Put These Outer Banks Events on Your Calendar!

When you’re on vacation, you want to do as the locals do, and on the Outer Banks that means showing face at the area’s mainstay events. Throughout the year, the Outer Banks hosts dozens of annual events, many of which have designated spots on residents’ calendars. We love them, and we wouldn’t miss many of them for the world. If you’re vacationing in the Outer Banks, you’re in luck! The bulk of these events occur during the summer. Depending on whether you’re visiting in May or in October, mark your calendars for these Outer Banks events if they fall during your vacation.

Outer Banks Bluegrass Island Music Festival – May 15-18, 2019, Roanoke Island Festival Park

Late-spring visitors, rejoice. This originally autumn annual event brings regionally and nationally renowned blues, folk and country musicians to Manteo for a long weekend of sweet, twangy melodies performed in Roanoke Island Festival Park.

Outer Banks Spring Restaurant Week – May 3-11, 2019, Various Outer Banks Locations

Eat your way through the Outer Banks at the Outer Banks Spring Restaurant Week held each May. See what chefs are serving up at your favorite restaurants here, or if there are any you’ve never visited one before, this event is an awesome opportunity to check out the Eastern Carolina cuisine featured on the chef-designed prix fixe menus.

Kentucky Derby Party – May 4, 2019, Elizabethan Gardens

We may not be Kentucky, but North Carolina knows what it’s doing when it comes to Southern genteel, mint juleps and hospitality in a springtime setting. Celebrate the Kentucky Derby with a classic Southern affair at Elizabethan Gardens’ blossoming grounds. With a silent and live auction, hat contest (ladies, the bigger, the better), screenings of the race, placing bets and bourbon cocktails, it doesn’t get much better than this. Be sure you get your tickets in advance.

Photo credits to Ocracoke Alive

Ocrafolk Festival – June 7-9, 2019, Island-wide

This Ocracoke tradition began as islanders coming together to share songs and stories (they’re known for their knack for both), and it’s grown into a weekend-long event that attracts islanders, residents from the larger Outer Banks area and visitors. It’s a lovely spotlight on Ocracoke’s vibrant arts community and an opportunity to discover musicians from far and wide. Shop directly from artisans and craftsmen, watch art demonstrations and, as you stroll or bike through the village, take in the sounds of banjos, fiddles and melodic voices filling the air. You can get your Ocrafolk weekend-long pass or tickets by the day.

Dare Day Festival – June 1, 2019, Manteo Downtown Waterfront

Food, festivities and family fun – what else do you need? This annual event is a cheers to summer’s arrival with booths from local artists, food from vendors, family-friendly activities and more offered all day long on the Downtown Waterfront. Musical performances begin as evening sets in, and it’s a delightful way to get familiar with the charming Outer Banks town of Manteo.

4^th of July – Duck, Manteo, Ocracoke

Many people visit the Outer Banks during the week around the 4^th of July, and there are plenty of events to stir up their patriotic sides. Enjoy an Americana small town parade (4^th of July in Duck) that was named one of the country’s “Top 10 Small Town Celebrations” to town-wide festivities that show off the community’s heritage, culture and dedicated townspeople (4^th of July in Manteo). Or keep the party going with a three-day celebration (4^th of July Celebration in Ocracoke) that begins with a fireworks display over Silver Lake Harbor, includes a parade of floats built and decorated by locals and visitors and concludes with a Community Beach Bonfire.

Ocracoke Fig Festival – Aug. 16-15, Ocracoke Preservation Society

Fig cakes, fig preserves, fig bars – we’d argue this fruit is just as essential to Ocracoke’s culture as Blackbeard’s pirate legacy. Discover the islanders’ favorite uses for figs at this festival that’s dedicated solely to them. Vendors sell figgy goods, and the festival’s centerpiece is the Fig Cake Bake-Off with free samples for all.

Outer Banks Pirate Festival – Aug. 14-15, Kitty Hawk Kites, Nags Head

For Outer Banks kiddos, this festival is like a farewell to summer where they can revel is scallywag mischief one last time before heading back to school – but you don’t have to live here to partake! It’s pirate playtime with face painting, lessons on the pirate code, stories that explore pirates of the Outer Banks, Scallywag School and a treasure hunt.

Pirates Cove Billfish Tournament, Aug. 12-17, Pirate’s Cove Marina, Roanoke Island

The Outer Banks’ premier sports fishing scene makes it a dream destination for anglers across the country. This tournament has a reputation for bringing in some of the biggest-known Atlantic blue marlin in addition to having incredible food, drink, entertainment and socialization when you’re not on the water. This week-long fishing tournament is preceded by the weekend’s Alice Kelly Memorial Ladies Only Billfish Tournament.

Photo credits to Outer Banks Sporting Events

Outer Banks Triathlon, Sept. 14-15, Old Swimming Hole, Manteo

Top athletes come out to swim, run and bike their way across Roanoke Island in this annual display of agility, stamina and community spirit (because cheering on the athletes is basically Gatorade for the soul, right?). The Outer Banks Triathlon, organized by Outer Banks Sporting Events, includes an Olympic-length event, an Olympic half, triathlon sprints and relays if you’d rather take to the course with a few friends.

Brewtag – Oct. 2,. Soundside Event Site in Nags Head

Kegs careen through the sky at this event where beer meets aviation. It’s the Outer Banks’ twist on Octoberfest. Teams compete to see who can make their keg fly the farthest through the sky at the Soundside Event Site in Nags Head, and spectators come to cheer them on, sample brews and enjoy performances from live musicians. No engineer or aviation experience is required to compete!

Duck Jazz Festival, Oct. 12-1,. Duck Town Park

The Outer Banks in the month of October is cause for excitement alone, but locals get jazzed for the weekend when Duck comes alive with smooth melodies and bluesy riffs filling the air. The Duck Jazz Festival coincides with Columbus Day weekend, and it brings nationally and regionally regarded musicians, jazz-themed activities, restaurant specials and shopping events throughout Duck.

Outer Banks Marathon – Nov. 9-10, The Woods Road, Kitty Hawk

Vacationing slows down a little once October ends, but hundreds of professional and amateur flock to the Outer Banks to stretch their legs and kick up their heels for the OBX Marathon. This weekend, organized by Outer Banks Sporting Events, holds a 5K, 8K and fun run on Saturday, and Sunday welcomes marathon and half-marathon runners making their way from Kitty Hawk to the finish line at Manteo’s Downtown Waterfront.

No matter the time of year you visit the Outer Banks, there’s always an event going on. Check out our Annual Events page to learn about all of them.