Got to be NC Festival May 15-17 — music, family activities, much more…

Got to be NC Festival will offer three great days of down-home celebration North Carolina-style from May 15 to 17, 2026.

Got to be NC Festival takes place at the North Carolina State Fairgrounds, 1025 Blue Ridge Road, Raleigh, and is free to attend. Carnival rides and games, food and drinks, and some activities have a cost associated with them.

Festival Gate Hours

• Friday: 12 p.m. to 10 p.m.
• Saturday: 10 a.m. to 10 p.m.
• Sunday: 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.

Building and Exhibit Hours

• Friday: Noon – 8 p.m.
• Saturday: 10 a.m. – 8 p.m.
• Sunday: 10 a.m. – 6 p.m.

Carnival Hours

• Friday: Noon – 10 p.m.
• Saturday: 10 a.m. – 10 p.m.
• Sunday: 10 a.m. – 8 p.m.

Attractions at Got to be NC

• Entertainment
• Rides
• Food
• Free family fun

For more info, jump to:

• Entertainment
• Kids’ activities
• Family activities
• Educational exhibits
• Homegrown Music

Entertainment

Check on the schedule for each of these here.

• Boomer’s Farm Truck: Be on the look-out for Boomer driving his farm truck around the festival grounds and come on over for a photo-op with our agri-celebrity! Boomer is a mascot, who is a dog and a farmer.
• North Carolina K-9 Working Dog Demonstrations, featuring K-9 Officers from the Wake County Sheriff’s Office
• Agri-Puppets Agritainment Show
• King BMX Stunt Show
• Kenya Safari Acrobats
• Quack Pack USA (border collies herd animals)

Kids’ Activities

• Lil Ducky Water Racing
• Kids’ pedal tractor course
• Kidz Corral (corn table, crafts, milking Maggie the Cow, and more)
• Kids’ pedal tractor pull
• Action Alley (explore working trucks)

Family Activities

• Agri-Plaza: visit animals and much more
• Tractor Parade (daily at 1 p.m.)
• Antique Tractor Pull
• Heritage Church Service featuring the Master’s Men (a Capella men’s ensemble)

Educational Exhibits

• N.C. Department of Agriculture & Consumer Services’ Germ City with the Division of Food and Drug Protection
• SouthLand Dairy Farmers Mobile Dairy Classroom
• North Carolina Forest Service
• Butterfly Barn
• Pig Patch Birthing Center
• Egg to Chick Egg Candling
• Chick Hatchery

Homegrown Music Lineup

Check for any update here.

May 15

• 1 p.m.: Laura Jane Vincent (Indie Folk)
• 3 p.m.: Oak City Serenaders (Ragtime/Italian)
• 5 and 7 p.m.: Brook McBride (Country)

May 16

• 10 a.m.: Jasme Kelly, Daughter of Soul (Soul)
• 12:30 p.m.: Travis “Big T” Russell (Country)
• 2 p.m.: falllift (Americana)
• 4 p.m.: Lazaris Pit (Psychedelic Dance Punk)
• 6 p.m. and 8 p.m.: Miss Mini & the Sandman Band (Motown / Beach / R&B)

May 17

• 10 a.m.: Kai Wilso (Singer/Songwriter)
• 12 p.m.: The Genius Party (Hip-Hop / Electronic)
• 2 p.m.: Stephens’s Pharmacy (Rock)
• 4 p.m. and 6 p.m.: Irving Aday & Cuban Joy (Afro Cuban Jazz)