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Inside the Got to Be NC Festival

Celebrate North Carolina agriculture at a free three-day festival with carnival rides, animals, food, and entertainment.

May 18, 2023 • 
Sarah Leonhardt
A row of shiny red tractors with carnival rides in the background.

Catch a daily tractor parade honoring a different young farmer in the ag. industry.

Photos provided by Got to Be NC

Table of Contents
Butterfly Barn
Carolina Cooker Skillet Skee-Ball
Chick Hatchery
Pardoned Thanksgiving Turkeys
Kenya Safari Acrobats
Feeder Pigs
Eats

Cancel your weekend plans. The 2023 Got to Be NC Festival opens at the NC State Fairgrounds today, May 19 at noon through Sunday, May 21 at 8 p.m. There’s free entry, free parking, plus piglets and fried egg throwing competitions galore.

Read on for some can’t-miss highlights and attractions.

Butterfly Barn

Learn about the life cycles of native butterflies while they flutter around you.

Carolina Cooker Skillet Skee-Ball

Skee-ball, but with fried eggs and cast-iron skillets. Head to the Graham corral at 11 a.m. to sign up to compete.

Chick Hatchery

Watch baby chicks be born.

A goat looking directly into the camera.

Head to the Agri-Plaza for animals like llamas, alpacas, and goats.

Photo by Owen S. Jordan Photography

Pardoned Thanksgiving Turkeys

Remember Chocolate + Chip, the 2022 pardoned Thanksgivings Turkeys? Meet ‘em in person.

Kenya Safari Acrobats

Incredible acrobatic displays meet stories of African culture.

Feeder Pigs

Say hi to feisty 30-pound feeder pigs.

Eats

Look forward to fudge, barbecue, ice cream, and fried fair fare.

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