Outer Banks Kid Friendly Events - 2025 Schedule

Now celebrating its 47th year, the Wright Kite Festival is a celebration of aviation that takes place where flight began – the Wright Brothers Memorial. Walk through the sprawling grounds of the museum and gain a little knowledge of the birthplace of aviation and then put this knowledge to the test outside with Kitty Hawk Kites. Large kites will be on display throughout the weekend, joining in the sky with the Wright Memorial!

Visitors can take a step back in time and learn how the heroes of the original US Life-Saving Service performed their daring rescues and everyday duties through this special live demonstration that’s held on the grounds of the oceanside Chicamacomico Life-Saving Station.

Join us on Wednesdays this summer for Mustang Mornings at the Farm. Beginning May 28, the Betsy Dowdy Equine Center will be open to the public from 10 am – 2 pm. Visit the farm on the mainland in Grandy and meet the rescued Banker horses currently in our care on the walking tour, where you can spend time with our staff. Attend a free movie screening of The Secret of Corolla, a 32-minute documentary on the Banker mustangs, the culture, and lifestyle of the island. There will be a Q&A directly after the screening with the CWHF staff.

Visitors can take a step back in time and learn how the heroes of the original US Life-Saving Service performed their daring rescues and everyday duties through this special live demonstration that’s held on the grounds of the oceanside Chicamacomico Life-Saving Station.

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.

Jeep lovers are welcome to attend this annual festival that takes advantage of the beautiful fall weather of the Outer Banks, as well as the off-roading opportunities that are abundant along the miles of coastal North Carolina shoreline. The OBX Jeep Invasion is a fun and adventure-filled event that gives Jeep lovers an opportunity to get together and have a blast at one of the East Coat’s favorite destinations for four-wheel-drive vehicles.

Enjoy a breezy fall outing that starts with a light run or jog and ends with plenty of food, fun, and live music at this annual event that goes to benefit a very worthy local cause, the Hatteras Island Cancer Foundation. The HICF 5K is a great outing that’s open to visitors and locals of all ages, and which shows just how fun the Outer Banks can be in the fall when everyone comes together to help out a favorite community organization.

The Outer Banks, and the Pea Island National Wildlife Refuge in particular, is known as one of the best bird watching destinations in the world, and the annual Wings Over Water celebrates this distinction like no other local festival. The weeklong event, which is held each October, features a wide range of educational programs, lectures, and opportunities to meet and greet with fellow birders. During this year's festival, attendees will also have the opportunity to go on guided birding trips, attend art and photography workshops, take a tram or kayak tour of National Wildlife Refuge, visit an ancient maritime forest, and much, much more. A complete schedule can be found online at the organization's website, and attendees should note that some programs do cost a small fee to participate.

The Outer Banks Seafood Festival is rapidly becoming one of the highlights of the fall season, with plenty of fresh seafood, storytelling, and activities to keep everyone fully entertained. This all-day event takes place at the waterfront Event Site in Nags Head, and is a family-friendly outing that will make anyone fall in love with this staple of the Outer Banks’ culinary cuisine.

Join the Ocracoke Preservation Society in celebrating Ocracoke heritage with its rich history and continuing tradition of working on the water with this unique festival that made its grand debut in 2023. Held on the grounds of the Ocracoke Preservation Society Museum, this festival will celebrate these traditions with booths and exhibits with the watermen themselves, as well as plenty of food and fun to go around.

Enjoy a day at the Manteo waterfront and see wooden boats displayed in the water and on the grounds of the Roanoke Island Maritime Museum at this special event that pays homage to the region’s deep ties to maritime history and culture.

Come to Ocracoke Island for a Pirate Halloween! The Ocracoke Pirate Jamboree is an annual and multiple-day event that is highlighted by a family-friendly Pirate Encampment by Blackbeard's Pirate Crew on Ocracoke Island, and an ensuing world of fun on the southern Outer Banks.

Through arts, music, and miles of fun, the Outer Banks celebrates visiting and local veterans alike through this special event that has a wealth of ways to stay entertained while discovering the heart of the islands’ cultural scene. OBX Veterans Week is an annual event which honors veterans and their families through live concerts, cool activities and arts in downtown Manteo, and so much more.

Through arts, music, and miles of fun, the Outer Banks celebrates visiting and local veterans alike through this special event that has a wealth of ways to stay entertained while discovering the heart of the islands’ cultural scene. OBX Veterans Week is an annual event which honors veterans and their families through live concerts, cool activities and arts in downtown Manteo, and so much more.

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.  

Ring in the holidays island-style with this seasonal parade that takes place on the waters that surrounds Ocracoke village. The Ocracoke Parade of Boats is a celebration of life on the water, and this annual procession of ships of all shapes and sizes is sure to make anyone fall in love with the coastal scene and community that calls Ocracoke Island home.

Ignite your holiday spirit with this special annual event that combines the natural beauty of the Outer Banks with twinkling Christmas lights for an unforgettable display and seasonal experience. The Kites With Lights event is hosted by the flagship Kitty Hawk Kites store that’s just across the street from Jockey’s Ridge State Park, and the beautiful landscape of twinkling kites with the iconic massive sand dunes of the park in the background will be a sight that spectators won’t soon forget.

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.

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.