Outer Banks Annual Events - Community

The community of Manteo comes together every year to celebrate this nation’s birth with day-long festivities, and you’re invited to this family-friendly event. You can begin your day with a trip to Island Farm to experience an 1850s-style Independence Day. Interact with the farm’s animals, listen to a reading of the Declaration of Independence, play games and eat some watermelon. In the afternoon check out the downtown Manteo waterfront, where you’ll be entertained by musicians, a patriotic parade and all-American contests. After those festivities, head over to Roanoke Island Festival Park, where there's a patriotic concert starting at 8 p.m. Of course, no Fourth of July event is complete without fireworks. The Town of Manteo's fireworks display is launched from Roanoke Island Festival Park at dusk. If you want to take a different approach to the fireworks display, paddle or boat into the sound for a secluded view.

On May 11, 1942, the H.M.T. Bedfordshire sank off of Ocracoke Island’s coast. Four of the sailors found their final resting place at the British Cemetery. Each Friday in April, an annual ceremony and reception remembers those sailors and celebrates the small plot of land that’s come to be known as “forever England.” This annual event brings together people from the Ocracoke community, representatives from the U.S. Coast Guard, U.S. Navy, British Royal Navy and Canadian Royal Navy for a transnational memorial made possible by the collective work of many nations. Each ceremony involves a reading of the crew list, the playing of bagpipes and a 21-gun salute. This Ocracoke annual event is open to all who wish to pay their respects at this honorable display of local culture and history.

Celebrate Currituck’s down-home, country culture with barbecue and a rodeo. The Currituck Heritage Bulls & BBQ is an annual fall event that brings excitement and family friendly fun to Currituck residents and visitors of all ages – no native ties required. The People’s Choice BBQ and Kansas City BBQ Competition are the cornerstones of this event. Local restaurants and barbecue experts battle it out for title of the best barbecue, and attendees sample the creations, ranging from tangy to sweet and smoky to succulent. After everyone has voted for their favorite barbecue, the competition concludes with an awards ceremony. Following the barbecue competition, the attention turns from pigs to cows as the festival’s evening rodeo opens, presenting the talents of professional bull riders. Other activities during the event include corn hole tournaments, children’s games and browsing the wares from local vendors, including food and funky crafts, products and more. It’s a delicious, engaging but low-key event that shines a little extra love on this interior area of the Outer Banks.

Here at the Outer Banks we love our seafood – the tuna, mussels, oysters, grouper, scallops, mmmm, we could go on and on about it. Have you ever thought about the source of seafood that you buy or eat? Hatteras Island’s Day at the Docks is an event to celebrate seafood and answer all of your questions about it. Learn how seafood affects the Outer Banks community and economy. Discuss marketplace choices and sustainability within local communities. You can participate in the Fishy K Fun Run, put your cooking skills to the test in a chowder cook off, enjoy competitions, demonstrations and much more. The Taste of North Carolina, Hatteras Style event is also held during Day at the Docks, so spend your evening sampling regional food and beverages while listening to live music. For more information, questions or concerns, reach out to Day at the Docks through their Facebook page or by emailing the event's website.

Meet at the Town Green on the first Saturday in December for an afternoon of caroling, live holiday music, hot cocoa and a visit from the jolly ol' elf himself. The Town of Duck kicks off its celebration of the holiday season with live music, carolers, the lighting of the town’s Crab Pot Tree and delicious treats. Santa delights spectators as he shows up in the fire engine. Businesses extend their hours for the celebration so you’ll have plenty of time to drift around the shops and participate in the Great Elf Hunt. The Outer Banks SPCA and Food for Thought also accept donations at this event. Rally up your family and friends and come out to Duck for a wholesome day of holiday cheer.

Produced by Ocracoke's Latino residents in partnership with Ocracoke Alive, the annual Latino Festival de Ocracoke is held in early November. This celebration features music, dance, games, arts and food from the many regions of Mexico and Latin America. 

Every small town needs a quintessential holiday celebration, and Hatteras Island is no exception. During one of the first Saturdays in December, Hatteras’s businesses, residents, the fire department, U.S. Coast Guard and nonprofit organizations come together for an all-inclusive Christmas parade experience. As twilight falls spectators line the streets and watch the procession of decorated vehicles and floats roll from Teach’s Lair Marina and through Hatteras Village until it reaches Hatterasman Drive-In. The main feature is Santa’s early arrival in Hatteras, where he’ll come by firetruck instead of sleigh. Afterward parade-goers adjourn to the Civic Center for homemade Christmas cookies and hot chocolate.

For a dose of holiday charm, nothing beats the Manteo Christmas Parade. The whole town comes out to see local school bands, vintage cars, the famous Shriners funny cars, SPCA dogs, kids on horseback, dance troupes, floats of all sorts, Queen Elizabeth I and her court (from The Lost Colony) and Santa arriving on the fire truck. Starting at 10:30 a.m. on the first Saturday in December, the parade runs from Manteo High School down Wingina Street, along John Borden Street to Croatan Avenue to Queen Elizabeth Street to Fernando Street. Find a spot anywhere along that route to enjoy the sights and sounds of a small-town holiday celebration. Downtown on Queen Elizabeth Avenue, close to the official parade stage and emcee at the historic courthouse, is probably the most popular spot for spectators. Be sure to get to town early because you'll probably have to park a ways back on a side street and walk to your viewing area. After the parade you can get photos with Santa at the Roanoke Island Maritime Museum on Fernando Street. 

Dare County Arts Council's two-day festival on downtown Manteo’s waterfront features artists from all over the country. While some are new to the festival each year, many are returning. You can find exhibitions of all sorts of media ranging from watercolors, drawings, acrylics, photography, jewelry and pottery. While the festival is a juried show, you still have the opportunity to buy directly from the artists. You might find an amazing photograph that you want hanging in your house or a beautifully handcrafted bracelet that will make the perfect present. Admission to this highly anticipated Outer Banks annual event is free, and it’s a family-friendly event. It's held on a Wednesday and Thursday in mid-August.

Come one, come all to OBX Pridefest. This weekend-long annual event, held in September, is an awesome time to celebrate with the LGBTQ community. Starting on Friday and going through Sunday, you can check out a booze cruise, live music, touring productions and comedy shows, a drag brunch, nightly club dancing and the main festival, the Outer Banks Gay Pride Festival. Held at Soundside Event Site in Nags Head, the main festival is free and includes music, food and fun. You might want to attend one or two events, or you can purchase a pass that’ll get you into every event over the weekend. Different restaurants helping to sponsor the event also have vendors at outdoor daytime events and specials throughout the weekend. All daytime events are family friendly; nighttime events are not. Bring your family, friends, a fun-loving attitude and tons of pride – this is one Outer Banks event unlike any other. Contact the event's website for questions and information.

Ocracoke celebrates its sweetest tradition in early August with the annual Ocracoke Fig Festival sponsored by Ocracoke Preservation Society. Local vendors provide fresh figs, fig preserves, local cookbooks and other fig-tastic items. Learn about Ocracoke’s fig history and culture and bring the kids for old-fashioned crafts and games. The showpiece of the Fig Festival is the Fig Cake Bake-Off on Saturday, but look for events all weekend long.

Sell, buy, browse – the Ocracoke Island-Wide Yard Sale invites you to do it all. Maybe you have items that you never use or no longer need. Perhaps you’re in the market for a few knick knacks. Or you could just be looking to earn some cash. Shop an incredible assortment of items and score great bargains at this community yard sale. The Ocracoke Variety Store and the Little Visitors Center distribute maps of yard-sale locations. This Outer Banks annual event occurs in April and again in September.

The Ocrafolk Festival is one of the most beloved Outer Banks annual events and traditions. On the first weekend in June, storytellers, musicians and artists bring themselves and their trades to Ocracoke Island for a three-day festival. You can shop directly from artisans and crafters, watch art demonstrations, listen to established and up-and-coming musicians and be absorbed by thrilling tales about Ocracoke Island and North Carolina. Ocrafolk Festival’s music is live and features regional and national bands and solo musicians. As you’re walking around the village during the festival, you can always hear banjos, fiddles, guitars or voices filling the air. Proceeds from Ocrafolk Festival ticket sales support critical student and community programs.

For four days in May, the waterfront area of Manteo is alive with the sound of banjos, fiddles, guitars and phenomenal bluegrass singers. Music enthusiasts won’t want to miss this event where the tunes of the mountains pay a visit to the coast as regional bands and solo musicians showcase their talent. Depending on your affinity for bluegrass, you may choose to spend all four days at the festival or swing by now and then. The festival offers many of the bands you’ve come to know and love with a mixture of new and exciting bands who are sure to become your new favorites. This year’s lineup features The SteelDrivers, Blue Highway, Mountain Faith Band, Rhonda Vincent & The Rage and many others. Visit www.bluegrassisland.com for the entire line-up and tickets. There will be plenty of onsite food options from many local restaurants, plus you can shop among many talented arts and crafts vendors. Roanoke Island Festival Park’s outdoor waterfront amphitheater is the perfect setting for this wildly popular Outer Banks annual event where you can feel a pleasant breeze from the water hit your face as you listen to the best in bluegrass!

Give thanks for the enthusiastic and supportive local running community that’s made possible by the Outer Banks Running Club. The Outer Banks Running Club’s main fundraiser, the OBX Gobble 5K and Fun Run, is an annual Thanksgiving event that the entire family is invited to enjoy. The courses take participants through Nags Head, making it hard not to feel thankful for the environment’s natural beauty. This family friendly event is open to all runners, joggers and walkers. Runners who want to include younger participants with them are encouraged to bring baby strollers, jogging strollers and wagons. Runners who aren’t enticed by the length of the 5K can opt for the Fun Run, which has a 9/10 mile course. All who finish the race receive a finisher’s award. This annual event is held on Thanksgiving morning with the 5K first, followed by the Fun Run. Go to the Outer Banks Running Club’s website to register in advance.

Where can you enjoy games, friends, music and watermelon all in one place? Try the Outer Banks Watermelon Festival. For several years, locals and visitors have gathered to enjoy summer with this delicious seasonal melon. You can enjoy watermelon-themed games like watermelon bowling, watermelon relays, seed-spitting contests and more. Stir up some friendly competition in a game of corn hole or test your flexibility by trying to beat the limbo stick. This event is held at the Kitty Hawk Kites in Nags Head and welcomes watermelon lovers of all ages. The festival is free to attend, but you have to purchase tickets if you want to play some games. The best part is that all proceeds go to the Outer Banks Bicycle and Pedestrian Safety Coalition, so you’ll be helping out something meaningful while having a blast. This event will be held on August 1 in 2018.

Rock the Cape is an arts and music festival that brings musicians, artists and art enthusiasts to Hatteras Island. Live music, an art show, art exhibits, live art demonstrations and crafts and activities for children are part of the fun. The whole family can enjoy this event.This festival benefits the Dare County Arts Council and helps enrich the art community at the Outer Banks.

Every June the carnival comes to town! Join in the fun of rides, fair food and midway games at the Soundside Event Site in Nags Head. This event is extra special fun for families because it benefits the Children and Youth Partnership for Dare County, an organization that advocates for kids from birth through adolescents. This event is held mid-June. 2018 dates are June 14 to 20 from 5 to 11 p.m. each night.

Do you ever wonder who's got the best chili recipe on the beach? Ever think it may be you? Put your skills to the test and judge others' at the Striper's Bar and Grille Annual Chili Cook-Off. Participants can register in advance at  Striper's Bar and Grille, and then they compete to win over the judges with gallons of their signature chili recipe. If you just want to eat chili, that's cool too. Tickets are available for purchase at the door, and admission gives you access to the festivities, fun and, of course, all-you-can-eat chili. Proceeds from the ticket sales benefit a different charity or local organization each year, so you're doing good and eating good. What better way to ward off a chilly winter day than with a bowl (or bowls) of spicy chili? 

Before gathering around the Thanksgiving table, gather your crew for a morning run. The Surfin’ Turkey 5K and Puppy Drum Run is an annual Thanksgiving event in Hatteras that lets you and your family participate in a shared activity while working up an appetite for some real turkey later in the day. The runs start at the Hatteras Village Civic Center and wind through the historic fishing village. If you don’t want to commit to the 5K, the Puppy Drum is a half-mile long and open to walkers and runners. Upon finishing the race, enjoy the post-race pancake party, including Carolina Brewery drinks for racers ages 21 and older. The registration fee for the event includes sign up, a goody bag, t-shirt and access to the after party. Children ages 10 and under can register for free. All proceeds from this event go to the Hatteras Island Youth Education Fund, which promotes education opportunities in the local schools. This event is held on Thanksgiving morning.