36 history events in North Carolina: battle reenactments, living-history days, heritage festivals and candlelight tours of historic homes. Next up: Christmas at Biltmore, Nov 3, 2026. Dates are the organizers’ own; where only a month is published we say so.
Header photo: Fort Fisher’s land-face traverses, photographed in 1865; the site marks the fort’s fall each January. Credit: Library of Congress, Prints & Photographs Division, LC-DIG-ppmsca-35263.
- 36history events
- 29with confirmed dates ahead
- 6reenactments and living history
- 5America 250 events
Download this data: CSV · JSON · 36 events · free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 with a link to It’s North Carolina. All open data: catalog.json.
Coming Up, by Month
November 2026
| Event | Kind | Where | When | Price | Organizer |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Christmas at Biltmore | Holiday tour | Asheville | Nov 3, 2026 to Jan 10, 2027 | Included with dated admission (from $110 house visit) | The Biltmore Company |
| Remembering the American Revolution in the Cherokee Homeland | America 250 program (talk) | Online | Nov 4, 2026 | Free | State Archives of North Carolina |
| Appalachian Foodways Tour at Vance Birthplace | Living history | Weaverville | Nov 7, 2026 | $10.70 | NC Division of State Historic Sites (DNCR) |
| Death & Dying Seasonal Tour | Seasonal tour | Pineville | Nov 7, 2026 | $8 adults; $5 seniors 65+, youth 3-17, military | NC Division of State Historic Sites (DNCR) |
| Veterans Day Commemoration Battlefield Hike | Commemoration | Greensboro | Nov 7, 2026 | Free | Guilford Courthouse National Military Park (NPS) |
| America 250 Patriot Grove Dedication | America 250 | Grifton | Nov 11, 2026 | See official site | Daughters of the American Revolution and A Time for Science (listed on DNCR calendar) |
| Bentonville Fall Festival | Living history | Four Oaks | Nov 14, 2026 | Adults $5; children 8 and under free | NC Division of State Historic Sites (DNCR) |
| Moores Creek Candlelight Tour | Candlelight tour | Currie | Nov 21, 2026 | Free | Moores Creek National Battlefield (NPS) |
| Mustering the Militia | Living history | Kinston | Nov 21, 2026 | Free | NC Division of State Historic Sites (DNCR) |
| 250th Anniversary of the Office of NC Governor | America 250 / anniversary | Kinston | Nov 21, 2026 | Free | General George Washington Chapter SAR and Moseley-Bright Chapter DAR (on DNCR calendar) |
| Thanksgiving: Culinary & Cultural History | Living history | Durham | Nov 21, 2026 | $10 recommended donation | NC Division of State Historic Sites (DNCR) |
| American Indian Heritage Celebration | Heritage festival | Raleigh | Nov 21, 2026 | See official site | NC American Indian Heritage Commission (DNCR) |
December 2026
| Event | Kind | Where | When | Price | Organizer |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home Moravian Church Candle Tea | Holiday tour | Winston-Salem | Dec 3, 2026 to Dec 12, 2026 | $9 general; $5 ages 3-12; under 3 free | Home Moravian Church |
| Four Christmases at Bethabara | Holiday tour | Winston-Salem | Dec 5, 2026 | Free | Historic Bethabara Park (on DNCR calendar) |
| In Heavenly Peace: A Civil War Christmas | Candlelight tour | Four Oaks | Dec 5, 2026 | Adults $5; children 8 and under free | NC Division of State Historic Sites (DNCR) |
| Holiday Open House: A Colonial Christmas | Holiday tour | Elizabeth City | Dec 5, 2026 | See official site | Museum of the Albemarle (DNCR) |
| Christmas Open House at Historic Hope Mansion | Holiday tour | Windsor | Dec 6, 2026 | Free | Historic Hope (on DNCR calendar) |
| Edenton Christmas Candlelight Tour (45th annual) | Holiday tour of homes | Edenton | Dec 11, 2026 to Dec 12, 2026 | See official site | Edenton Historical Commission |
| Christmas at Historic Bath | Holiday tour | Bath | Dec 12, 2026 | See official site | NC Division of State Historic Sites (DNCR) |
| Christmas in Sedalia | Holiday program | Gibsonville | Dec 12, 2026 | See official site | NC Division of State Historic Sites (DNCR) |
| Home for the Holidays: A Victorian Holiday Open House | Holiday tour | Asheville | Dec 12, 2026 | $10.70 | NC Division of State Historic Sites (DNCR) |
| Christmas Comes to Currie | Living history | Currie | Dec 12, 2026 | Free | Moores Creek National Battlefield (NPS) |
| Tryon Palace Candlelight | Candlelight tour | New Bern | Dec 12, 2026 to Dec 19, 2026 | See official site | Tryon Palace (DNCR) |
| An 18th Century Christmas | Living history | Winnabow | Dec 13, 2026 | $5 | Brunswick Town/Fort Anderson (on DNCR calendar) |
| Cookies and Crafts: Christmas Open House | Holiday program | Kinston | Dec 17, 2026 | See official site | NC Division of State Historic Sites (DNCR) |
| Christmas Candlelight Open House | Candlelight tour | Fremont | Dec 19, 2026 | $5 + tax ages 13 and up | NC Division of State Historic Sites (DNCR) |
February 2027
| Event | Kind | Where | When | Price | Organizer |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Making Our Voices Heard (America 250 NC traveling exhibit) | America 250 exhibit | Burlington | Feb 2, 2027 | See official site | America 250 NC (DNCR) |
March 2027
| Event | Kind | Where | When | Price | Organizer |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Guilford Courthouse Battle Anniversary Weekend | Battle anniversary / living history | Greensboro | Mar 13, 2027 to Mar 14, 2027 | See official site | Guilford Courthouse National Military Park (NPS) |
April 2027
| Event | Kind | Where | When | Price | Organizer |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March to Kings Mountain (America 250 NC traveling exhibit) | America 250 exhibit | Burlington | Apr 7, 2027 | See official site | America 250 NC (DNCR) |
Held Every Year: Dates Not Announced Yet
The organizer gives only the usual month or season. We add the exact dates when they are posted.
| Event | Kind | Where | Usually | Price | Organizer |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| First Flight anniversary celebration | Anniversary commemoration | Kill Devil Hills | Usually Dec. 17 (2025 event began 8:30 a.m.) | Entrance fees waived on Dec. 17 (2025) | Wright Brothers National Memorial (NPS) with First Flight Society |
| Fort Fisher anniversary commemoration | Anniversary commemoration | Kure Beach | Usually mid-January (161st was Sat Jan 17, 2026) | Free entry; ‘Above the Scenes’ tours $10 + tax (2026) | NC Division of State Historic Sites (DNCR) |
| Halifax Resolves Day | Anniversary commemoration | Halifax | Usually around April 12 | See official site | NC Division of State Historic Sites (DNCR) |
| Juneteenth at Stagville | Juneteenth | Durham | Usually mid-June (annual) | See official site | NC Division of State Historic Sites (DNCR) |
| Lumbee Homecoming | Heritage festival | Pembroke | Usually early July (week-long) | See official site | Lumbee Tribe, UNC-Pembroke, Town of Pembroke and partners |
| Mountain Life Festival | Heritage festival | Cherokee | Usually September (annual) | Free (parking tag required) | Great Smoky Mountains National Park (NPS) |
| Unto These Hills (outdoor drama) | Heritage drama | Cherokee | Usually late May through mid-August (closed Sundays) | 2026: general $35 adult, $30 senior; reserved $45/$40/$35 child; VIP $60 | Cherokee Historical Association |
Looking for every event, not only history? See all North Carolina events.
What We Could Not Verify
- Organizer pages have not posted 2027 dates for The Lost Colony outdoor drama, the Cherokee Indian Fair, the Overmountain Victory march commemoration or Lumbee Homecoming, so they are listed by usual timing or left off.
We re-check these when the source pages change. Spot something we missed? Use the corrections page.
Frequently Asked Questions
What holiday candlelight events happen at North Carolina historic sites?
For 2026, Bentonville Battlefield holds In Heavenly Peace: A Civil War Christmas on December 5 (5-8:30 p.m., $5 adults). Historic Bath hosts Christmas at Historic Bath on December 12, and Aycock Birthplace holds a Christmas Candlelight Open House on December 19 (source: NC DNCR events calendar: State Historic Sites).
When is the Guilford Courthouse battle anniversary?
The battle was fought on March 15, 1781. Guilford Courthouse National Military Park lists its 2027 Battle Anniversary Weekend for March 13-14, with a descendants’ symposium on March 14. The 250th anniversary is set for Saturday, March 15, 2031 (source: NPS: Guilford Courthouse 250th events).
Where can I find America 250 events in North Carolina?
America 250 NC, the state’s official commemoration, runs from April 12, 2024 through 2033 and posts events on the state’s cultural resources calendar. One upcoming event marks the 250th anniversary of the office of governor, with a wreath laying in Kinston on November 21, 2026 (source: America 250 NC: Event Calendar).
Last checked October 20, 2026 by the It’s North Carolina editors against each operator’s, agency’s or organizer’s own page.
Sources
- Christmas at Biltmore
- Remembering the American Revolution in the Cherokee Homeland
- Appalachian Foodways Tour at Vance Birthplace
- Death & Dying Seasonal Tour
- Veterans Day Commemoration Battlefield Hike
- America 250 Patriot Grove Dedication
- Bentonville Fall Festival
- Moores Creek Candlelight Tour
- Mustering the Militia
- 250th Anniversary of the Office of NC Governor
- Thanksgiving: Culinary & Cultural History
- American Indian Heritage Celebration
- Home Moravian Church Candle Tea
- Four Christmases at Bethabara
- In Heavenly Peace: A Civil War Christmas
- Holiday Open House: A Colonial Christmas
- Christmas Open House at Historic Hope Mansion
- Edenton Christmas Candlelight Tour (45th annual)
- Christmas at Historic Bath
- Christmas in Sedalia
- Home for the Holidays: A Victorian Holiday Open House
- Christmas Comes to Currie
- Tryon Palace Candlelight
- An 18th Century Christmas
- Cookies and Crafts: Christmas Open House
- Christmas Candlelight Open House
- Making Our Voices Heard (America 250 NC traveling exhibit)
- Guilford Courthouse Battle Anniversary Weekend
- March to Kings Mountain (America 250 NC traveling exhibit)
- First Flight anniversary celebration
- Fort Fisher anniversary commemoration
- Halifax Resolves Day
- Juneteenth at Stagville
- Unto These Hills (outdoor drama)
- Lumbee Homecoming
- Mountain Life Festival
Cite this page: It's North Carolina, “History Events in North Carolina: Reenactments, Living History and Candlelight Tours”, itsnorthcarolina.com/history/events/ (updated ). By the It's North Carolina editorial team. Free to quote with attribution and a link to this page; data and tables are licensed CC BY 4.0.