In Fayetteville, permission is granted to start decorating for Christmas as soon as the first weekend in November hits and the Holly Day Fair begins. This year’s 46th annual Holly Day Fair, hosted by the Junior League of Fayetteville, will take place Nov. 4-7 at the Crown Complex in Fayetteville.
“This year the Holly Day Fair is bringing back old traditions for the whole family. After a year away, we are so excited to be able to immerse our shoppers in the Joy of Giving,” said Rebekah Woodruff, Holly Day Fair publicity chair.
The Joy of Giving is the theme for the year as the Holly Day Fair is the largest fundraiser for the Junior League of Fayetteville. A portion of the proceeds are given to the local community through Community Assistance Program grants, youth scholarships and other initiatives.
The Holly Day Fair is the largest gift and craft show in eastern North Carolina, and offers a variety of holiday décor, handmade crafts, clothes, toys, specialty food items and more to shoppers hoping to get ahead of the Christmas rush.
“Holly Day Fair is one of the community’s hallmark events and an unofficial start to the holiday season,” said Melody Foote, director of communications for the Fayetteville Area Convention and Visitors Bureau. “We’re so pleased to welcome the Holly Day Fair back after the COVID-19 pandemic. Having attended the show many times myself, I have witnessed how popular the show is as they typically welcome 22,000 attendees each year, which does not include more than 150 vendors showcased at the show who apply early to get a coveted spot.”
According to more recent metric data from the Cumberland County Tourism Development Authority for Holly Day Fair, 40% of attendees were residents of Fayetteville/ Cumberland County including Fort Bragg, but more so, almost 30% drove in from a surrounding county and almost 23% were from more than 100 miles from Fayetteville.
The Fayetteville Area Convention and Visitors Bureau estimates that, from the almost 18% of participants who came here specifically for the event and stayed overnight at a hotel, the average stay was four nights, which equates to $1.169M in potential revenue to this area and an economic impact of $1.66M.
The loss from last year was significant both in lost revenue and holiday tradition, but organizers are ready and coming in with all safety precautions in place.
“The show will be a little different this year with following COVID guidance provided by the Health Department, but we are again glad to bring Holly Day Fair back. It is our largest fundraiser and allows us to support our community,” said McDonald.
“Holly Day Fair is important because it is an opportunity to help our community and create wonderful memories,” said Kaia Collins-Frye, president of the Junior League of Fayetteville, “The money raised from Holly Day Fair helps support the women and children in our community and provide leadership training to women to help them become leaders within our area. This year we are looking forward to bringing families back together for their annual tradition of coming to Holly Day Fair.”
The fun begins as your ticket is scanned, a souvenir shopping bag is around your shoulder and the smell of the booth Nut-N-Better hits you with their cinnamon roasted almonds, pecans and other treats.
“I associate Holly Day Fair with the smell of their booth,” said Sierra Ferretti, Holly Day Fair exhibitor chair. “We also have returning favorites NC Fudge, Jernigan’s, Prisspots with their Erin Solomon ornaments, Kenny’s Spices, Whimsical Florist and Gifts and others shoppers will be excited to see.”
New vendors this year to highlight are the Charleston Candle Company, which chooses scents based on Lowcountry culture, and Hartlen and Company, a jewelry business based in Clinton that specializes in hand-painted earrings and jewelry in local boutiques.
“I have a lot of friends who go to the Holly Day Fair. It’s their favorite thing, and so I knew I wanted to be a part of it,” said Alicia Costin, owner of Hartlen and Company, “For the show, I’m bringing the color. In a world of neutral, my booth will have the pinks, the blues, everything full color and hand painted. I will also have a ‘design your own earring bar’ where you can pick a top stud, middle statement and bottom dangle and we will put it together for you on the spot. I might even have a dogwood design in the works for Fayetteville.”
The color is exactly what was missed last year and many felt the absence when the 2020 Holly Day Fair was unable to take place due to the COVID-19 pandemic and lockdown, more so the committee members who start working the day after the previous show ends and the shoppers who come every year.
“We are just excited to be back this year and bring the show to our community. We start immediately after the previous year show. It’s a yearlong process and a team effort,” said Juelle McDonald, Holly Day Fair chair.
“Holly Day Fair has always been such a special event. For me personally, it was the first event that I took part in when I moved to Fayetteville in 2013,” said Jim Grafstrom, general manager of the Crown Complex, “We're beyond excited to have the event back in 2021.”
For the NC DHHS guidelines, the committee is encouraging vaccinations before the show and the Crown will have hand sanitizing stations throughout the building. The Cumberland County Department of Public Health will be onsite to provide free vaccinations on Nov. 4 from 9 a.m. to noon and on Nov. 5 from 1 to 5 p.m. Vaccines are free and no appointment is needed.
The Crown regulations and guidelines also include wearing face coverings indoors and using clear, plastic bag/purses for entry into the expo building. This policy is similar to what the Fayetteville Woodpeckers had this season, ordered by the Cumberland County Department of Public Health. Souvenir bags will still be handed at the door to every ticketed person.
“Tickets are available at capefeartix.com,” said Woodruff. “Locally, you can also get them at the Crown Complex box office, Junior League of Fayetteville office, The Pilgrim, Fabulous Finds Boutique and Jernigan’s, both their Dunn and Lumberton locations.”
Super shopper tickets allow first access to the show at 9 a.m. on Thursday, Nov. 4 for $15. From 9 to noon, the super shoppers enjoy wider aisles and no strollers or rolling carts are allowed. Also, available on Thursday morning are the limited Sip and Shop tickets for $30, which include the early access, but also include a complimentary continental breakfast and a special commemorative gift, which has ranged from hand painted ornaments and glasses in the last few years. Sip and Shop tickets are only available in person at the Crown Complex box office. Santa will also be at the show on Sunday, Nov. 7 from noon to 5 p.m.
General admission tickets are $10 for Thursday, Nov. 4 from noon to 8 p.m., Friday, Nov. 5 and Saturday, Nov. 6 from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. and Sunday, Nov. 7 from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.
For more information, visit www.hollydayfair.com
