Outer Banks Events - 2018 Schedule

Get your Thanksgiving off to a fun and active start with this event that combines a little fitness with a world of exceptional brews. The Tipsy Turkey Beer Mile is a great Wednesday precursor to the Thanksgiving Day feast, and it entails a drink-and-run course that beer lovers and runners alike will enjoy to the fullest.

Start a Thanksgiving holiday by participating in one of the Northern Outer Banks’ favorite traditions – the Annual ADVICE 5K Turkey Trot. This event which is now in its 23rd year attracts visitors and locals alike who want to run, walk or “trot” before diving into their afternoon Thanksgiving feast.

Get your Turkey Day celebration off to a fun and fast-paced start with this annual event that is quickly becoming a highlight of the Thanksgiving Holiday. The Surfin' Turkey 5k and Puppy Drum Run is presented by the Hatteras Island Youth Education Fund (HIYEF), and is a great opportunity to support a favorite local cause while enjoying miles of fun in the heart of Hatteras village.

Start your Thanksgiving Day with a little action before you start digging into the turkey feast with this annual run that features a family-friendly course, and plenty of ways to explore the local Outer Banks communities. The Outer Banks Running Club OBX Gobbler 5K & Fun Run is an engaging and scenic trek through the Village of Nags Head which is open to runners, joggers, and walkers of all ages, and which is sure to be a great kick-off to Turkey Day for everyone in the crew.

Get a head start on the holiday season with this post-Thanksgiving event that offers a world of fun for visitors of all ages. Held at the flagship Kitty Hawk Kites store in Nags Head, this two-day event features amazing shopping, activities, demos and displays, and - of course - a visit by old St. Nick himself to allow kids to get a jump start on their Christmas lists.

Get into the holiday spirit while perusing a far-reaching range of arts and crafts that are delightfully one-of-a-kind with this seasonal event that always attracts locals and visiting shoppers alike. The Hatteras Island Arts and Craft Guild Holiday Show showcases a wide variety of talented regional artists and craftsmen, and is a favorite destination for holiday shoppers of all tastes who love to find those perfect coastal gifts and treasures.

No need to spend all of Thanksgiving Day in the kitchen if you are staying on Ocracoke Island – the Ocracoke Oyster Company has your southern feast waiting and ready to eat. Now celebrating its 6^th year in 2018, the annual Thanksgiving Buffet has become a favorite event for local islanders and visitors alike, and is a great Thanksgiving Day spread that includes all the classic dishes, as well as a few coastally inspired options to enjoy the full flavor of the southern Outer Banks.

Back by popular demand, the Town of Duck invites visitors and locals alike to help them ring in the holiday season with this weekend-long celebration of all things festive. Local shops and merchants will keep their doors open late for holiday shoppers, and local restaurants will sponsor a Tapas crawl, in addition to an array of activities that are designed to ring in the season with style.  

Discover the beauty and heritage of Manteo while enjoying a dose of holiday spirit with the 14th Annual Holiday Tour of Homes, which is hosted by the Manteo Preservation Trust. During this seasonal tour, visitors will be treated to an inside look of some of this town’s most charming and historically relevant homes while sampling light refreshments and exploring the heart of Manteo.

Manteo’s vibrant downtown scene is on full display during this monthly event that highlights the area’s businesses, restaurants and galleries that makes this central Outer Banks community so unique. The First Friday in Manteo is held every month on the initial Friday of the month, and is a street festival that will make any new visitor fall in love with this charming coastal community.

Visitors who missed the annual Wings Over Water festival - or who just want a second opportunity to admire the hundreds and thousands of birds that flock to the Outer Banks – won’t want to miss this special weekend where these feathered visitors are once again in the spotlight. The Wings Over Water Encore event is a weekend-long celebration of the many wintering waterfowl that are found at the Pea Island National Wildlife Refuge and beyond, and is a great way for birders to discover the off-season beauty of the OBX.

Join in the fun of one of the most festive celebrations on Hatteras Island with this annual Christmas parade that has become a decades-long tradition for locals and holiday visitors alike. The Hatteras Island Christmas Parade combines local businesses, fire departments, the US Coast Guard, and non-profit organizations in a joyful and small-town parade that will inspire anyone to get into the holiday spirit.

Discover how creative the talented chefs of the Outer Banks region and beyond can be with this fundraising event that puts a unique and timely spin on the traditional cook-off challenge. During the Beach Food Pantry Holiday Chefs Challenge, area chefs will compete head-to-head to whip up truly delicious dishes with canned foods that are traditionally found in stock at the local Beach Food Pantry. With lots of new tastes to discover, and a worthy cause at the heart of the event, this wintertime celebration is a great way to give back while enjoying a truly distinctive and tempting meal.

Enjoy an uplifting experience at the exact location where aviation was born at the annual Celebration of the Wright Brothers First Flight at the impossible-to-miss Wright Brothers Memorial in Kill Devil Hills. This day-long celebration honors the birthplace of flight, with a commemoration that coincides with the precise time that the first successful launch took place, and a wealth of activities throughout the day that will delight aviation fans of all ages.

Toast the holiday season with lots of down-home flavor and big piles of seafood with this annual event that has attracted locals and visitors with great tastes for more than a decade. The Working Watermen's Oyster Roast, Shrimp Steam and Seafood Stew Fundraiser is held in between Christmas and New Year’s, and is a perfect opportunity for off-season visitors to experience all the delicious coastal fare this small community is known for.

Ring in the New Year in the spot where the New World began at this fun and family-friendly celebration that takes place in the heart of Downtown Manteo. The New Year in The New World is a perfect destination for a family-oriented New Year’s Eve that visitors won’t soon forget, and it features a wealth of activities, attractions, and other fun to start 2019 off with a bang.

Wrestling teams from all over the local Outer Banks coastline and well beyond will head to the beach for this annual championship that is popular with area high schools, sporting enthusiasts, and spectators alike. The Battle At The Beach - High School Invitational Wrestling Tournament has become a highly anticipated tournament that takes place in the heart of the central Outer Banks, and which features a number of local teams to get fans cheering and ready for some great match-ups.

Couples who have always dreamed about a romantic wedding on the Outer Banks will want to attend this special off-season expo that shines a spotlight on all the different wedding vendors that this scenic coastline has to offer. Sponsored by the Outer Banks Wedding Association, this two-day event has become the go-to festival for visitors from all over the country who want to discover how magical it can be to get married on the OBX.

Discover why audiences are enthralled by Molly Tuttle, a virtuosa multi-instrumentalist and award-winning songwriter with a beautiful, distinctive voice. Her singing is turning heads and touching hearts as well, as she presents mostly all original music in a uniquely compelling, traditionally-edged yet thoughtfully introspective voice.

Be mesmerized by Latin America’s most successful Brass Quintet, M5 Mexican Brass, which has earned wide international recognition. Combining their skills at virtuosic chamber music in all styles, non-stop interaction with the audience, inborn showmanship, matchless Latin American charm, and their own sound, M5 concerts are unique musical–theatre concert experiences.

Spend an incredible evening listening to the spectacular music of The Virginia Symphony, conducted by a nationally acclaimed conductor. Recognized as one of the nation’s leading regional orchestras, The Virginia Symphony presents Classics, Pops and Family concerts.