Happy New Year! If your New Year’s resolution is to find new ways to celebrate North Carolina agriculture, you’ve found the right blog.
In 2025, we’re launching a new content series, #DiscoveringNCAgriculture. Each month, our blog and social media will feature content highlighting a North Carolina-grown or raised commodity.
Every Tuesday in 2025 on our website and social media pages, you’ll learn more about these 12 commodities from a farmer, agribusiness producer, nutritionist, commodity association or other expert. We’ll begin with peanuts in January followed by peppers, strawberries, poultry, mushrooms, peaches, pork, tomatoes, muscadines, apples, sweet potatoes and, in December, greens.
North Carolina takes great pride in its agricultural roots. At the local level, residents have been celebrating various commodities grown in North Carolina for decades. Across the state, these festivals have become annual traditions for small towns and regions.
Here is a list of festivals across the state that celebrate commodities grown or raised by farmers here in North Carolina. Add them to your calendar and make 2025 a year to celebrate North Carolina agriculture! Of course, don’t forget the N.C. Mountain State Fair in Fletcher, Sept. 5-14 and the N.C. State Fair in Raleigh, Oct. 16-25!
April
- North Carolina Pickle Festival – Mount Olive, April 26
May
- *North Carolina Strawberry Festival – Chadbourn, May 1-4
- *Carolina Strawberry Festival – Wallace, May 2-3
- *Smithfield Ham & Yam Festival – Smithfield, May 3
- N.C. Potato Festival – Elizabeth City, May 16-18
- *North Carolina Sweet Potato Festival – Bailey, TBD
June
- N.C. Blueberry Festival – Burgaw, June 21
July
- Sweet Corn Festival – Bryson City, July 5-6
- N.C. Blackberry Festival – Lenoir, July 11
- *N.C. Peach Festival – Candor, July 19
- *Knotts Island Peach Festival – Knotts Island, TBD
- Ridgeway Cantaloupe Festival – Ridgeway, TBD
August
- *Woodleaf Tomato Festival – Woodleaf, Aug. 16
- *North Carolina Apple Festival – Hendersonville, Aug. 29-Sept. 1
- Watermelon Festival – Winterville, TBD
September
- Ayden Collard Festival – Ayden, Sept. 5-6
- *Dublin Peanut Festival – Dublin, Sept. 19
- Yadkin Valley Pumpkin Festival – Elkin, Sept. 27
- *PepperFest – Pittsboro, TBD
- N.C. Hot Sauce Contest & Festival – Oxford, TBD
- *N.C. Muscadine Festival – Kenansville, TBD
October
- *Brushy Mountain Apple Festival – North Wilkesboro, Oct. 4
- John Blue Cotton Festival, Laurinburg, Oct. 11
- *N.C. Grape Festival – Elizabethtown, Oct. 11
- *Yadkin Valley Grape Festival – Yadkinville, Oct. 18
- *Taylorsville Apple Festival – Taylorsville, Oct. 18
- PumpkinFest – Franklin, Oct. 18
- Pumpkin Festival – Spring Hope, TBD
November
- North Carolina Pecan Harvest Festival – Whiteville, Nov. 1
- North Carolina Poultry Jubilee – Rose Hill, TBD
- Maxton Collard Green Festival – Maxton, TBD
*Indicates commodity is one of the 12 that will be featured in the NCDA&CS Discovering NC Agriculture series.
Did we miss one? Send tips to jamey.cross@ncagr.gov.