The Avett Brothers and Bonnie Raitt are headlining a country music festival in Wilkesboro. There’s a pickle festival in, where else, Mount Olive. Beer and food trucks will take over downtown Raleigh. And there’s a blacksmithing competition in the mountains.
The forecast for Saturday could be dicey for some areas, with the potential for showers and storms for much of the state. But things are expected to clear up for Sunday.
Now in its 37th year, MerleFest is back in Wilkesboro this week. The festival features “traditional plus” bands that continue the tradition of Doc Watson, who started the event in memory of his son.
The festival runs through Sunday with 12 stages and dozens of bands. Bonnie Raitt is scheduled to headline Friday and the Avett Brothers on Saturday.
“MerleFest was founded in 1988 in memory of Eddy Merle Watson as a fundraiser for Wilkes Community College,” organizers said.
“MerleFest is a celebration of ‘traditional plus’ music, a unique mix of music based on the traditional, roots-oriented sounds of the Appalachian region, including bluegrass and old-time music, and expanded to include Americana, country, blues, rock and many other styles,” according to organizers.
Funds from the festival go to support scholarships, capital projects and needs at Wilkes Community College in Wilkesboro.
The festival runs through Sunday at the college. Get more details at merlefest.org.
Each spring since 1986, the town of Mount Olive and Mt. Olive Pickle Co. have joined forces to celebrate all things pickles.
There’s a pickle eating contest, a pickle recipe contest, the Tour de Pickle bike race, a 5K, live music and other events.
There’s even a pickleball tournament.
The festival runs all day Saturday starting at 9:30 a.m. in Mount Olive, about an hour southeast of Raleigh. It's free to attend.
On the other side of the state, Spruce Pine will host the annual Fire on the Mountain celebration of blacksmithing.
Spruce Pine, in the mountains of western North Carolina, has hosted the annual event since 2007.
“Each year, the festival contains blacksmith demonstrations, blacksmith vendor booths, youth and adult forge-off, hands-on tents, kids’ activities, food, and more,” organizers say.
“Over time it has grown into one of the largest blacksmith festivals on the East Coast. Thousands gather each year to watch world-renowned blacksmiths forging amazing pieces, using techniques that have been utilized for centuries,” according to event organizers.
The event starts at 10 a.m. Saturday and the awards will be announced at 3:30 p.m. The festival is free to the public.
Billed as one of the largest craft beer festivals in the country, Brewgaloo expects more than 60,000 people to head to downtown Raleigh Friday night and Saturday.
The festival starts with a kickoff party Friday night. The main event is Saturday, with a festival taking over Fayetteville Street. This year’s event includes 110 craft breweries from across North Carolina, along with food trucks, local vendors and two stages featuring local bands.
The street festival runs from noon to 8 p.m. Saturday and entry is free. Friday’s kickoff party begins at 6 p.m. and tickets are available for $45. Admission includes unlimited samples of specialty and limited-release beers.
On Sunday, comic book vendors, artists, writers and fans will take over the Concord Convention Center at the Embassy Suites Hotel, just north of Charlotte.
The event will feature more than 28,000 square feet of comic book and toy dealers.
Organizers say the event is “one of the largest one day comic conventions in the southeast.”
The convention runs from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Admission is $5 and kids 12 and under get in free.
