Outer Banks Events Calendar
We have done the research for you!
Scroll through the calendar to find fun Outer Banks events in every month of the year. The Outer Banks is known for authentic experiences and we celebrate all that is unique about the Outer Banks.
Visit during the off season to take advantage of some of the best events the OBX has to offer, from Family events, kite events, events celebrating our heritage, events celebrating the Outer Banks history, holiday events, music events, culinary events and much more!
OBX Rod and Custom Fall Toy Festival
- Location: Soundside Event Site in Nags Head at 6800 S Croatan Hwy Nags Head
INFO WILL BE POSTED ON THEIR WEBSITE SOON
Cruise-ins - Static Displays - Special Events - Food & Family Fun - Historic Sites
All Held against the beautiful backdrop of the Outer Banks of North Carolina
Halloween International Film Festival
- Location: The Historic Pioneer Theater, Downtown Manteo
View Details - Details should be posted soon
Halloween Daily News is excited to announce the resurrection of the Halloween International Film Festival in 2025, showcasing shorts and feature works from around the world that celebrate the strange, the unusual, and the horror of the most hallowed of seasons, taking place on the historic and haunted Outer Banks, North Carolina, home of America’s first unsolved mystery, the Lost Colony of Roanoke Island, at a legendary theater that dates back over a century.
The festival features three days of independent horror and Halloween-themed films from around the world, as well as networking opportunities and extensive media exposure, all taking place as the kickoff event for the town of Manteo’s Halloween Island festivities, during which area restaurants, bars, and businesses transform into Halloween pop-ups for October.
Films selected for the festival are shown on the big screen at The Pioneer Theater in Manteo, NC, including Q&A sessions with attending filmmakers, nightly meet and greets, photo ops on our Orange Carpet, an outdoor Halloween vendor market, and numerous Halloween Island festivities happening each day in easy walking distance throughout Downtown Manteo. Our iconic host venue dates back to 1918, originally showing silent films in the earliest days of moviemaking, later opening its current location in 1934, and is a truly independent cinematic landmark in itself.
Known as the Graveyard of the Atlantic, North Carolina’s Outer Banks is recognized as one of the most haunted places in America, with thousands of shipwrecks resting off the coast of these barrier islands. Roanoke Island, where the Pioneer Theater is located, is the site of the ill fated first English settlement in North America, and its more than 100 colonists that vanished without explanation in 1590, today referred to as The Lost Colony.
Halloween Island
- Location: Downtown Manteo
Crawl through the decorated, downtown Manteo social district and visit the 13 themed restaurants/bars and Inns, who are excited to welcome you with specialty food and drink menus to suit the occasion!
Downtown shops will remain open later than usual. Bring the whole family and friends to browse, shop and stroll through this unique, small-town experience. Be sure to scoop a Halloween Island t-shirt from various participating vendors around town. (more details to follow)
Autumn Ale Faire
- Location: Elizabethan Gardens, Manteo, NC
- Starts: 11:00am
- Ends: 8:00pm
The Elizabethan Gardens proudly presents the first annual “Autumn Ale Faire,” a fun, family-friendly event that captures the spirit of a fall harvest celebration. Join us on Saturday, October 4, 2025, coinciding with the final day of Oktoberfest in Germany, to celebrate regional breweries, delicious food, and live music within our breathtaking garden setting. Our dog friendly, 10-acre waterfront garden will be open for your enjoyment, with the Great Lawn serving as the main stage for beer, wine, cider, and non-alcoholic beverage presentations along with a variety of food offerings and rotating live musical performances. In the Kid’s Zone we will host crafts for kids, yard games, bounce house and dry slide. Games and contests will be held earlier in the day.
Honoring a Local Brewing Legend
This inaugural event pays tribute to Uli Bennewitz, founder of North Carolina’s first microbrewery, The Weeping Radish (1986). A pioneer of the craft beer movement in the state, Uli’s efforts helped pave the way for North Carolina’s now 13.4-billion-dollar industry by advocating for vital legislative reforms. Come raise a glass to Uli, Autumn, and Ales – and be a part of a new tradition!
Island Farm Pumpkin Patch Saturdays
- Location: Island Farm, Manteo, NC
- Starts: 9:00 am
- Ends: 3:00 pm
Bring your friends and family to celebrate the arrival of fall at Island Farm! On the first four Saturdays in October, Island Farm will host its 14th annual Pumpkin Patch event. There will be no shortage of fun memories to be made, with a diverse array of fall games and activities offered. This event will take place on October 4, 11, 18, and 25 from 9 A.M. until 3 P.M. Admission for visitors aged four and older is $10. Children 0-3 years old are admitted for free.
This year’s Pumpkin Patch will feature plenty of pumpkins – grown locally in Chowan County by a descendant of Island Farm. During the event, visitors will enjoy historic games, wagon rides, doll crafting, candle making, free blacksmith shop giveaways, and a new lineup of fall activities. The very best open-fire cooked popcorn, hearth-cooked corn cakes and apple cider will appease the taste-buds while visitors take in the sounds and sites of fall. In addition to the farm’s activities, there will be a variety of local art vendors and locally-grown produce for purchase on site.
Island Farm is a living history site located on the north-end of Roanoke Island; it offers a trip back in time to 1850’s Outer Banks through hands-on activities, historic building tours, demonstrations, livestock, and more. Open Tuesday through Friday, the living history site offers live interpretation, daily mini-programs and special weekend events. The farmstead is located at 1140 N US Highway 64, north of Manteo, on Roanoke Island.
