North Carolina Festivals

From the mountains to the coast, experience our state’s culture, foods and history at these annual festivals

Soak up North Carolina mountain culture at these annual festivals across the state, categorized by the mountains, Piedmont and coastal regions, and listed in order of date.

PHOTO COURTESY OF THE RALEIGH MARKET

Mountain Festivals

Hillbilly Jam, Maggie Valley
July 21–23, 2022
thehillbillyjam.com
Maggie Valley’s largest festival celebrates North Carolina’s music and moonshine history and heritage. Discovery Channel’s “Moonshiners” will attend, along with crafters, and car and motorcycle enthusiasts.

Mayberry Days, Mount Airy
September 19–25, 2022
surryarts.org/mayberrydays
Celebrate “The Andy Griffith Show” in Griffith’s hometown. Journey back in time when life was simple: The town’s sheriff carried no gun, children fished in ponds and everyone knew each other’s names. 

Woolly Worm Festival, Banner ElkOctober 15–16, 2022
woollyworm.com
Located near several North Carolina ski resorts, celebrate the upcoming ski season with a Groundhog’s Day–esque woolly worm forecast by a fuzzy caterpillar that predicts the severity of the coming winter. 

 

More Festival Fun

 

MerleFest, Wilkes County
April 27–30, 2023
merlefest.org

Christmas in July Festival, West Jefferson
First weekend in July
highcountryhost.com/christmas-in-july-festival-west-jefferson-july-2-2022

Mountain Dance and Folk Festival, Asheville
August 4–6, 2022
folkheritage.org/asheville-events/mountain-dance-and-folk-festival

Sourwood Festival, Black Mountain
August 13–14, 2022
exploreblackmountain.com/sourwood-festival

Dirty Dancing Festival, Lake Lure
September 10, 2022
dirtydancingfestival.com

Cashiers Valley Leaf Festival, Cashiers
October 7–9, 2022
villagegreencashiersnc.com/cashiers-valley-leaf-festival

Apple Harvest Festival, Waynesville
October 15, 2022
romanticasheville.com/apple-harvest-festival

Highlands Food & Wine Festival, Highlands
November 10–13, 2022
highlandsfoodandwine.com

Piedmont Festivals

Got to be NC Festival, Raleigh
May 2023
gottobencfestival.com
Celebrate what makes North Carolina great each May at the State Fairgrounds in Raleigh. Offering carnival games, rides, live music, food fair, pig races and livestock shows, it’s spring’s answer to fall’s state fair. 

Benson Mule Days, Benson
September 22–25, 2022
bensonmuledays.com
Consider this North Carolina’s answer to the Kentucky Derby. Instead of horses, mules take the spotlight. Enjoy a parade featuring local bands, floats, antique tractors, beauty queens, horses, wagons, buggies and, of course, mules.

North Carolina State Fair
October 13–23, 2022
ncstatefair.org

Explore North Carolina’s agriculture, agribusiness, arts, crafts and culture at this annual fair featuring amusement rides, live performances and culinary delights. From fried Oreo’s and donut burgers to atomic tots and lobster pops, you’ll find a wide range of twisted treats to try.

Barbecue Festival, Lexington
October 22, 2022
thebarbecuefestival.com
The age-old battle of eastern versus western barbecue divides families more than Tobacco Road basketball. The Barbecue Festival welcomes nearly 250,000 visitors, doing its part to prove that North Carolina is the barbecue capital of the world. 

More Festival Fun

Brewgaloo, Raleigh
April 2023
shoplocalraleigh.org/brewgaloo

North Carolina Pickle Festival, Mt. Olive 
April 2023
ncpicklefest.org

Dreamville Festival, Raleigh
April 2023
dreamvillefest.com

Fayetteville Dogwood Festival, Fayetteville
April 2023
thedogwoodfestival.com/40th-fayetteville-dogwood-festival

Durham Blues & Brews Festival, Durham
May 2023
durhambluesandbrewsfestival.com

Pimento Cheese Festival
June 2023
townofcary.org

Juneteenth Festival of the Carolinas, Charlotte
June 2023
juneteenthofthecarolinas.com

Festival for the Eno, Durham 
July 2 and 4, 2022 (not held July 3)
enofest.org

IBMA World of Bluegrass, Raleigh
September 27–October 1, 2022
worldofbluegrass.org

Carolina BalloonFest, Statesville
October 14–16, 2022
carolinaballoonfest.com

North Carolina Chinese Lantern Festival, Cary
November 2023–January 2024
facebook.com/ncchineselanternfestival

Costal Festivals

North Carolina 4th of July Festival, Southport
July 4, 2022
nc4thofjuly.com
This quintessential patriotic celebration featuring a flotilla procession and parade, has been hosted in Southport for more than 200 years, welcoming upwards of 50,000 revelers annually. 

The Beaufort Pirate Invasion, Beaufort
September 23–25, 2022
beaufortpirateinvasion.com
Batten down the hatches! Every year, pirates invade Beaufort, once home to the infamous Blackbeard. This 1747 battle reenactment, when the town was attacked by Spanish pirates, features sea battles, sword fights, pirate pleasures and mermaids that will shiver your timbers.

Swansboro Mullet Festival, Swansboro
October 8–9, 2022
swansborofestivals.com/mullet-festival
The oldest festival on the Crystal Coast began as a tribute to the small, bony fish that fed workers building the White Oak River Bridge in 1954. Nowadays, the festival features fish fries, live music and a parade. 

More Fun in the Sun

North Carolina Azalea Festival, Wilmington
April 12–16, 2023
ncazaleafestival.org

Outer Banks Watermelon Festival, Nags Head
August 4, 2022
kittyhawk.com/event/outer-banks-watermelon-festival

Fig Festival, Ocracoke
August 6–7, 2022
ocracokepreservationsociety.org

Outer Banks Kite Festival, Nags Head
September 9–11, 2022
kittyhawk.com/event/outer-banks-kite-festival


The North Carolina Seafood Festival, Morehead City
September 30–October 2, 2022
ncseafoodfestival.org

Ocean Fest, Surf City
October 7–8, 2022
theoceanfest.org

Mumfest, New Bern
October 8–9, 2022
mumfest.com

Holiday Flotilla, Beaufort
December 3, 2022
maritimefriends.org/christmas-flotilla-2022

“My parents used to live in Southport, and they always seem to be having some sort of festival there. My favorite is the one on the Fourth of July. For such a small town, the celebration is massive and so much fun.”
— Danny Meyers, host of “Danny Meyers & the G105 Morning Show”