Summer will be here before we know it. Everyone knows that Ocracoke Island is a great place for relaxation. Why not consider a vacation that also includes celebration. Let the fun begin! Ocracoke offers many great events throughout the year.
For a great time, you can’t beat the Ocracoke Firemen’s Ball. The pig-pickin’ BBQ starts the event off with great food and drink for everyone. Buy a Fire Department t-shirt. There will be a Silent Auction and a fast-paced Live Auction. Music and dancing goes late into the night with The Dune Dogs and The Ocracoke Rockers.
For the first time, the Firemen’s Ball will be held at the Berkley Barn with plenty of parking nearby at the National Park Service parking lot at the south end of town.
All proceeds from the Firemen’s Ball support the Ocracoke Volunteer Fire Department. Additonal details are available online.
Now in its 20th year, the Ocrafolk Festival offers three days of music, storytelling, art, crafts, workshops and food. The festival is presented by Ocracoke Alive, and celebrates music, storytelling, and artisans from the NC coastal region and beyond. Stroll the festival grounds and find delicious food options from island restaurants and an amazing selection of artisans’ booths showcasing fine arts and crafts. Children’s events include performers, juggling workshops and fish T-printing.
The Annual WOVV Women’s Arm Wrestling Tournament is a benefit for Ocracoke Community Radio (WOVV). The contestants never disappoint with their costumes and wrestler personas. This double-elimination tournament is as much about the spectacle as the strength, but the ladies will impress you with their powerful biceps and fierce determination.
Enjoy three days of fun and Independence Day celebration. The festivities kick off July 3rd with the famous Ocracoke Square Dance and a fireworks show over beautiful Silver Lake. The fun continues July 4th with a full day of activities, featuring the Sand Sculpture Contest, a traditional hometown parade, antique car display and so much more. In the evening there will be a Glow-in-the-Dark Laser Effects Show and Dance Party. Festivities conclude July 5th with a Community Beach Bonfire finale.
Ocracoke will celebrate their sweetest tradition in late August with the Annual Ocracoke Fig Festival. Local vendors provide fresh figs, fig preserves, local cookbooks, fig-smoked BBQ, and other fig-tastic items. Learn about Ocracoke’s fig history and culture and bring the kids for old-fashioned crafts and games. The showpiece of the Fig Festival is the Fig Cake Bake-Off. Everyone is welcome to submit a cake in one or both categories, Traditional or Innovative. A panel of judges chooses the winners. Free samples for everyone after the contest! The fun continues with a traditional Ocracoke Square Dance, followed by dancing to the Ocracoke Rockers!
Enjoy listening to great bands, participate in live auctions and eat fresh Ocracoke seafood at this new benefit to support the Ocracoke Health Center. Tickets will be available at the door. Find out more information here. https://ocracokeseafoodfestival.org/
Take advantage of this opportunity to turn your seldom-used or “clearance” items into cash, or shop for great bargains! Participation in this event is free to all Ocracoke individuals and businesses.
Maps will be distributed highlighting the locations of participants at the Ocracoke Variety Store and the Visitor Center located in the Community Square.
Chart your course to Ocracoke for the Annual Blackbeard’s Pirate Jamboree. Celebrate Ocracoke’s unique piratical heritage with a weekend of swashbuckling fun! The Jamboree features an historically-accurate pirate encampment, and a reenactment of the infamous pirate Blackbeard’s last battle at Ocracoke. Three ships will re-create the last hours of Blackbeard and his crew as Lt. Robert Maynard brings them to battle with cannons blazing. Get in touch with your inner pirate and wear your best buccaneer gear. Interactive living history exhibits, sea chanteys, music and a shopping marketplace of seafaring fine arts and wares provide entertainment for all ages. The event culminates when pirate and militia crews march to beautiful Springer’s Point to honor those killed in Blackbeard’s last battle with a eulogy, hymns and final cannon salute.
The Festival Latino de Ocracoke celebrates traditional Mexican music, dance, arts and games. Sponsored by Ocracoke Alive. Details on Festival Latino 2019 will be posted later this year. Find out more about Festival Latino de Ocracoke online.
Ring in the holidays island-style with this seasonal parade that takes place on the waters that surrounds Ocracoke village. The Ocracoke Parade of Boats is a celebration of life on the water, and this annual procession of ships of all shapes and sizes is sure to make anyone fall in love with the coastal scene and community that calls Ocracoke Island home.
By far the most popular December event is the annual Ocracoke Working Watermen’s Association Oyster Roast & Shrimp Boil. Hundreds of eager seafood lovers line up at makeshift tables in the bright winter sunshine to shuck oysters, peel ‘n’ eat shrimp, and slurp fish stew, washed down with cold beverages. Come out and eat your fill! Dessert is offered at the Ocracoke Working Watermen’s Exhibit in the Community Square.
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