Correction: A previous version of this article stated the festival happened in Southport. The festival happened in Oak Island.
OAK ISLAND, N.C. — When you think about the Fourth of July, you think of grilling, fireworks and red, white and blue.
What You Need to Know
Crowds gathered to celebrate the holiday on the beaches
There was a festival filled with games, food, rides and fireworks
The festival is free
On Oak Island, crowds gathered to celebrate and with a day of fun and sun.
The neighboring Southport has been celebrating the Fourth since the late 1700s, but the festival was called off earlier this year amid the pandemic.
“The very first recorded festival in the area that was recorded was in 1795, and it was the festival of free men,” said Trisha Howarth, co-chair of the Southport festival, “and the ships moored off the waterfront in Southport, and they fired their cannons at daybreak. Then they fired their cannons all day long to celebrate the new nation’s independence, and of course, the generals and sellers got together and toasted each other and the new United States of America.”
Tourists and others came to the beach in Oak Island to celebrate the holiday and their own family traditions.
“Oh my gosh, we’ve been coming every year since my kids were little, and we’ve done all the games,” said Melissa Smith, an attendee from Raleigh. “I love everything about it. It’s just down-home fourth of July fun.”
The fun doesn’t stop on the beach. Just across the street, there are rides for the kids, delicious food to try and plenty of vendors. One of those vendors says that even working the festival is fun.
“It’s a lot of fun, I mean I love it,” said Ashly Costello of Island Squeeze lemonade. “And the customers, there’s a lot of regulars that come back, so I’m here every Monday for the farmers market, and then they’ll see me here, and a lot of my customers, like 75% are repeat customers, and they’re happy I’m out here. I’m happy. I’m happy I’m out here.”
Regardless if you’re working the festival or attending it, one thing is for sure, you’ll feel the patriotic spirit in the air.
“It’s a feeling, really. It’s almost like Christmas in July,” Howarth said. “Everybody is just really excited about [it], they show their patriotism, they wear red, white and blue, sometimes tacky stuff, but just a lot of fun.”