Festivals

The State of North Carolina has several official festivals.

In 1993, the General Assembly adopted the Hertford County Watermelon Festival [2] as the official Northeastern North Carolina Watermelon Festival (Session Laws, 1993, c. 212 [3]).

In 1993, the General Assembly also designated the Fair Bluff Watermelon Festival [4] as the official Southeastern North Carolina Watermelon Festival (Session Laws, 1993, c. 212 [3]).

In 2003, the General Assembly designated Folkmoot USA [5] as the official State International Festival (Session Laws, 2003, c. 315 [6]).

In 2007, the General Assembly designated the Ayden Collard Festival [7] as the official State Collard Festival (Session Laws, 2007, c. 28 [8]).

In 2007, the General Assembly designated the Lexington Barbecue Festival [9] as the official Food Festival of the North Carolina Piedmont Triad (Session Laws, 2007, c. 533 [10]).

In 2009, the General Assembly designated the North Carolina Potato Festival [11] (formerly the Albemarle Potato Festival) as the official Irish Potato Festival (Session Laws, 2009, c. 24 [12]).

In 2011, the General Assembly designated the town of Grifton's Shad Festival [13] as the Official Shad Festival of the State of North Carolina. (Session Laws, 2011-36 [14].) The Herring Festival [15] in the town of Jamesville was designated the Official Herring Festival of the State of North Carolina (Session Laws, 2011-59 [16]) and the Sneads Ferry Shrimp Festival [17] was designated the Official Shrimp Festival of the State of North Carolina (Session Laws, 2011-65 [18]).

In 2012, the General Assembly designated the Shelby Livermush Festival as the official fall livermush festival, the Marion Livermush Festival as the official spring livermush festival, and the Swansboro Mullet Festival [19] as the official mullet festival of the State of North Carolina (Session Laws, 2012-29 [20]).

Image Credit

Baker, Mountain Music Festival, Asheville, NC, September 1938. Conservation and Development Department, Travel and Tourism Division Photo Files, North Carolina State Archives, Raleigh, NC. Call # ConDev1454A. Image online at http://www.flickr.com/photos/north-carolina-state-archives/2387463859/ [21].