Outer Banks Annual Events - Food

1

4th of July Celebration in Ocracoke

Island-wide
Ocracoke
(252) 928-6711
Outer Banks Food

Ocracoke Village celebrates Independence Day with a family-oriented, fun-filled annual event offering many activities for all ages. July Fourth kicks off with a flag-raising ceremony at the school circle followed by the annual Sand Sculpture Contest. Other activities include lighthouse tours, a vintage car show, live music and the annual Classic Old-Time Parade in which visitors and locals build floats, decorate bikes and...read more

Ocracoke Village celebrates Independence Day with a family-oriented, fun-filled annual event offering...read more

2

Brewtag

6800 S. Croatan Highway
Soundside Event Site
Nags Head
(877) 359-8447
Outer Banks Food

Wait ... kegs can fly?! Who knew? Kitty Hawk Kites knows because they sponsor this fun (and funny) festival every October. Various groups around the Outer Banks create "flying" machines out of 1/6 kegs (empty ones) and whatever contraption they can come up with that might – emphasis on the word might – fly off a platform. It's a ton of fun to watch. When...read more

Wait ... kegs can fly?! Who knew? Kitty Hawk Kites knows because they sponsor this...read more

3

Currituck Heritage Bulls & BBQ

Currituck County Rural Center
184 Milburn Sawyer Road
Powells Point
(252) 453-9040
Outer Banks Food

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...read more

Celebrate Currituck’s down-home, country culture with barbecue and a rodeo. The Currituck Heritage Bulls &...read more

4

Dare Days

Downtown Manteo
Manteo
(252) 473-2133
Outer Banks Food

Dare Days celebrates its 48th year in 2023. The festival, always held in downtown Manteo on the first Saturday of June, is a mix of live music, craft and food vendors, dance and activities for all ages. The morning starts with a Blessing of the Day and ends with a big-name music group with people dancing in the streets. In between you can also watch...read more

Dare Days celebrates its 48th year in 2023. The festival, always held in downtown Manteo...read more

5

Day at the Docks

N.C. Highway 12
Hatteras Docks
Hatteras
Outer Banks Food

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...read more

Here at the Outer Banks we love our seafood – the tuna, mussels,...read more

6

First Fridays in Manteo

Downtown Manteo
Manteo
(252) 473-5558
Outer Banks Food

First Friday is a family-oriented festival held in downtown Manteo on the first Friday of every month from April through December. From 6 to 8 p.m. downtown Manteo’s sidewalks come alive with a wide variety of musical performances and festive activities for all ages. Individual shops and restaurants frequently do their own celebratory activity such as live music, special sales, refreshments and hors d’oeuvres. Dare County...read more

First Friday is a family-oriented festival held in downtown Manteo on the first Friday of...read more

7

From Garden to Hearth at Island Farm

1140 U.S. Highway 64
Manteo
(252) 473-6500
Outer Banks Food

Take a step back in time to a Roanoke Island winter in the 1850s. Island Farm invites you to celebrate fall food traditions as they share with visitors how coastal families prepared for winter two centuries ago. Learn about and try your hand at hearth cooking, food preservation and candle making. You can shuck some corn and do a little shelling too. In...read more

Take a step back in time to a Roanoke Island winter in the...read more

8

Holiday Chefs Challenge

2000 Sailfish Drive
The Pavilion at Pirate's Cove
Manteo
(252) 261-2756
Outer Banks Food

Watch – and taste – as the top chefs on the Outer Banks battle it out to turn canned food into culinary masterpieces. The Annual Holiday Chefs' Challenge is a fundraiser for the Beach Food Pantry that brings all of the excitement and energy from cooking show competitions right to Manteo. Participating chefs have 60 minutes to prepare a dish that uses items the Food...read more

Watch – and taste – as the top chefs on the Outer Banks battle it...read more

9

Hotline Festival of Trees

600 S. Croatan Highway
Outer Banks Brewing Station
Kill Devil Hills
(252) 473-5212
Outer Banks Food

The annual Festival of Trees is an ideal way to spread holiday cheer while benefiting the nonprofit Outer Banks Hotline. It includes several days of events, including a bazaar, live music, children's activities and more. At the gala on Saturday night you can browse through all of the business-sponsored and decorated trees while you enjoy delectable hors d’oeuvres and coffee and live holiday...read more

The annual Festival of Trees is an ideal way to spread holiday cheer...read more

10

OBX Pridefest

6800 S. Croatan Highway
The Bypass, Milepost 16
Nags Hed
Outer Banks Food

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...read more

Come one, come all to OBX Pridefest. This weekend-long annual event, held in...read more

11

OBX Taco Cook-Off

Ortega'z Southwestern Grill & Wine Bar
201 Sir Walter Raleigh Street
Manteo
Outer Banks Food

Fresh local fish fillings, zesty salsa, the flavorful crunch of veggies, a handmade masa tortilla holding it all together – who does it best on the beach? Decide for yourself at the OBX Taco Cook Off. Chefs from popular Outer Banks eateries gather at Ortega’z Southwestern Grill and Wine Bar and compete to craft the top taco creation. Admission to the event includes a taco...read more

Fresh local fish fillings, zesty salsa, the flavorful crunch of veggies, a handmade masa tortilla...read more

12

Ocracoke Fig Festival

Ocracoke Preservation Society and
Berkley Barn
Ocracoke
(252) 928-7375
Outer Banks Food

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...read more

Ocracoke celebrates its sweetest tradition in early August with the annual Ocracoke Fig Festival sponsored...read more

13

Ocracoke Working Watermen's Association Oyster Roast & Shrimp Boil

Ocracoke Community Square
Ocracoke
Outer Banks Food

If you’re on Ocracoke Island in December, you won’t want to miss the Ocracoke Working Watermen’s Association Oyster Roast and Shrimp Boil. One of the most popular winter events, this community meal celebrates seafood and the people who make enjoying it possible. For the afternoon, the Community Square turns into a fish-fest where makeshift tables offer gathering grounds for shucking oysters, peeling and eating shrimp...read more

If you’re on Ocracoke Island in December, you won’t want to miss the Ocracoke Working...read more

14

Ocrafolk Festival

Berkley Manor
58 Water Plant Road
Ocracoke
(252) 921-0260
Outer Banks Food

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...read more

The Ocrafolk Festival is one of the most beloved Outer Banks annual events and traditions....read more

15

Oink 'n' Oyster Roast

3833 N. Croatan Highway
Longboards Island Grill
Kitty Hawk
(252) 489-9198
Outer Banks Food

There are few better ways to celebrate the start of oyster season than with an oyster roast and North Carolina barbecue. For more than 16 years, First Flight Rotary Club has sponsored the Oink and Oyster Roast as a fundraiser for nonprofit organizations in Dare County. This event is open to everyone with a love of oysters and a hearty appetite. The First...read more

There are few better ways to celebrate the start of oyster season than...read more

16

Outer Banks Food Truck Showdown

Soundside Event Site
6800 S. Croatan Highway
Nags Head
(252) 473-2138
Outer Banks Food

Gone are the days when food trucks only carted around ice cream and hot dogs. The new generation delivers maximum flavor through unlimited creativity. The Outer Banks Food Truck Showdown is your chance to snack your way through not only the beach’s best food trucks but also those from the larger North Carolina and Virginia areas. Vendors include independent trucks as well as the catering...read more

Gone are the days when food trucks only carted around ice cream and hot dogs....read more

17

Outer Banks Seafood Festival

6800 S. Croatan Highway
The Bypass, MP 15.5, Soundside Event Site
Nags Head
(252) 441-8144
Outer Banks Food

Do you ever wonder about the abundant amounts of seafood caught and consumed on the Outer Banks? Well, wonder no more. The Outer Banks Seafood Festival is an event that will educate, entertain and feed you. What more could you want? The local bounty of the sea and the tradition of fishing that puts it on our tables are celebrated at this festival...read more

Do you ever wonder about the abundant amounts of seafood caught and consumed...read more

18

Outer Banks Shrimp Cookoff

4700 North Virginia Dare Trail
Kitty Hawk
(252) 261-2546
Outer Banks Food

It’s no secret that some of the world’s tastiest shrimp are found in Outer Banks restaurants. Have you ever wondered where you can find the cream of the crop when it comes to local shrimp dishes? Many of us have, and each year we turn to the Outer Banks Shrimp Cookoff to see which restaurants’ shrimp dishes stand out from the others. Top chefs from...read more

It’s no secret that some of the world’s tastiest shrimp are found in Outer Banks...read more

19

Outer Banks Watermelon Festival

3933 S. Croatan Highway
Jockey's Ridge Crossing
Nags Head
(252) 441-4124
Outer Banks Food

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...read more

Where can you enjoy games, friends, music and watermelon all in one place?...read more

20

Striper's Bar & Grille Annual Chili Cook-Off

1100 South Bay Club Drive
#A
Manteo
(252) 475-1021
Outer Banks Food

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...read more

Do you ever wonder who's got the best chili recipe on the beach? Ever think...read more

21

Stumpy Point Oyster Feast

238 Bayview Drive
Stumpy Point
(252) 473-5869
Outer Banks Food

Forget “the world is your oyster!” At the Stumpy Point Oyster Fest, the oyster is your world. For more than 30 years, this all-you-can-eat oyster festival has been a favorite of locals and visitors alike. Celebrate a chilly February day with friends, family, homemade desserts and your favorite bivalves. Whether you want your oysters steamed or fried is entirely up to you, and...read more

Forget “the world is your oyster!” At the Stumpy Point Oyster Fest, the...read more

22

The Big Curri-Shuck Oyster Roast

7005 Caratoke Highway
Jarvisburg
(252) 491-2387
Outer Banks Food

When counting your blessings around Thanksgiving, remember to give thanks for oyster season on the Outer Banks. The Big Curri-Shuck Oyster Roast at Sanctuary Vineyards is an all-you-can-eat oyster roast, featuring oysters from I Got Your Crabs in Kitty Hawk and local wines and beer. Barbecue and steamed crabs will be served in addition to oysters. Sample and savor the brews with the food in...read more

When counting your blessings around Thanksgiving, remember to give thanks for oyster season on the...read more

23

Whalehead Wednesdays Wine Festivals

1100 Club Road
Corolla
(252) 453-9040
Outer Banks Food

Up for a sophisticated evening activity? Check out Whalehead Wednesdays Wine and Beer Festivals happening from June through the end of September. Every Wednesday evening during the summer months you can sample a variety of wines and beer along with fruit and cheese while you watch the sun set over the Currituck Sound. Different solo artists and bands provide live music every week, so you’ll get...read more

Up for a sophisticated evening activity? Check out Whalehead Wednesdays Wine and Beer Festivals happening...read more