You don’t have to drive far to find festivals that are weird, wonderful, and wildly memorable.
Small towns across the Carolinas celebrate everything from grits and pimento cheese to Bigfoot, outhouses, and woolly worms. These festivals made the list because they lean hard into their quirks, local legends, and offbeat traditions. And they’re a three-hour drive or less from central Greenville, SC.
If you’re craving a road trip that’s a little unexpected, here are 15 events worth circling on your calendar.
Note: Dates and locations subject to change. Before your visit, be sure to check the event website for details.
Great Sapphire Outhouse Race
February 7, 2026 | Sapphire Valley Resort |127 Cherokee Trail, Sapphire, NC
Watch as teams compete for bragging rights and big laughs as they race homemade outhouses on skis. The Great Sapphire Outhouse Race is loud, ridiculous, and guaranteed fun, with live music and food keeping the crowd fired up all day. Proceeds from the event benefit the Rotary Club of Cashiers Valley and local charities.
South Carolina Pimento Cheese Festival
March 14, 2026 | Saluda Shoals Park, 6071 St Andrews Road, Columbia, SC
Filled with food, music, and family fun, this laid-back event celebrates the South’s favorite snack. Guests can sample creative pimento cheese dishes from food trucks and restaurants, browse a craft fair, enjoy live music, and let kids play in free activity areas. The South Carolina Pimento Cheese Festival wraps up by crowning the pimento cheese contest winners.
World Grits Festival
April 10 – 12, 2026 | 110 South Parler Avenue, St. George SC
This grit-centered festival serves up a full carnival, arts and crafts, food booths, and live entertainment with plenty of small-town flair. The day is packed with crowd favorites like a parade, hula hoop contest, wheelbarrow race, corn toss, and a classic grits-eating contest. The can’t-miss moment is Rollin’ in the Grits, where contestants dive into a pool of grits and try to trap as much as possible in their clothes. Bragging rights go to whoever hauls out the heaviest load.
Cheerwine Festival
May 16, 2026 | Downtown Salisbury, NC
The Cheerwine Festival turns downtown into a lively street party filled with color, music, and that unmistakable cherry fizz. Local artisans and shops line the streets, food trucks dish out Cheerwine-inspired creations and Carolina classics, and live music keeps the energy rolling all day. Kids dive into free activities while adults sip local brews and Cheerwine specials, making it a true all-ages celebration.
Lizard Man Stomp
June 27, 2026 | Main Street, Bishopville, SC
The Lizard Man Stomp is an annual hometown festival celebrating the local legend said to lurk in the nearby swamps of Scape Ore Swamp. The event blends small-town fun with spooky flair, featuring live music, vendors, food, contests, and family-friendly activities inspired by the mysterious creature. Locals and visitors gather to swap stories, show off costumes, and lean into the lore that put Bishopville on the cryptid map.
Hillbilly Day
July 4, 2026 | 120 Verner Mill Rd, Mountain Rest, SC
Hillbilly Day is a lively celebration filled with bluegrass and fiddling, clogging, yodeling, and open, come-as-you-are performances. Kids and brave spectators take part in classic contests like greased pole climbing and the always-chaotic greased pig chase. Homemade barbecue, cakes, pies, and ice cream keeps everyone fueled all day.
WNC Bigfoot Festival
August 29, 2026 | Downtown Marion, NC
The WNC Bigfoot Festival blends mountain fun with mystery, serving up food, games, contests, and talks that dig into the legend of Sasquatch. Guests can snack on Bigfoot-themed treats, wander vendor rows, hear from researchers, and test their lungs in the always-popular Bigfoot Calling Contest.
Mayberry Days
September 21-27, 2026 | Mount Airy, NC
Mayberry Days is a celebration for folks who miss a slower pace of life, with checker games, bottles of pop, and music made famous on The Andy Griffith Show. The festival stretches from early concerts and a friendly golf tournament to pork chop sandwiches, sing-alongs, and a final hymn on Sunday morning. Fans of all ages gather from near and far to soak up the Mayberry spirit during a few easygoing days filled with music, memories, and simple fun.
The Irmo Okra Strut
September 2026 | Irmo, SC
The Irmo Okra Strut is a high-energy festival packed with live music, dancing, and plenty of okra-centered fun. Enjoy live music, okra eating contests, kids’ activities, and a lively parade that fills the streets of Irmo with floats, music, and small-town pride.
Upstate Renaissance Faire
September 18 – 20, 2026 | Moore, SC
The Upstate Renaissance Faire is a lively escape into a world of knights, fair maidens, fairies, and medieval adventure. Guests can watch sword fights, fire shows, parades, and Shakespearean performances, then try hands-on activities like archery, ax throwing, trinket trading, and historic craft demonstrations. Kids can enjoy fairy tea parties, petting zoos, crafts, and face painting, while adults feast on giant turkey legs and soak up the pageantry. Costumes encouraged.
South Carolina Bigfoot Festival
October 9 – October 10, 2026 | Westminster, SC
The South Carolina Bigfoot Festival is a celebration of all things Sasquatch with live bands, food and craft vendors, kids’ activities, costume contests, and offbeat competitions like tree knocking, calling contests, and Bigfoot-themed eating challenges. Bigfoot researchers and speakers share stories, theories, and Q&A sessions throughout the day.
Fun fact: I won the Bigfoot Calling Contest in 2021! My tip for winning? Let go of all your self-consciousness and just go for it! The sillier the call, the better.
Carolina Balloon Fest
October 16 – October 18, 2026 | Statesville, NC
Carolina Balloon Fest is one of the country’s longest-running hot air balloon festivals, filling the sky with color each October. Guests can watch balloon competitions, mass ascensions, and glowing balloons at night, then enjoy live music, local food, and family-friendly activities throughout the day.
Wooly Worm Festival
October 17 – October 18, 2026 | Banner Elk, NC
This longtime Banner Elk tradition brings the community together for a weekend of quirky fun. Crowds gather for woolly worm races, live entertainment, children’s activities, and rows of craft and food vendors. The big draw is the famous race that predicts the High Country winter, with bragging rights and a $1,000 cash prize on the line.
NC Liver Mush Festival
October 17, 2026 | Shelby, NC
The NC Liver Mush Festival celebrates a beloved Western North Carolina tradition that’s been part of local culture for generations. Along with plenty of liver mush to sample, the festival features live music, kids’ activities, a pet-friendly zone, and more than 100 vendors.
Migard at the Mill: A Viking Invasion
November 7, 2026 | Hagood Mill Historic Site, Pickens, SC
Brought to you by the same organizers as the Upstate Renaissance Faire, Migrad at the Mill is an immersive Viking-style faire with Nordic music, combat demonstrations, shield walls, archery, axe and spear throwing, blacksmithing, and crafts. Guests can feast together, browse vendor stalls, and talk all things Viking throughout the day. Campfires, fire dancers, and the dramatic burning of a Viking ship close out the celebration. On-site camping available for those who want to stay for the full experience.
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