The city of Fayetteville is just day’s away from celebrating one of the city’s most beloved yearly traditions: the 2024 Fayetteville Dogwood Festival!
The festival kicks off Friday, April 26 and runs all throughout the following weekend, wrapping up on the evening of Sunday, April 28. Whether you’re a first-time visitor, or a longtime Dogwood Fest attendee, there are a few key things you need to know about the weekend-long event.
First and foremost, yes the Dogwood Festival is a FREE community event. An unrelated consultant report caused some confusion recently, but there was no plan at all to charge people to come to the Dogwood Festival. So again, we repeat, it’s a FREE community event.
What Is The Fayetteville Dogwood Festival?
The Fayetteville Dogwood Festival has been a staple of the community for over four decades. The non-profit event takes place every year on the final weekend of April, offering free admission to a wide variety of fun, family-friendly activities in the historic hub of Downtown Fayetteville. According to its mission statement, the ultimate goal of the Fayetteville Dogwood Festival is to “encourage unity through the celebration of (the city’s) diversity, while educating the public on (this city’s) rich history, and fostering civic pride.”
Traditionally the city of Fayetteville has always held a spring and fall version of the Dogwood Festival. For this year’s spring event families can expect a weekend full of delicious food from local vendors, live musical performances from North Carolina-based artists, beautiful handmade crafts, and so much more.
Shining A Spotlight On Local Artists
When it comes to musical performances, this year’s Dogwood Festival will be quite unique to previous events. Instead of national headliners, this year the festival will shine a spotlight on incredible North Carolina musicians, as the festival works on a transition year. On Saturday, April 27 visitors will have a chance to see NC Christian rock bands Two Dimensional and Set For The Fall, followed by a performance from up-and-coming North Carolina country artist Nicholas Vernon.
I recently had the chance to talk with Nicholas Vernon about his approaching Dogwood Fest performance. Growing up in the nearby city of Vander, North Carolina, Nicholas has many fond memories of the Dogwood Festival. “One of my favorite shows was the year that the Dogwood had .38 Special come. For me to be standing there listening to one of the most iconic southern rock groups to ever exist, I was like, ‘man, this festival is awesome!'”
And now things have come full circle for Vernon, who will get his chance to play the same event that enchanted him all those years ago.
What You Need To Know About The Dogwood Festival
With the 2024 Fayetteville Dogwood Festival fast approaching, here’s all the useful information you need to make the most out of the weekend for you and your family.
