Whirligig Festival

05/27/2026

SAVE THE DATE 🎉
Vendor applications for the 22nd Annual NC Whirligig Festival open July 1st!

Set your alarms, mark those calendars, and tell your friends and family to remind you too! You won’t want to miss your chance to be part of one of North Carolina’s favorite festival weekends happening November 7–8!

We can’t wait to celebrate another incredible year with amazing vendors, great food, live entertainment, and all the Whirligig fun. Stay tuned for more information!

02/20/2026

Big wins for the North Carolina Whirligig Festival 🎉🎡

The North Carolina Whirligig Festival brought home THREE awards at ShowFest, Best Event Website, Best Sponsorship Packet, and Volunteers of the Year (Jocelyn Drawhorn & Clarisa Blackwell)! 🏆

From a full website renovation and rebrand to a transformed community stage that’s now a must-see showcase for local talent, the festival continues to set the standard across the state, with a special shoutout to Next Level Creative for leading the digital refresh.

Mark your calendars for November 7–8, 2026 — and visit WhirligigFestivalNC.org to learn how you can be part of Wilson’s largest event! 🎡✨

01/09/2026

We’re proud to celebrate our law enforcement officers today and every day. Thank you for keeping our county safe all year long and for helping make the NC Whirligig Festival a fun and secure experience for everyone. We appreciate you! 🚓💙

01/01/2026

Wishing everyone a whirli-wonderful 2026! 🥳
From all of us at the NC Whirligig Festival, cheers to another year of creativity in motion.

12/25/2025

Wishing you a very Merry Christmas from the NC Whirligig Festival team! 🎄

11/07/2025

Help us congratulate our Best of the Fest winners! 🎉

These winners were voted best in their category by festival attendees. Their prize is free booth entry for 2026, so you can come back and visit them next year!

Congratulations to our winners!

11/04/2025

We’re so thankful for the City of Wilson employees who work hard behind the scenes to keep the NC Whirligig Festival safe and running smoothly. The festival wouldn’t be what it is without you!

11/03/2025

11/03/2025

Bittersweet as we wrap up the 21st Annual NC Whirligig Festival! It was truly a whirli-good weekend filled with fun, laughter, art, and community. 💜

A huge thank you to everyone who made it possible — our visitors, sponsors, vendors, community partners, volunteers, law enforcement, fire department, EMS, and City of Wilson employees. You’re the reason this festival keeps spinning year after year!

We can’t wait to see you next year for the 22nd Annual NC Whirligig Festival! 🥳

11/02/2025

We are SO excited to announce the winners of Best of the Fest for our 21st Annual NC Whirligig Festival! 🥳

Best Food Vendor:
Best Arts & Crafts Vendor: Forget Me Not Designs
Best Downtown Merchant:
Best Non-Profit Vendor: Vines Foundation

We had over 500 votes this year! Thank you to everyone who voted!