Blowing Rock Festivals

The Area – High Country – Blowing Rock NC

Blowing Rock is an idyllic community that seems as if it were the inspiration for historic, storybook novels. There are numerous regal structures throughout the town and its boundaries including many adorable churches that are adorned with beautiful stone and rock, and legendary places such as Moses H. Cone’s Flat Top Manor and the home of artist Eliot Dangerfield, which is now Westglow Spa, are homes that many have professionally photographed. Here, the Blue Ridge Mountains beckon you to kick back and get away from it all. Many visitors come up for extended weekends to enjoy the fantastic weather, amazing outdoor amenities, and check out some of the fun Blowing Rock Festivals and well-publicized Events. Read on to find out about some of the most popular Festivals.

Blowing Rock Winterfest

Winterfest in Blowing Rock is an annual Festival that draws huge crowds. Each year at the end of January, locals and visitors gather to celebrate Old Man Winter through a variety of scheduled events that raise money for charities and local entities. The main event during Winterfest is the Polar Plunge which is held on Chetola Lake, but other scheduled events, such as the Wine Auction, Chili Cook-off, kids’ games, and live entertainment, take place each year, as well. During the Winterfest events, you can check the Blowing Rock Web Cam that overlooks Chetola Lake for happenings; oftentimes, you can watch as the crowd gathers for the Polar Plunge.

Blue Ridge Wine Festival

The Blue Ridge Wine Festival is a fun Festival that takes place in April. For 4 days, guests and visitors are treated to tastings, educational sessions, meet and greets, and wine dinners showcasing over 30 North Carolina Wineries and more. The wine tastings, Fire on the Rock Chef’s Challenge, and winemaker dinners are always a big hit with everyone.

Blowing Rock Art in the Park

Art in the Park is a wonderful long-running event (over 45 years, believe it or not!) that is held on 6 occasions between May and October. At each Art in the Park event, more than 100 exhibitors gather to showcase and sell their works. You can walk through the park, meet and greet the artists, and check out some great artwork, including painting (oils, watercolor, and acrylic), etchings, stained and blown glass, basketry, wood carvings and turnings, clay, photography, fiber crafts, jewelry, and more. The upcoming 2010 dates are already scheduled for May 15th, June 12th, July 17th, August 14th, September 11th, and October 2nd. These events last from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Parking is limited and patrons are asked to park at Tanger Shoppes on the Parkway and the Food Lion Shopping Center; free shuttles are provided to Downtown.

Blowing Rock Festival of Lights

The Festival of Lights is a big hit around the holidays. Every year, Chetola Resort and community adorns itself with millions of twinkling white and colored lights and Christmas decorations. Many people take the time to drive through the community to see the lights on the Manor House and all around the lake. In addition to the lights at Chetola, the town of Blowing Rock also lights up around the holidays and everyone likes strolling down Main Street to see the beautiful displays.

Blowing Rock Art & Antique Show

The Blowing Rock Art & History Museum (BRAHM) sponsors the Art and Antiques Show, and this large scale event is open to numerous vendors from the East Coast. Heirloom vendors and gallery owners descend upon the town to showcase and browse antique furniture, pottery, jewelry, clocks, crystal, silver and many other items. The event lasts all weekend and one ticket is good for every day of the event.

Blowing Rock Charity Horse Show

The Blowing Rock Charity Horse Show is an esteemed outdoor horse show; in fact, it is the oldest continuously running outdoor horse show in the United States. The show began in 1923, when resort families brought their animals to the mountains to competitions and shows. Today, this event is a huge Horse Show Event that takes place on the L.M. Tate Show Grounds in J.E. Broyhill Park and events are scheduled over the three-week festival period.

Blowing Rock Trout Derby

The Blowing Rock Trout Derby is a fun community event that takes place the first weekend of April, when trout fishing season begins in the High Country. You can fish on Mayview Lake or head over to the Blowing Rock Fire Department which hosts a fish fry each year.

Independence Day Celebrations/Tweetsie Railroad Fireworks

The town of Blowing Rock hosts an Independence Day parade downtown that brings out all of the great locals and visitors to the area. That same day, many people head down to Tweetsie Railroad later in the afternoon to get a good spot to see the infamous Tweetsie Railroad Fireworks Show that the theme park puts on just after nightfall.

Boone, Linville, you name it, all are excellent High Country cities, towns, and regions that are great to visit, or check out with the help of our NC Web Cams. Click to see some great views of your favorite places! We have included tons of helpful information on other events and area Festivals. Browse our site to find out what’s going on in other places around the High Country.

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