a landscape whose groves have largely gone. It was one of Florida’s earliest roadside landmarks, built to celebrate an industry that collapsed within decades. Now it watches over a town that has moved on. The tower does not host festivals; it frames them. When you stand at Waterfront Park or drive the hill roads, the tower is the relic that reminds you why the town looks the way it does. The groves are gone, but the vantage point remains.

Festivals Near Clermont: Best Day Trips for Events

Clermont is a useful base for hitting other towns’ events. Mount Dora, 21 miles away, runs the Mount Dora Arts Festival and the Mount Dora Craft Fair. Altamonte Springs, 25 miles out, hosts Red Hot & Boom. Dade City, 35 miles south, has the Kumquat Festival—the closest thing to a citrus celebration on this list, and it is not in Clermont. Sanford, 36 miles off, offers Sanford Porchfest, and Oviedo, 38 miles away, does Great Day in the Country. Clermont’s own calendar is lean but focused; the region’s is broader and worth the drive.

Clermont’s population is 44,984, with a median age of 42.4 years. Housing stock sits at 18,718 units, of which only 558 are seasonal or recreational—this is a permanent town, not a vacation spot. The unemployment rate is 5.9 percent, and the median home value is $368,600. People live here. They train here. And once a year, they gather by the lake to raise money and prove the town can still throw a party. So yes, Clermont is a good base for festival hopping—just do not come looking for citrus. Come for the hills, stay for the endurance, and drive out for the kumquats.