Morganton, NC – Get ready for an unforgettable weekend filled with excitement, as the much-anticipated Morganton Festival presented by UNC Health Blue Ridge returns to downtown Morganton on September 8 and 9. This beloved community event promises an exhilarating experience for all who attend, with over 250 vendors offering a diverse range of crafts, free entertainment across three stages, mouth-watering food that will tantalize your taste buds, thrilling rides and games, and an abundance of fun for all ages. Gather your friends and family and prepare to come play in the streets at the Morganton Festival! Stay connected to http://www.morgantonfest.org for more information.
The FULL event kicks off on Friday, September 9 at noon with 9 blocks of downtown filled with a variety of craft vendors offering an assortment of handmade art, jewelry, woodworking, pottery, soap, candles and more! Be sure to come hungry because the mouth-watering Festival Fare vendors will definitely tempt your taste buds with the aromas of gyros, BBQ “chicken on a stick”, egg rolls, roasted corn on the cob, funnel cakes, ice cream and much, much more.
The ever popular Kids Zone and Teen Zone will open at 2:00pm with ticketed rides and games along with the FREE craft area known as Litter Critters, for children grades 5th and under. The Festival welcomes back for the first time in over 5 years, the FREE KidZone Stage (located at 111 North Green Street). The stage offers performances Friday afternoon and evening from astounding magicians and awe-inspiring dinosaur extraordinaire. For a full lineup, visit www.morgantonfest.org. For teens and fun-loving adults, the Teen Zone (located on North Sterling Street) features Jacob’s Ladder, Wild West Mechanical Bull, Volcano Island Rock Climbing Wall and a Pedestal Joust! While in the Teen Zone, don’t miss local entertainers performing on the Pepsi Stage (located at the intersection of Sterling and Avery Street). Burke County Senior Dancers, Debbie Huffman Dance Academy, and The Dance Factory have performances at the bottom of the hour beginning at 5:30pm.
After a day full of shopping, eating, and fun, head on over to the Courthouse Square Stage for FREE music entertainment. Lucas Jagneaux & the Roadshow will hit the Courthouse Square Stage at 7:30pm. Recently being awarded as the Texas Music Songwriter winner, Lucas Jagneaux (pronounced Jag-no) and the Roadshow are sure to make you smile, pull at your heart strings and make you love Texas. The Red Clay Strays will close the Friday evening of the Morganton Festival with a performance from 9:30-11:00pm. Reminiscent of the vibrant heyday of southern music, the band finds their origins in the styles of classic country, rockabilly, and gospel-fed soul all the while ushering in a new era of rock-and-roll that is as distinctive as the people who form it. Having just finished performances at Lollapalooza and recently coming off a tour with Dierks Bentley and Molly Tuttle, the Red Clay Stays will have festival attendees grooving to their tunes.
The Festival RETURNS for another day starting at 9:00am on Saturday, September 9th. Yard art, baskets, crafted toys, wines, carvings, plants, pottery and lots of jewelry can be discovered along the blocks North and South Sterling, East and West Union, and North and South Green Streets! Throughout the day there are activities for the entire family including additional performances from local troupes on the Pepsi Stage and KidZone Stage. At 9:30am on Saturday morning, Tumblemania kicks off the morning of performances followed by Sandy Beach Shag Club, Hickory Academy of Martial Arts, Sherri’s School of Dance, Morganton Ukulele Society, Southern Swag Dance Academy and The Dance Factory performing at the bottom of the hour. Find more details at www.morgantonfest.org. The KidZone Stage Kicks off a day full of entertainment at 10:00am with Ed’s Dinosaurs followed by Robert the Magician at 11:00am, Meet and Greet with Gus the Groundhog (the festival mascot) at 12:00pm. In addition to dinosaurs and magic, the KidZone Stage will host the Little Miss Historic Morganton Pageant at 3:00pm. For full details about the KidZone Stage lineup visit www.morgantonfest.org.
Music continues at Saturday evening at 7:00pm on the Courthouse Square Stage with REV ON “The Foreigner Experience”. REV ON plays all classic hits made famous by rock legends Foreigner and will surely entertain you from start to finish. Closing out the Morganton Festival is Bohemian Queen performing from 8:30-10:00pm! Faithfully performing hit after hit, Bohemian Queen delivers a vibrant, energetic set that offers festival goers a recognizable brand with globally-known classics from the iconic band Queen.
ALL CONCERTS ARE FREE! Entrance into the festival grounds are FREE!
For a complete listing of all the events including the Courthouse Square Stage, Pepsi Stage, KidZone Stage, Little Miss Historic Morganton Pageant, and more, contact us by phone at 828-438-5252; by email at [email protected]; or check out the website www.morgantonfest.org.
