June 25-July 4N.C. 4th of July FestivalSouthportFor more than 200 years, Southport has celebrated our nation’s Independence Day in a big way. Festival events and celebrations include the official North Carolina 4th of July Festival Parade, classic car show, fireworks, dance contests, live music, children’s games, a firefighters competition, naturalization ceremony and a flag raising ceremony. June 30-July 1Annual Christmas in July FestivalWest JeffersonHistoric downtown West Jefferson in Ashe County hosts an annual Christmas in July Festival. Friday night features live country music, and the largest street festival in Ashe County follows on Saturday with arts and crafts, music, Civil War re-enactors and food vendors.June 30-July 447th Annual Southeast Old Threshers’ ReunionDentonOne of North Carolina’s oldest farm shows, the event features thousands of antique tractors, engines and cars. Take a ride on the Handy Dandy Railroad through the park or get a view from above while taking a helicopter ride. It includes hundreds of vendors, Southern cooking and live farming and antique machinery demonstrations. Camping is available on site.July 1-2The Red, White & Blue InvitationalPinehurstThis 10th Regional Championship for U.S. Kids Golf will be a two-day junior competition played on three area courses, including Pinehurst No. 1 and No. 8 and Longleaf Golf & Family Club. From accommodations, family activities and championship courses, these are more than just golf events, they’re family destinations.July 1-31Appalachian Summer FestivalBooneThe Appalachian Summer Festival began in 1984 as a chamber of commerce music festival and has developed over the years to become a regional festival with more than 25,000 people in attendance each year. Presented by the Appalachian State University Office of Arts & Cultural Programs, the annual arts celebration is held every July on and around the university campus and features a mix of music, dance, theater, visual arts and film. For more than a decade, the festival has been named one of the “Top 20 Events in the Southeast” by the Southeast Tourism Society.Source: North Carolina Department of Cultural and Natural Resources
