The Dogwood Festival Rocks Fayetteville, North Carolina

At Fayetteville, North Carolina, the city holds an annual Dogwood Festival during the last weekend of April. Well over 100,000 people visited this 25^th such Dogwood Festival in Fayetteville, North Carolina, with the Saturday festivities bringing in some 65,000 people alone. Read on and be inspired to make plans to be in Fayetteville, North Carolina, for next year's Dogwood Festival!

The importance of Dogwoods to this city is paramount. More than 25 years ago, some 50,000 Dogwood trees had been planted along various Fayetteville streets. City officials wanted to celebrate the beauty of springtime here; and with that, the Dogwood Festival was born in 1983 as the mayor of that time declared Fayetteville, North Carolina, "The City of Dogwoods". This year, it was held for the first time at Festival Park, which reflects the redevelopment of the downtown Fayetteville, North Carolina, area. Previously, the Dogwood Festival was based in the heart of Fayetteville on Hay Street.

Overview and Opening Night Friday

Throughout the whole weekend, The Dogwood festival was similar to a county fair, full of arts and crafts tables, food and toy stalls, quilt judging, carnival rides, and special events to help raise money for community organizations. But for me and thousands of others, it was the music that took prevalence.

The weather in Fayetteville, North Carolina, had been breezy and rainy earlier in the afternoon, so I was a bit concerned that my first Dogwood Festival would be soggy, but sunny skies prevailed by late afternoon. Opening night of the Fayetteville Dogwood Festival officially got underway when Mayor Chavonne honored his predecessor, Mayor Pitts (and his administration), for his vision in getting the Festival Park initiated amidst controversy. Pitts said that none of the city improvement projects that he and others pushed for came "without struggle".