Fall is officially here, and what better way to acknowledge the season than with the Fayetteville Dogwood Fall Festival? While locals may know the festival better by its springtime counterpart, the Fayetteville Dogwood Fall Festival brings its own unique flair to the season. It’s almost like you can’t have fall without it! Executive Director of the Fayetteville Dogwood Festival Sarahgrace Mitchell offers valuable details regarding the event, and it is not one to be missed. 

The Fayetteville Dogwood Fall Festival features an exciting entertainment repertoire, changing every day with different events to keep things fresh. Located in Festival Park of Downtown Fayetteville, the Fayetteville Dogwood Fall Festival spans through October 14th, 15th, and 16th. On Friday, event attendees can get into the spirit of fall with downtown hayrides, and the opening of Kid Zone, which offers a varying selection of games and activities for the younger patrons to enjoy. Knockerballs are also an exciting addition to the festival available on Friday. The event officially starts at 6 p.m. on the 14th and ends at 10 p.m. 

“Saturday we’ll open up the full festival and we’ll have over 60 to 70 vendors in Festival Park and Festival Park Plaza alone.” Mitchell said. 

As with festivals past, attendees will have a myriad of options of vendors to shop from. Featuring all manner of artisan goods, the Fayetteville Dogwood Fall Festival is an opportunity to garner visibility for small businesses and independent creators. In addition to the vendors, the Fall Festival features food trucks, live music, and a costume contest. The live music entails a Battle of the Bands, featuring “An exciting line-up of some of the most talented performers in the Cape Fear region.” States the Dogwood Festival website. Event attendees will be able to watch as the bands compete with each other. The Battle of the Bands culminates in a dueling pianist show. Additionally, on Saturday is the costume contest, at 4 p.m. The costume contest will be judged by multiple age categories. “We have divisions for each age group: small children, teenage age, adults, and couples,” stated Mitchell. 

The last day of the festival, Sunday’s highlights include the Car, Motorcycle, & Truck Show. All throughout the festival, Kid Zone, hayrides, and the Promenade Fair will take place and be available for attendees to participate in. All in all, the Fayetteville Dogwood Fall Festival offers multiple outlets for amusement and refreshment, all while supporting the community and getting into the spirit of the season. 

“The Dogwood Festival board is very involved,” said Mitchell. “It’s a lot of work, but it’s fun. It’s fun work.” With volunteer and sponsorship opportunities within the event, the whole community can show their support and get involved with the Fayetteville Dogwood Fall Festival. Showcasing a plethora of entertainment options and different events, the Fayetteville Dogwood Fall Festival makes supporting the community fun.

“I really enjoy the flexibility within the event,” Mitchell said. “The Dogwood Fall Festival is an opportunity for the organization to be innovative and be creative.” 

The Fayetteville Dogwood Fall Festival also serves a dual purpose in giving a platform for vendors and performers to shine and share parts of themselves, as members of the community and as people. Showcased are food, music, and wares all highlighting different cultures. 

Celebrating Fayetteville’s diversity is one of the tenets the Fayetteville Dogwood Festival aims to uphold, and the Fayetteville Dogwood Fall Festival does its part to communicate those core values. “And especially with the music, music’s something that plays in plain sight,” said Mitchell. “A lot of people don’t think music is cultural, but music really does show a lot into individual artists and who they are and where they come from.”

The Fayetteville Dogwood Fall Festival has been around “between ten and fifteen years,” informs Mitchell. In its earlier stages, the festival was not exactly a festival. It started with a haunted house downtown, set up by the board for the community. Then, the event took an educational turn with ‘historic hauntings,’ or guided tours through the local graveyards near Downtown Fayetteville. The Halloween theming of the occasion broadened into more of a fall event, to incorporate and include more aspects to the festival. 

The Fayetteville Dogwood Fall Festival is a fun, festive attestation to the Fayetteville community. While it is a great way to spend a weekend, it is clear the festival means much more than that. It exemplifies the city’s diversity, creativity, and unity. “We’re a part of the community,” said Mitchell. “We’re trying to be present and offer support where we can offer support, and be there for the community.” 

The Fayetteville Dogwood Fall Festival is a perfect example of one of the many distinctive charms that the town offers. It is an event that integrates and solidifies the town as a community, and is one of the many unique features that make Fayetteville special.