Each year, the Jacksonville area hosts an array of lively events and festivals, celebrating the area's close community and love for Eastern North Carolina. From our international festivals to fireworks and the Christmas parade, there is a celebration for every occasion, each another opportunity to gather with friends and family to enjoy our amazing community! Be sure to look up each event for exact dates and more details!

All-day festival featuring live music, a beer garden, amusement rides, arts and crafts vendors, delicious food, raffles and more.

This outdoor Bluegrass festival in Kenansville features live music, local breweries, wineries & distilleries and of course NC Barbeque!

Wilmington has been home to the Azalea Festival for over 50 years. This 5-day event is full of family fun, rides, crafts, live music, food, and more.

All the Lords and Ladies will not want to miss these festivities in Kinston. Enter a world of fantasy while enjoying games for kids, DnD, jousting, Vikings, sword fighting, vendors, period-style foods, caber tossing, live chess and so much more.

Wallace hosts this berry-loving event in their beautiful, historic downtown. Enjoy 2 days of crafts, food, a beer and wine garden, a BBQ contest, rides and all the strawberries you can eat!

Drive over to Kinston to check out the world’s largest whole hog cook-off. The whole family can enjoy live music, kids’ activities, shopping and plenty of eating!

Held at Onslow Pines Park, enjoy art, music, entertainment, education, cultural dance, kids’ activities, arts & crafts, food trucks and more!

This free family-friendly event in Swansboro includes games, kids’ activities, pirate shows, live music, a live pirate invasion on the water and mermaids!

Held on the first Saturday in May at Jacksonville Commons. The event includes musical entertainment, ‘Jacksonville’s Got Talent’ competition, food and marketplace vendors.

Held on the second Saturday in June, this all-day festival features live music and some of the best artists and crafters around. Pottery, jewelry, paintings, stained glass fiber, carvings, photography, sculpture, and metalwork are just a few of the crafts represented at this amazing event.

Burgaw is home to the annual celebration of blueberries. Held on the third Saturday of June, you can expect a full day of fun, including live entertainment, a car show, a street fair, a recipe contest, a BBQ cook-off, a 5k run, and lots more.

For almost 40 years, Onslow Pines Park has hosted this family-fun celebration. Enjoy fireworks, live music, a kids’ zone, food trucks & more.

Swansboro hosts this annual 4th of July celebration with food vendors, live music and a fireworks display.

For over 12 years, North Topsail Beach has hosted The Music Fest, taking place over the 4th of July holiday weekend and features local and nationally recognized musicians. Check out their website OceanCityJazzFest.com for more information on the rich history of this celebration and to get information on the Jacksonville shuttle to the event. 

Close out your summer with fun in Winterville. For almost 40 years, melon lovers have enjoyed their annual parade, watermelon-eating contest, carnival rides, midway games, fair food, vendors and tons of watermelon treats.

Held the first Tuesday of August at the Riverside Crossing Park in downtown Jacksonville, enjoy exhibits, food vendors, children’s activities, live music and a fireworks display.

An annual event right here in Jacksonville to promote all the area has to offer and to encourage river conservation. Enjoy river activities, vendors, a kids’ area, food, entertainment, kayak races and more.

This festival right down the road in Kenansville celebrates our local muscadine wine heritage each year. Enjoy wineries, music, crafts, vendors, food and more.

This 2-day shrimp-lovers event has been happening for over 50 years. Eat your heart out while enjoying amusement rides, parade, car show, food and craft vendors, beer tents and more. Check their website for exact dates.

This Sea-Fun event in Morehead City happens the first weekend in October and has helped to educate locals on the importance of the seafood industry in ENC for almost 40 years. Enjoy rides, games, a beer den, wine, fireworks, oyster shucking and all the seafood you can eat!

Enjoy an early 5K, bratwurst, beer, family fun, entertainment, and a variety of arts and crafts.

Enjoy a ride through the farm and then pick out your perfect pumpkin. Stay for dinner and shopping at the barn! Check out their website for special events on the weekends.

This local fair is going on for almost 70 years. Enjoy classic fair amusement rides, food, games, live entertainment and much more.

Going strong for almost 70 years, the 2-day Annual Mullet Festival in Swansboro features a parade, street vendors, a kids’ area, live music, fish fry and food vendors.

This award-winning 2-day eco/surf/arts/music festival in Surf City strives to celebrate and protect our oceans while supporting other like-minded nonprofit organizations. Enjoy a surf contest, a 5K Beach Run, a kids’ zone, live music, a beer garden and many vendors.

Stop by Hubert for this annual Halloween festival. Enjoy the haunted cemetery, hayride, pumpkin patch, hot cider, food trucks, vendors and so much more.

New Bern hosts this award-winning festival each year which features amusement rides, a kids’ area, entertainment, a beer garden, shopping, and of course beautiful mums to bring home.

This cultural event is open to the public and celebrates current and past servicemen and women through Native American culture. Enjoy dance exhibitions, music, vendors and more. Tent and RV sites are available through reservation.

A holiday favorite that travels from Coastal Carolina Community College to Huff Drive on Western Blvd. Bring a chair and the kids while you wait for Santa to pass by on one of Jacksonville’s fire trucks.

This annual treat is held on the Friday after Thanksgiving along the Swansboro waterfront. The flotilla features a spectacular parade of lights down the White Oak River. Each boat in the parade is decked for the holidays while music fills the air. Enjoy funnel cakes, cider and hot cocoa and be prepared for a visit from Santa at the end as he makes his way to the Pug Pavilion for the annual Tree Lighting.

Held the first weekend in December at Riverwalk Park, enjoy children’s games, ice sculptures, holiday entertainment, food, pony, hay and train rides, sledding, and the spectacular Flotilla on the New River.

Tis the season to enjoy a day at the park with live music, fun for the kids, a visit with Santa and Mrs. Claus while sipping on some hot cocoa and shopping with local vendors.

You do not want to miss this drive-through light display. Drive your vehicle or take a tractor ride through the beautiful holiday lights. Enjoy local vendors and food trucks as well!

Make your reservations early for dinner and a ride through the Festival of Lights! Don’t forget to stop by their NC Products Barn for all your holiday shopping.