The High Country of North Carolina is a year-round destination, offering everything from quirky mountain traditions like worm racing to world-class music festivals and cultural celebrations.
Compiled By Chris Murphy / Information pulled from ExploreBoone.com
Based on the original guide and updated for the 2025–2026 season, here is a comprehensive look at the annual events you can’t miss, including specific details on locations, activities, and what makes each event unique.
Blowing Rock Winterfest
When: January 22–25, 2026
Location: Downtown Blowing Rock and Chetola Resort
Details: This four-day extravaganza is designed to celebrate the “chill” of winter. The highlight is the Polar Bear Plunge into the icy waters of Chetola Lake. Other festivities include the WinterPaws dog show, ice carving demonstrations, a chili cook-off, and the “Wine About Winter” tasting tour.
Boone Docs Film Festival
When: February 27-28, 2026
Location: 559 West King Street, Boone, NC
Details: The fifth annual Boone Docs film festival will take place at the historic Appalachian Theatre of the High Country in beautiful downtown Boone. The festival features short-form documentary films that focus on or are from the Appalachian region
Meltdown Games
When: March 14-15, 2026
Location: 940 Ski Mountain Rd., Blowing Rock, NC
Details: Winter isn’t over until we say it is! Join us for one last weekend of end-of-the-season silliness! Cardboard Box Derbies, Terrain Park Events, and our signature Pond Skim / Costume Contest are just part of the fun! All events are FREE to enter with the purchase of a ski ticket. Same-day registration for all events is offered in the Alpine Ski Shop.
Banff Mountain Film Festival
When: March 19-21, 2026
Location: 733 Rivers St., Boone, NC
Details: Boone celebrates the return of one of North America’s largest screenings of the Banff Centre Mountain Film Festival World Tour, bringing stories of remote journeys, ground-breaking expeditions, and cutting-edge adventures told through the eyes of adventurers, authors, photographers, and filmmakers. All screenings will start at 7:30 pm, with doors opening at 6:15 pm to the Schaefer Center lobby and auditorium.
Tweetsie Railroad Opening Day
When: April 4, 2026
Location: Tweetsie Railroad
Details: Gather your family and friends and join us as Tweetsie kicks off the 2026 season at Tweetsie Railroad. Opening Day, Saturday, April 4th, falls on Easter weekend and marks the return of good old-fashioned family fun after the winter break. The park will be open 10:00 am to 6:00 pm on Saturday, April 4, and Sunday, April 5. The Easter Bunny will make special appearances, Opening Weekend, during Diamond Lil’s Can-Can Revue.
MerleFest
When: April 23–26, 2026
Location: Wilkes Community College, Wilkesboro
Details: One of the premier music festivals in the country, founded by the late Doc Watson in memory of his son, Merle. The festival celebrates “traditional plus” music—a mix of bluegrass, folk, gospel, and rock. With 13 stages and dozens of artists, it is a bucket-list event for Americana fans.
High Country Jazz Festival
When: June 10-14, 2026
Location: 559 West King St., Boone, NC
Details: You’ll find jazz all over Boone during the 4th Annual High Country Jazz Festival. From cocktail hour on the rooftop to a free concert on the lawn, visitors can eat, drink, and learn amid the music. The festival kicks off on Wednesday, June 10th with a performance from Grammy-winning saxophonist Miguel Zenón & Luise Perdomo. It continues with more headlining acts on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, as well as lectures, jazz dinners, exhibitions, and late-night jams.
Boonerang Music & Arts Festival
When: June 19-21, 2026
Location: Downtown Boone
Details: Boonerang Music & Arts Festival celebrates Boone, North Carolina with a free downtown street festival; this community homecoming brings Boone-connected artists and fans together every third weekend in June to Boonerang back to the place we love. Artists of all kinds with connections to the town will be performing within walking distance of shops, restaurants, breweries, and more. In addition to finding music on multiple stages, enjoy locally brewed beer, kids’ activities, silent discos, and afterparties.
An Appalachian Summer
When: July 1-31, 2026
Location: 733 Rivers St., Boone, NC
Details: Presented by Appalachian State University’s Office of Arts Engagement and Cultural Resources, this annual celebration of the performing and visual arts is held every July in venues across the university campus, and features an eclectic mix of music, dance, theatre, visual arts and film programming.
Sugar Mountain Summit Crawl
When: July 4, 2026
Location: 1009 Sugar Mountain Dr., Banner Elk, NC
Details: Run, hike, climb, or crawl as fast as you can to Sugar Mountain’s 5,300-foot peak by way of the Easy Street, Gunther’s Way, and Northridge slopes on July 4, when Sugar Mountain Resort hosts its annual Summit Crawl.
Boone 4th of July Parade
When: July 4, 2026
Location: 604 West King St., Boone, NC
Details: The Downtown Boone annual 4th of July parade travels east on King Street, starting at the intersection with Poplar Grove Extension and ending at Legends on Hardin St. (around the corner from Dan’l Boone Inn). Following the parade, the Town of Boone continues the celebration on the lawn of the Jones House Cultural Center. Arrive early to find a parking spot and breakfast. Be aware that King Street will be closing for the parade! (All downtown Boone parking is FREE on July 4th!)
Blowing Rock’s 4th of July Festival
When: July 4, 2026
Location: 132 Park Ave., Blowing Rock, NC
Details: Join the town of Blowing Rock for the best small-town Main Street parade you’ll find anywhere! Local families, musicians, organizations, and characters celebrate the holiday with a patriotic procession. After the parade, enjoy holiday shopping and dining around town until ready to return to your vehicle. Note: Main Street will be closed to parking from midnight the night before, to just after the parade. No parking on Main Street for the parade will ensure better visibility and safety! To make parking easy, a complimentary shuttle service will run from the parking lot at Shoppes on the Parkway to Main Street, beginning at 8:00 am. The shuttle will run continuously through 2:00 pm.
Grandfather Mountain Highland Games
When: July 9-12, 2026
Location: 2050 Blowing Rock Highway, Linville, NC
Details: Blaring bagpipes, astounding athletes, delicate dancers, rocking Celtic music and a spectacular highland setting make this colorful celebration of Scottish culture one of the most highly acclaimed highland games in the country.
Boone Gran Fondo Cycling Event
When: August 2, 2026
Location: 164 S. Depot St., Boone, NC
Details: The Annual Boone Gran Fondo cycling event features three awe-inspiring scenic and challenging routes through the Boone Area of the Blue Ridge Mountains. Choose from three routes with different distances: 24 miles, 57 miles and 94 miles.
Doc Watson Day Celebration
When: August 21, 2026
Location: 604 West King St., Boone, NC
Details: The Jones House and the Town of Boone celebrate Doc Watson Day with a free concert dedicated to his memory. The Jones House invites musicians who played with Doc and who are inspired by his work to the lawn to perform at the annual Doc Watson Day Celebration. The celebrations will kick off at 5:00 pm with a free concert at the Jones House with Doc’s friends and devotees.
Antlers and Acorns, The Boone Songwriters Festival
When: September 24-26, 2026
Location: 559 West King St., Boone, NC
Details: Antlers and Acorns: The Boone Songwriters Festival brings together the wordsmiths, the weavers of chords and sharps and flats, the storytellers, the prophets, and the liars. The town is the venue, the bars and restaurants, the cafes, and the stage. Fans of words and music will walk the streets from one welcoming door to the next to hear their favorite singer/songwriter tell the stories of their songs, where they came from, and where they went. The festival has both free and ticketed events.
Valle Country Fair
When: October 17, 2026
Location: 122 Skiles Way, Banner Elk, NC
Details: The Valle Country Fair is an overgrown church bazaar set in the center of one of the most picturesque valleys in the North Carolina mountains at the peak of the fall color season. The gathering is an authentic harvest-season community celebration that revolves around quality handmade crafts, home-cooked food, and mountain music. Admission is free and ample parking is available adjacent to the fairgrounds for $10 per car.
Woolly Worm Festival
When: October 17-18, 2026
Location: 185 Azalea Cir. SE, Banner Elk, NC
Details: Experience the town of Banner Elk’s annual festival celebrating a local tradition. For over forty years the community and visitors have gathered to race woolly worms and name a winner, whose fuzzy pattern forecasts the upcoming winter’s weather. There will be tons of family fun, food, and craft vendors on Saturday and Sunday. Don’t forget to bring your woolly worm for the big Woolly Worm Race on Saturday! The first prize is $1000!
Boone Boo!
When: October 31, 2026
Location: King St., Boone, NC
Details: Join us in Downtown Boone, as the community is invited to visit downtown merchants for a safe, family-friendly trick-or-treating event. The stage will be set with a specially-manicured Halloween music playlist streaming down King Street and larger-than-life Halloween inflatables lining the sidewalks – perfect photo ops for families and selfie enthusiasts.
The Horton Hotel NYE Ball Drop
When: December 31, 2026
Location: 611 W. King St., Boone, NC
Details: Watch as the Horton Hotel hosts their annual New Year’s Eve Ball Drop from the rooftop. Count down the seconds until midnight on New Year’s Eve from the rooftop, sip drinks and celebrate inside by the bar, or bring chairs and bundle up on the lawn of the Jones House across the street to watch the glittering ball descend.
New Year’s Eve Celebrations at Beech Mountain Resort
When: December 31, 2026
Location: 1007 Beech Mountain Parkway, Beech Mountain, NC
Details: Let the countdown begin! Celebrate New Year’s Eve with a free, family-friendly party at the lodge! Join us from 7 p.m. to midnight for an evening packed with fun for all ages. Dance with DJ Pete, capture memories in the photo booth, enjoy balloon creations from our twist-the-balloon artist, and get ready for an incredible fireworks show at midnight!
New Year’s Eve at Sugar Mountain
When: December 31, 2026
Location: 1009 Sugar Mountain Dr., Banner Elk, NC
Details: A New Year’s Eve celebration mountain style! Join us for a complimentary alpine torchlight parade at 11:45 p.m. and a FREE fireworks show at midnight.
