There is something so special about the fall. Whether it’s celebrating seasonal harvests like pumpkins, apples, and colorful mums or simply being able to gather without having to bundle up too much (yet), it’s one of my favorite seasons. To me, attending a fall festival is a fantastic way to enjoy everything autumn has to offer while supporting local businesses, artists, and farmers. With so many great fall festivals in North Carolina, it can be hard to know where to start – but I’ve got you covered! Here is my list of some of the best North Carolina fall festivals for you to check out this year!
The Ultimate Guide To North Carolina Fall Festivals
Winston-Salem Area Fall Festivals
The Barbecue Festival
Held in Lexington, the Barbecue capital of the world, The Barbecue Festival has been heralded as one of the best food festivals in the world! Enjoy a day of live music, craft vendors, inflatable bounce houses, and, of course, some of the world’s best barbecue. Come hungry, but even if you don’t, the smell of roasting barbecue will quickly change your appetite!
Apple Fest
The Apple Fest is held in Historic Bethabara Park and celebrates the importance of farming apples to the original Moravian settlers. The festival features local artisans and artists, food vendors, live music, and of course, lots of apples! Be sure to time your visit right to take in the sights of Robinson’s Racing Pigs, too.
Autumn at Oz
Land of Oz was once a thriving Wizard of Oz theme park, and while it no longer operates as one, you can still revel in everything Oz-related at their Autumn of Oz Festival! Explore the sites of the former park while also shopping for arts and crafts vendors, memorabilia, and food. There are also opportunities to meet your favorite Wizard of Oz characters and, of course, plenty of great photo ops!
Woolly Worm Festival
The Town of Banner Elk has been celebrating the Woolly Worm with their signature festival for 46 years! These fuzzy worms, with a reputation for predicting the upcoming winter’s weather, are honored with over 160 food and craft vendors, live music and line dancing, and the famed Wooly Worm Races (the winner takes home a $1000 prize!)
Yadkin Valley Pumpkin Festival
The Yadkin Valley Pumpkin Festival is a celebration of the area’s most gourd-geous pumpkins! The fall festival features live music and a huge array of North Carolina vendors selling diverse products like antiques, wood furnishings, barbecue, baked goods, pumpkin butter, and so much more. Don’t miss the annual Great Pumpkin Weigh-Off, where you’ll see pumpkins that weigh in at over 1,000 pounds!!
Mayberry Days
Mayberry Days is a fall festival dedicated to the good ol’ days and the classic Andy Griffith Show set right here in North Carolina! Transport yourself back to a different era with competitions like a Pork Chop Sandwich Eating contest, an apple peeling contest, and a whistling competition (among many others!) Unplug for a few hours as you enjoy a bottle of pop, play checkers, and listen to live music. Who knows? Maybe there will even be a special visit from the Andy Griffith era…
Blowing Rock Halloween Festival
The town of Blowing Rock is a great place to gather and celebrate Halloween! Your kids will love downtown trick-or-treating, followed by their famous Monster March costume parade! At 8:30, once the sun has set, participate in the Moonlight Scavenger hunt (BYOF – bring your own flashlight.) There’s also downtown hayrides and a costume contest, so come dressed in your Halloween best!
Autumn Leaves Festival
The Autumn Leaves Festival is a fall celebration with something for everyone! Browse their unique arts and crafts from over 300 vendors, enjoy live bluegrass and gospel music, and indulge in delicious food like barbecue and candy apples. Your little ones will love the Kidzone play area and DIY crafts to keep them entertained.
Greensboro, North Carolina Area Fall Festivals
Randolph Arts Guild Fall Festival
This year, the Randolph Arts Guild Fall Festival has been condensed into one day, making it even easier for visitors to enjoy everything the festival has to offer! This fun-filled event will host a variety of unique vendors, talented musicians, and delicious foods.
NC Folk Fest
The NC Folk Fest is an exciting celebration of multicultural folk music and art from around the world. Enjoy music from over 300 (!!!) artists on multiple stages, as well as dance performances, handmade crafts, food, and lots of fun. Join in the NC Folk Fest 5k for an active way to kick off your festival experience!
FAB Festival
In Reidsville, FAB stands for Food, Art, and Brews! Browse handcrafted artwork like jewelry, potter, and home and garden decor with a cold, refreshing beer in hand. Food vendors will be offering favorites like hot dogs, barbecue, funnel cakes, snow cones, and so many other delicious treats! Local music favorites The Tams will be performing too, so don’t forget your lawn chair to sit back and enjoy the concert!
Ramseur Fall Festival
Come explore the quaint, historic town of Ramseur with a lively festival! Meander down Main Street, taking in the sights of the Victorian homes. Browse local arts and crafts vendors, enjoy a delicious meal, and join your kids to play games, all while enjoying the sounds of live music.
Raleigh-Durham Area Fall Festivals
Farmers Fall Festival
The Downtown Cary Farmers Market is a gathering place for farmers and locals to connect, and their Farmers Fall Festival is no different! Farmers come together to share the bounty of the harvest season. Enjoy stocking up on goods and produce, listening to live music, experiencing live exhibits, and indulging in local food and craft beer. You can even loosen your belt a notch and participate in the midday pie-eating contest!
Fuquay-Varina Festival
Home to a mineral spring once believed to have healing capabilities, Fuquay-Varina has always been a popular destination for visitors. Today, it is a family-friendly town with an abundance of charm and history. Celebrate the town’s businesses, people, entertainment, and food at their exciting festival.
Wendell Harvest Festival
The Wendell Harvest Festival starts with a parade and continues with plenty of fun fall activities! Enjoy a variety of stage performances, vendors, and food trucks, and stick around for their main event concert in the evening. Bring the whole family – kids will love the parade and hanging out at the festival’s Kids Village!
Clayton Harvest Festival
The Clayton Harvest Festival is a huge four-day celebration of all things fall, family, and community! There are a variety of smaller festivals and events umbrellaed beneath the Clayton Harvest Festival, like the Latin American Festival, a car and motorcycle show, and more! Enjoy Midway carnival rides and games, food trucks, and Family Night, which includes a trunk-or-treat event and movie night!
Holly Fest
Holly Fest is a celebration of Holly Springs and all of the people, places, and businesses that make it a wonderful place to be! This dog-friendly event showcases local food vendors, artists, and businesses. There is plenty for kids to explore, play with, and discover, so don’t be surprised if they leave totally tuckered out!
Charlotte, North Carolina Area Fall Festivals
Hickory Oktoberfest
Oktoberfest celebrates the proud German heritage of Hickory and some of its long-term residents! While grown-ups will enjoy the abundance of beers to enjoy, little festival-goers will love Kidsfest’s face painting, petting zoo, bouncy houses, and more. Enjoy fabulous live music and delicious food vendors. Don’t forget to bring a few canned items to contribute to their Castle of Cans food drive!
Carolina Balloon Fest
The Carolina Balloon Fest is the oldest hot air balloon festival in the country! Enjoy watching dozens of balloons lift off from the ground during their mass ascensions, or take in the breathtaking evening balloon glows as dusk begins to settle. The festival also features a NC wine and craft beer garden, aerialist circus performances, skydiving exhibitions, and much, much more!
BayHaven Food and Wine
Celebrate black foodways and the industry members who make them possible when you attend BayHaven Food and Wine! Founded by three-time James Beard Award-nominated chef Gregory Collier and his wife and business partner Subrina Collier, the festival offers guests the chance to sample food and beverages crafted by black chefs, brewers, creatives, and hospitality experts. Come enjoy this celebration of culture and conversation!
Black’s Peaches Fall Festival
Every weekend in October, you can visit Black’s Peaches for a lot of fall fun! Take advantage of activities like their hayrides, corn maze, and farm playground. Try your hand at pumpkin chunkin’, corn shelling, cow milking, and more! It’s a great way to enjoy all there is to love about the autumn season while making memories with the whole family.
Statesville Pumpkin Festival
The Statesville Pumpkin Festival is truly an event for the whole family! Take in the sights of stylish classic cars at the Cruise-In, which is every car lover’s dream! Kids will love the Kids’ Zone’s inflatables, including towering slides, an obstacle course, and a Kiddie Playland. Community performances and live music will be taking place all day long on the Community Stage; check out their schedule to see who is performing!
Carowinds Great Pumpkin Fest
Carowinds Adventure Park invites you to join them for their Great Pumpkin Fest! Enjoy their brand new Tricks and Treats Parade with beautiful floats, trick or treating, and lots of family-friendly Halloween activities and entertainment. Dance along to live music, partake in one of their costume contests, and have a blast hanging out with your favorite Peanuts characters!
Asheville Area Fall Festivals
NC Apple Festival
The North Carolina Apple Festival celebrates the history and significance of the apple industry to the community, particularly Henderson County. 14 local growers participate every year, bringing their freshly picked apples to share with festival-goers. There is a family-friendly parade, an array of attractions, arts and crafts vendors, and engaging children’s activities. It’s a great opportunity to celebrate the harvest, connect with your local farmers, and enjoy some of the most autumnal produce there is!
Cherokee Heritage Festival
The Cherokee Heritage Festival is a true celebration of Cherokee culture in Clay County. Guests are invited to watch crafters and makers demonstrating traditional native crafts like arrow making, pottery sculpting, and bead working. Enjoy their traditional dancing, storytelling, and music, and taste authentic Cherokee cuisine. Held at the site of the outdoor Cherokee Homestead Exhibit, you’ll get to take in a recreated village site, including traditional Cherokee homes. It’s a festival people look forward to attending every year!
Lake Lure Arts and Craft Festival
Raising money to support Hickory Nut Gorge Outreach, a local food pantry, Lake Lure Arts and Craft Festival is the best place to shop the art and products of a huge variety of vendors! You’ll find everything from pottery to soaps and candles to jewelry and so much more. Take in the sights and sounds of live music and entertainment, and be sure to pick up some delicious festival snacks along the way.
NC Mountain State Fair
Like any good State Fair, the North Carolina Mountain State Fair has an array of fall festival rides and attractions destined to thrill and delight! Enjoy entertainment like a comedy hypnotist and a chainsaw artist, and then refuel on classic fair food like kettle corn, funnel cakes, and other deep-fried goodness. Animal enthusiasts will love to catch an equestrian show or a Chase’s Racing Swimming Pigs event, and visit exotic animals at the Endora Farms exhibit. There’s truly something for everyone to enjoy!
Mountain Glory Festival
The Mountain Glory Festival is a fantastic excuse to gather with friends and family to enjoy everything the season has to offer! Sit back and take in live performances, browse displays at the Quilt Show, and bring your little ones to visit the Children’s Play Area. Runners rejoice: the Mountain Glory Festival 5k is a great excuse to stay active and take in the surrounding beauty of the town!
Wilmington Area Fall Festivals
Wilmington River Fest
Visit historic Wilmington for a festival full of family fun! A beloved event since 1979, the festival showcases downtown Wilmington and the businesses, makers, and people that make it great. Enjoy concession booths, craft vendors, live entertainment, and a fantastic fireworks display! The dynamic street fair is always a big draw for art enthusiasts and foodies, and the classic car show is a delight for anyone who can appreciate a fantastic vintage vehicle.
The Fall Fest
Every year, the Gardens of Southeast North Carolina host a fall festival that draws in families from all over. Enjoy attractions like wagon rides and craft vendors, and indulge in their cash bar and fresh brick-fired oven pizza. But, of course, take home an abundance of gorgeous fall flowers. If you’re the creative type, then you can enter their scarecrow competition. This raises money for both local charities and a cash prize for the winner!
The Entire Family Will Love Celebrating This Beautiful Season At These North Carolina Fall Festivals
These North Carolina Fall Festivals are perfect for anyone looking to celebrate the season, support local artisans and vendors, and make some fabulous new memories. Don’t forget to dress in layers, save your appetite, and be ready to embrace the spirit of fall!
With fall quickly approaching, the holidays aren’t too far behind. If you haven’t yet thought about your holiday family photos (or if you have but are still looking for the right photographer), I would love to help you capture this season of life for you and your family. So, reach out today to chat about your dream photo session!
