Join Morganton in celebrating 34 years of the Historic Morganton Festival sponsored by Carolinas HealthCare System Blue Ridge! The free festival features two national country acts, four stages, fun, games, and food for all ages, plus over a mile and a half of arts & craft vendors from all over the country!
This is your invitation to “come and play in the streets” of downtown Morganton during the 34th Annual Historic Morganton Festival presented by Carolinas HealthCare System Blue Ridge on September 11 & 12, 2015! Famous for its mile and a half of arts and crafts, the Historic Morganton Festival always offers free outdoor concerts, featuring a different national Country Music Star for the finale each night. Stay connected to www.morgantonfest.org for the latest news and information.
Kick off the festival weekend at CoMMA on Thursday, September 10 with a performance from the MidTown Men at 7:30pm. You don’t want to miss this electrifying new production with its top-shelf choreography, incredible vocal performances and legendary onstage chemistry!
Then the weekend begins on Friday, September 11 at noon when the infamous Food Court tempts your taste buds with succulent aromas of gyros, BBQ, “chicken on a stick”, French pastries, homemade ice cream and much, much more. At 3:00pm the streets come alive with fun and excitement! Craft vendors will line the courthouse square and South Sterling Street offering a plethora of art, jewelry, pottery, soap, candles and more!
The ever popular Food Lion Kids Zone and Teen Zone will open with ticketed rides and games along with the FREE craft area known as Litter Critters, for children, grades 5th and under. The Food Lion Kid Zone Stage will present The Carolina Puppet Theater, The One Man Band, magic and more! For a full Kids Stage lineup, visit www.morgantonfest.org. For teens and fun-loving adults, the Teen Zone features a Wild West Mechanical Bull, a 4 Man Tug and Dunk, Obstacle Courses, and more. Don’t miss the wildly popular DJ Teen Dance Party at 9:00pm on Friday night located at the Pepsi Stage on North Sterling Street.
New to the festival this year is the Courthouse Retro Games. Located on the Courthouse Lawn, festival goers can enjoy playing FREE Retro Games. Anyone can stop by and try their luck with ENORMOUS Jenga, GIGANTIC Croquet, HUGE Tic Tac Toe, Cornhole and Hula Hoops!
Friday night, the music begins on the Coors Light Stage in the Beer Garden at 6:30pm with “Soulution” (funky-blues with elements of rock, jazz, and R&B) followed by the wildly popular Throw Down Jones (rock).
City Stage will host National Country Music Artists, “Thompson Square” at 9:30pm. (The duo of Keifer and Shawna Thompson have topped the radio charts across the Unites States, Canada and Australia with #1 hits “Are You Gonna Kiss Me or Not,” “If I Didn’t Have You” and “Everything I Shouldn’t Be Thinking About,” respectively.)
Start Saturday morning at 8:00 am with a 5k or 10k by participating in the Sunrise Run on the Greenway! The Student Fitness Challenge by Carolinas HealthCare System Blue Ridge and 1 mile Fun Run/Walk starts at 9:30am. Students should pre-register with their Physical Education teachers for the Student Fitness Challenge (elementary and middle schools only); adults can pre-register for the 5k, 10k or 1 mile Fun Run/Walk on-line at www.thesunriserun.com. The course has been certified and will be chip-timed!
After your run, head to the Festival where booths open at 9:00am with even more artists and crafters than on Friday. Yard art, baskets, crafted toys, jellies, wines, clothing, carvings, baskets, plants, pottery and lots of jewelry can be discovered over eight city blocks! Civic organizations, crafters, artists and businesses are out on the streets waiting for the ever-popular festival shopper. Throughout the day there are activities for the entire family.
Saturday evening, the streets will again heat up with live music at the Coors Light Stage hosting local favorites Dub Axxess (think Bob Marley, Peter Tosh and various other great legendary reggae artist) and Sweet Revenge (classic rock).
City Stage features National Country Music Artist, Parmalee! In 2014, Parmalee earned a semi-finalist nod for the Academy of Country Music’s coveted “New Artist of the Year” award, a 2014 Teen Choice Award nomination for “Choice Country Group” and toured with one of country’s leading male vocalists, Jake Owen, on his Days of Gold Tour. After landing in the Billboard Country Airplay top five with back-to-back singles "Carolina" and "Close Your Eyes," Stoney Creek recording artists Parmalee are shooting for a third straight trip to the upper echelon with "Already Callin' You Mine."
ALL CONCERTS ARE FREE!
Be a part of this memory making event and mark your calendars for a great weekend of fun, September 11 & 12 in downtown Morganton. The festival is an animal-free event and will go on rain or shine. For a complete listing of all the events including the Sunrise Run, music acts, shuttle bus routes, and more, contact us by phone at 828-438-5252; by email at info@morgantonfest.org; or check out the website www.morgantonfest.org.
