Festivals in North Carolina

FestFinder tracks 15 festivals, fairs, and community gatherings across North Carolina. The state hosts everything from a flagship state fair to small-town harvest festivals and major touring music events.

North Carolina has a deep festival tradition that reflects the regions geography, agriculture, and cultural communities. Most events are clustered in the largest metros — Raleigh, Charlotte, Asheville, Wilmington, Hendersonville — but smaller communities throughout the state also host long-running annual gatherings that are well worth a road trip.

State fair and signature events

Every state has a flagship fair, and North Carolina is no exception. The fairgrounds host a multi-week production with a midway, livestock barns, grandstand concerts, and food halls anchored by long-running vendor families. Outside of the state fair, the cultural calendar includes heritage festivals, harvest celebrations, and music festivals that draw on the regions distinct identity.

Best months to visit

Peak festival programming in North Carolina runs from late spring through early fall, with the heaviest concentration of events in the summer months. Shoulder seasons reward visitors with lower travel costs and smaller crowds. Winter programming centers on holiday and indoor cultural events.

Cities to explore

Use the city pages below to drill into specific local calendars. Most major North Carolina cities have between five and twenty annual festivals, plus weekly farmers markets and seasonal programming that round out the year.

Festivals across North Carolina

State fair and signature events

Best months to visit

Cities to explore

Cities in North Carolina

Raleigh

Asheville

Charlotte

Hendersonville

Wilmington

All North Carolina festivals