Morganton Festival

September 8 & 9, 2023

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The 41st Annual Morganton Festival is set for Friday, September 8 and Saturday, September 9 in downtown Morganton, North Carolina. The festival features 3 stages with free music each evening on the Courthouse Square Stage, dancers, acrobats and theater talents on the Pepsi Stage and wonderous amazements on the Kid Zone stage. In addition to the entertainment there is fun with rides and games, food for all ages, plus over a mile of arts and crafts vendors!

ALL CONCERTS ARE FREE! Entrance into the festival grounds are FREE!

Be a part of this memory making event and mark your calendars for a great weekend of fun, September 8 & 9 in downtown Morganton. The festival is an animal-free event and will go on rain or shine.

Festival Information

The Morganton Festival takes place the weekend after Labor Day. In 2023, the event is set for Friday, September 8 and Saturday, September 9. 

The 41st Annual Morganton Festival wouldn’t be complete without the show stopping musical lineup for which the festival is known and loved! This year’s talent includes Lucas Jagneaux and the Roadshow, Red Clay Strays, Rev on and Bohemian Queen! For full lineup details, including information about all THREE (3) Stages, visit LINEUP.

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Rules for having fun

These rules apply to all visitors at the Historic Morganton Festival and do not supersede but work in conjunction with the rules for those who have applied and been confirmed for a space within the Festival grounds/boundaries.

  • No personal coolers
  • No pets
  • No smoking
  • No solicitation
  • No weapons of any kind
  • No amplification
  • No oversized signs [considered larger than letter sized (8.5″ x 11″) paper]
  • No distribution of literature of any kind (such as flyers, letters, business cards, petitions, raffles tickets, etc.)

We have a designated area set aside for the purpose of free speech, distribution of literature, etc. The designated area will be the park located at the corner of King Street and Meeting Street.

ZERO TOLERANCE for non-compliance with these rules

Vendors

Applications are open for children’s novelty vendors. As of May 31, 2023 the Festival is sold out of all other booths. Food and novelty food vendors are invited through invitation only and there are just a few remaining spots left. Food and novelty food vendors should send photos of their setup and menu with prices for consideration to info@morgantonfest.org

For HMF, Inc Vendor rules and other vendor information, please click here.

Please note that food vendors (professional food vendors AND novelty food vendors) are accepted via invitation only. If you’d like to be considered for future festivals or events, email info@morgantonfest.org and include a photo of your booth/truck, menu with prices, and contact information.

Festival Happenings 

Bring a chair & enjoy free music!

Food Court opens at 12:00pm on Friday

Have Fun!

Free Concerts

Dancing under the sunset

Over a mile of craft vendors

Entertainment

The Festival is known for its mile of arts & crafts vendors, mouth-watering food, and FREE entertainment. Talent is set to perform on 3 stages – Courthouse Square Stage, Pepsi Stage, & Kids Stage.

Little Miss Morganton

The Little Miss Morganton Pageant is open to young ladies, ages 0-12, and young gentlemen, ages 1-6, who reside in North Carolina. The pageant takes place at the Morganton Festival in September.

M.A.D.E. (Morganton Arts Design and Engineering) Competition

MADE encourages area Middle and High School students to think outside of the box and engages participants in critical thinking, design, engineering and innovation.

Teen & Kids Zone

Kid Zone features carnival rides, games, free activities in Litter Critters and the Kids Zone Stage. The Teen Zone features obstacle courses, climbing towers, mechanical bull, axe throwing and various other competitive attractions.

 Come Play in our Streets

A Special Thanks to Our Sponsors

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