Annual Ocracoke Events

Ocracoke's fun-filled race weekend, held the last weekend of April, draws runners of all skill levels for a half-marathon, 10K and 5K. If you're looking to set a PR, the courses are flat (there's hardly even a hill on this island) and therefore very fast. The 10K and 5K are held on Saturday morning, beginning at Gaffer's Sports Pub and winding through the village. The half-marathon is held on Sunday morning; the course begins at Gaffer's and heads out to the Ocracoke NPS campground then comes back to the village and ends at Gaffer's. Post-run parties are held at Gaffer's both days. All runners receive a t-shirt and finishing medal. These races are fundraisers for Ocracoke Community Radio (WOVV), Ocracoke School Athletic Booster Club and the Ocracoke Community Park. Sign up at runocracoke.com.

On May 11, 1942, the H.M.T. Bedfordshire sank off of Ocracoke Island’s coast. Four of the sailors found their final resting place at the British Cemetery. Each Friday in April, an annual ceremony and reception remembers those sailors and celebrates the small plot of land that’s come to be known as “forever England.” This annual event brings together people from the Ocracoke community, representatives from the U.S. Coast Guard, U.S. Navy, British Royal Navy and Canadian Royal Navy for a transnational memorial made possible by the collective work of many nations. Each ceremony involves a reading of the crew list, the playing of bagpipes and a 21-gun salute. This Ocracoke annual event is open to all who wish to pay their respects at this honorable display of local culture and history.

Ocracoke celebrates its sweetest tradition in early August with the annual Ocracoke Fig Festival sponsored by Ocracoke Preservation Society. Local vendors provide fresh figs, fig preserves, local cookbooks and other fig-tastic items. Learn about Ocracoke’s fig history and culture and bring the kids for old-fashioned crafts and games. The showpiece of the Fig Festival is the Fig Cake Bake-Off on Saturday, but look for events all weekend long.

Sell, buy, browse – the Ocracoke Island-Wide Yard Sale invites you to do it all. Maybe you have items that you never use or no longer need. Perhaps you’re in the market for a few knick knacks. Or you could just be looking to earn some cash. Shop an incredible assortment of items and score great bargains at this community yard sale. The Ocracoke Variety Store and the Little Visitors Center distribute maps of yard-sale locations. This Outer Banks annual event occurs in April and again in September.

Celebrate the bounty of the local waters while feasting on fish, crabs, shrimp and more. This fall festival also features live music and fundraising auctions and raffles, with proceeds benefitting Ocracoke Health Center.