5 sweet highlights from the 2026 N.C. Blueberry Festival

The annual North Carolina Blueberry Festival kicked off on Friday, June 19 before moving into the main day of festivities on Saturday, June 20.

People packed downtown Burgaw early on Saturday morning as shuttles bused more and more visitors in.

All over Burgaw's courthouse square, local vendors were selling almost everything you could think of, from custom crafts to fair food. And of course, local farmers showed up with truckloads of fresh blueberries.

Between all the blueberry-inspired treats, live music, and the car and truck show, there was plenty to see and do.

Here are five highlights from the 2026 North Carolina Blueberry Festival.

Live music

There was a full line-up of bands and performers throughout both days of the festival extending into Saturday night. On Saturday morning, it was Band of Brothers delivering some soulful music as bright sun shone down.

Car and truck show

The car and truck show was a couple blocks away from the heart of the action, but it still attracted a crowd of visitors coming to admire the classic cars. All kinds of trucks and cars were allowed to participate.

Blueberry-inspired treats

While blueberry muffins and jams might be common, the blueberry flavor doesn't often extend beyond baked goods and spreads. But if you were looking to expand your taste for blueberries, the 2026 N.C. Blueberry Festival had you covered. Vendors were selling everything from blueberry ice cream and popsicles to blueberry lemonade. There was even blueberry-flavored coffee.

Blueberry pride

One thing is made clear by the N.C. Blueberry Festival: The town of Burgaw has some serious pride in the crop. Farmers from Pender County and the surrounding areas have been growing blueberries for generations. During the blueberry festival, local businesses such as Brown Dog Coffee Company had been spruced up with some blueberry designs to celebrate that history.

Fresh blueberries

People lined up for them, and they're the focal point of the entire festival -- nothing could be quite as big of a hit as the fresh blueberries. Local farmers from all around Burgaw attend the festival to sell their blueberries straight to consumers, and many people walk away with an entire flat -- that's usually a dozen individual pints.

Charlie Kingree is the Pender County and trending topics reporter for the StarNews. He can be reached at ckingree@usatodayco.com.

This article originally appeared on Wilmington StarNews: 5 sweet highlights from the 2026 N.C. Blueberry Festival

Reporting by Charlie Kingree, Wilmington StarNews / Wilmington StarNews

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This story was originally published June 20, 2026 at 1:09 PM.