| Home > New Bern > Annual Events 2 | ||
 |
 |
JulyFourth of July Celebrations As one of America's first towns to have a
Fourth of July celebration, New Bern still enjoys a well-turned-out
celebration with traditional hot dogs and fireworks. Swiss Bear
coordinates the impressive fireworks display that takes place at Union
Point Park on the downtown waterfront. Bands traditionally perform
patriotic music to complement the event. Additional holiday activities
take place at Tryon Palace Historic Sites & Gardens, where the gardens
are open for free.
|
|
|
|
AugustCarolinian Shakespeare Festival Carolinian Shakespeare Festival performs
the works of the Bard in a three-week run the first three weekends of
August. Discounts are available for students and seniors. Greater New Bern Business Expo The Greater New Bern Business Expo, hosted by the New
Bern Riverfront Convention Center and presented by the New Bern Area
Chamber of Commerce, demonstrates the diversity of the business
community in the Craven County area. Businesses and non-profit
organizations set up displays, offer free samples, discounts and door
prizes, and share information about their products and/or services.
Admission is $1.
|
|
|
|
SeptemberCoastal Carolina Chamber Music
Festival The Coastal Carolina Chamber Musical Festival brings
some of the nation's most talented musicians to eastern North Carolina
for concerts that are entertaining, educational and interactive. Taking
place at various locations over two weekends, the festival includes
special open rehearsals that offer behind-the-scenes peeks and
opportunities to meet the artists, as well as a free family concert that
offers discovery and adventure for all ages. Festival packages as well
as individual concert tickets are available. Henderson Park, New Bern (252) 639-7586 DUFFEST is short for Greater
Duffyfield Unity Family Festival. It celebrates the heritage of this
historic African-American neighborhood with a parade, live music, food
and other cultural activities. Sponsored by the Greater Duffyfield
Residents Council, the festival is designed to foster community pride
and unity.
|
|
|
|
OctoberMumfest Swiss Bear Downtown Development Corp. has organized and
coordinated the annual fall event now known as Mumfest for the past 26
years. In cooperation with the City of New Bern, this celebration, always
the second weekend in October, highlights the city's assets and attracts
more than 80,000 visitors to the downtown area and its waterfront. Mumfest,
one of the top 10 festivals in the state, kicks into high gear on Saturday
and Sunday, with an endless diversity of festival foods, arts and crafts,
corporate exhibits, and a kids' corner with amusement rides, fun activities,
puppets, rock climbing and more. Those attending also can enjoy such
attractions as live-stage and roving entertainment; a model railroad
exhibit; military vessel tours; flower and art shows; and a boat show. Tryon
Palace Historic Sites & Gardens features free admission to its gardens. A
free trolley shuttle makes parking easy — just park at Twin Rivers Mall or
one of the other convenient locations and ride the trolley into the downtown
area. Coastal Carolina Fair & Expo Livestock and produce events are always
interesting to see at this fair, sponsored by the Craven County Jaycees,
but most folks come for the midway. Admission is available at the gate and
includes all rides, special events, exhibits and parking, but the midway
has lots of ways to entice more money from your pockets, including food,
games and concessions. New Bern at Night Ghostwalk In late October, the New Bern Historical Society
conducts its New Bern at Night Ghostwalk, complete with ghosts from New
Bern's past. Walking tours feature historic homes, churches and the
Cedar Grove Cemetery. (Insiders recommend you attend all three nights.
Attend the cemetery tour the first night, which is the only attraction
open the first day of the tour, and then divide up the rest of the
attractions over the next two nights. This will give you more time to
enjoy the walk.) Ghostwalks focus on historic events particular to New
Bern, and ghosts from historic occasions are present in homes and
historic buildings on the tour to tell how the times affected them.
Tickets are available at retail locations and the historical society's
headquarters at 512 Pollock Street. New Bern Jazz & Blues Fest The New Bern Jazz Preservation Society
hosts two nights of hot jazz and cool blues in late October. This
popular two-day event features nationally known headliners.
|
|
|
|
NovemberCraven Arts
Council The Craven Arts
Council's annual Holiday Showcase and Sale kicks off in November. Shoppers
will find many unique handcrafted gift items, including jewelry, pottery and
stoneware, floral arrangements, birdhouses, fine knitted baby wear, stuffed
animals, toys and more. Admission to the sale is free.
|
|
|
|
DecemberCoastal Christmas Celebration You can easily catch the spirit of the
season in New Bern. Annual events of New Bern's Coastal Christmas
Celebration during the month of December include the Craven County
Jaycees' festive parade the first Saturday of the month in downtown New
Bern, and the Craven Regional Medical Center Foundation's Festival of
Trees gala, including the popular Breakfast with Santa for children.
Downtown merchants host a special First Friday event, staying open late
and offering fantastic bargains. Caroling, musical performances, prize
drawings and other events round out this event. The New Bern Women's
Club hosts its annual "The Holly and the Ivy" Homes Tour. Santa Claus
also hears the Christmas wishes of good little boys and girls in his
Santa House on the corner of Broad and Middle streets. Performers from
Down East Dance offer The Nutcracker ballet every other year. Coastal Christmas Flotilla Santa arrives in downtown New Bern in style
aboard a Hatteras yacht as part of the Coastal Christmas Flotilla, which
takes place the first Saturday in December and is organized by New Bern
Parks and Recreation. The flotilla of gaily decorated boats of all sizes
proceeds down the Trent River and passes Union Point, giving spectators a
long, lingering look at the boats festooned with sparkling lights, diving
dolphins and red-nosed reindeer. Handel's Messiah A local favorite since 1981, performances of this
classic around the time of "Old Christmas" in early December combine 150
community voices and North Carolina Symphony musicians with conductor
James Ogle, artistic director of the Boise Philharmonic Association.
Tickets are available for two afternoon and two evening performances. Tryon Palace
Holiday Celebration Staff and
volunteers prepare for weeks for the Tryon Palace Holiday Celebration. By
the beginning of December the palace looks much as it did during the
holidays in 1770 when Governor William Tryon hosted a "very grand and noble
Entertainment and Ball" to celebrate the opening of his sumptuous home and
the Royal capital. The palace is lighted and adorned with fresh fruit and
fragrant greenery. Cooks are busy in the kitchen preparing confections and
delicacies, and the air is filled with holiday aromas. The tours run
throughout the month of December and include all of the site's historic
homes. Special events include Candlelight Tours, fireworks displays and the
Jonkonnu celebration. Admission prices are $15 for adults and $6 for
children. |
|
|
|
