The North Carolina Apple Festival is held annually over Labor Day Weekend in Hendersonville, North Carolina. It has been Western North Carolina’s premier family festival for more than seventy-five years.
From September 1-4, 2023, you can enjoy four days of fun including one of the best known street fairs in the Carolinas with freshly picked apples, arts and crafts, festival food, and free entertainment at the Historic Courthouse on Hendersonville’s Beautiful Main Street.
The King Apple Parade is one of the highlights and the closing piece of the North Carolina Apple Festival and is held on Labor Day each year. This year’s parade will be held on Monday, September 4, 2023, at 2:30 pm. At the parade, there will be professional floats, bands, youth groups, fire trucks, and many others participating in this event that will draw over 60,000 individuals.
There are multiple parking lots throughout downtown Hendersonville that surround the festival including free and fee-based parking. Many parking lots are operated by local non-profits and charge a nominal fee for parking. The North Carolina Apple Festival does not control these parking lots or their fees. Handicapped parking will be at 160 6th W. Hendersonville, NC 28792, on Saturday and Sunday.
So why do we celebrate our apples here in Henderson County? The apple has been called the loveliest of all fruits. It is also one of the most important agricultural crops grown in Henderson County. During a normal year it brings in an average income of $22 million dollars or more. Growing apples has been part of Henderson County’s culture and heritage since the mid 1700s. North Carolina is the 7th largest apple-producing state in the nation and Henderson County grows 80% of all apples in North Carolina.
A full listing of events can be found on the North Carolina Apple Festival website.
Prepared by the North Carolina Apple Festival.