The Yadkin Valley offers visitors a reason to visit year-round. There is always a festival, fair or event happening to provide the answer to the “What To Do” question. The Yadkin Valley is known for its wine and culinary highlights, excellent hiking and biking, kayaking, and canoeing in our great outdoors, and of course, the family-friendly atmosphere at fairs, festivals & parades.

Wine Festivals
Wine festivals bring together wine lovers from all over the world. Sip and savor at one of these great wine festivals in North Carolina. The Yadkin Valley is home to five major annual wine festivals: The Yadkin Valley Wine Festival in Elkin; Budbreak Wine and Craft Beer Festival iin downtown Mount Airy; Yadkin Valley Grape Festival in Yadkinville; the North Carolina Wine Festival in Clemmons, and Salute! The North Carolina Wine Celebration in Downtown Winston-Salem. Whichever festival you choose, you’ll discover, taste and enjoy the best wines North Carolina has to offer, including many varieties from local Yadkin Valley wineres.

Harvest Festivals, Agricultural and County Fairs
Enjoy a family friendly, harvest celebration at one of the annual agricultural festivals or county fairs in the Yadkin Valley. Harvest festivals are usually filled with arts and crafts, local delicacies and music. Visit the Autumn Leaves Festival in Mount Airy; the Brushy Mountain Apple Festival in North Wilkesboro, or the Yadkin Valley Pumpkin Festival in Elkin. Agricultural and County Fairs usually exhibit equipment, animals, sports and recreation associated with agriculture and animal husbandry. Try the Dixie Classic Fair in Winston-Salem, the Cabarrus County Fair in Concord.

Music Festivals
The Yadkin Valley is home to several large music festivals. MerleFest is considered one of the premier music festivals in the country. MerleFest is a celebration of traditional music, rooted in the sounds of the Appalachian region, including bluegrass and old-time music, and expanded to include Americana, country, blues, rock and many other styles.

In you’re into the fiddle, visit the Mount Airy Fiddlers Convention or the Surry Old Time Fiddlers Convention in Dobson. Throughout these events, performers of all ages usually compete in various musical categories such as senior fiddler, junior fiddler, bluegrass band, finger-style guitar, flat pick guitar, banjo and mandolin.

Other music festivals include the Reevestock Music Festival, the Yadkin Valley Bluegrass Convention, and the Rockabilly Resurrection in Kannapolis and many more local events.

There's always something to do in the Yadkin Valley. What are you waiting for? Pick your favorite events and start planning your visit! There are some of the highlights to help plan the perfect trip to one of the many outstanding festivals or fairs. Event details change each year, so we encourage you to explore the event website listed for additional information.