Annual Events

People love to say, “There’s nothing to do.” But not in this small town! There’s a long list of annual events to attend in and around Goldsboro. Here are some of our favorites…

NC Freedom Fest – First Saturday after Labor Day
One of our favorites, this is a free event that is fun for the whole family. It kicks off in the afternoon with a street festival that spans the length of downtown Goldsboro with a car show, vendors, and activities for kids and moves to “Freedom Field” at the south end of the street for a concert featuring award-winning musicians.

Ashley Cooke preforms at NC Freedom Fest 2025

Wayne Regional Agricultural Fair – End of September/Beginning of October
It’s the “Best 10 Days of Fall.” Really. If you’re lucky enough to be in Wayne County during the fair you should make plans to check it out. It’s consistently voted one of the top 3 fairs in NC and features a lot of the same rides at the State Fair…without the lines. Check their websites for the animal shows and special events.

Is it really a fair if you don’t “almost” win a giant stuffed animal?

Center Street Jam – Summer
This free summer concert series is every other week in downtown Goldsboro at “The Hub.” Genres range for beach music to top 100, but it’s always something you can dance to. Check the “Downtown Goldsboro” socials for a list of this summer’s bands.

Bring a chair, grab a local brew, and enjoy the jams.

NC Pickle Festival – Late April
If you’re already here for the fun, and you’re a pickle lover, you should be. Just a short drive to Mount Olive is everything pickle you could think of and plenty of things that aren’t. There’s the street festival, but also a 5k, bike race, pickle eating contest, and of course pickleball.

Downtown Lights Up – Tuesday Before Thanksgiving
Insert Hallmark movie name here. As soon as the switch is flipped our downtown turns into a holiday postcard. (Do they even make postcards anymore?) There’s lots of fun activities for the kids, live music and performances, photos with Santa and horse-drawn trolley riders. Trolley rides continue every Tuesday following the event.

“It’s lit.” – Goldsboro Local

Wings Over Wayne Air Show – Biennually in early May
Last, but certainly not least, is Wings Over Wayne. The two-day air show is held on Seymour Johnson Air Force Base every other year and it draws a HUGE crowd. Thousands of people gather near the runway to watch performances from famous demonstration teams including the Blue Angels and Thunderbirds. We usually book up pretty far out for this event because we’re only a few miles from the main gate. Plan on traffic around and on the base even if you aren’t attending.

We hope this helps while you’re and inspires a trip or two back to have some fun!!!