Woolly Worm Festival

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Woolly Worm Festival

The official page of the Woolly Worm Festival in Banner Elk, North Carolina. Join us for the 49th Annual festival on October 17-18, 2026

06/17/2026

4 months until Banner Elk gets a little wilder🐛

The crowds. The cheers. The races. The tradition.

The 2026 Woolly Worm Festival is just 4 months away, and we’re already counting down the days until thousands gather once again for one of the High Country’s most beloved weekends.

October 17 & 18, 2026.

Who’s ready?

06/10/2026

Name a better place to celebrate America’s 250th birthday than Banner Elk... we’ll wait.

The Star-Spangled Banner Elk Fourth of July Parade returns July 4 at 11 a.m. with patriotic floats, hometown pride, and plenty of red, white, and blue!

05/20/2026

📜 WOOLLY WORM LORE 📜

Legend says the Woolly Worm Festival began because one man saw two worms… and realized somebody was lying.

Back in the 1970s, Banner Elk local Jim Morton learned about the old mountain folklore that woolly worms could predict the severity of winter based on the color of their stripes. Brown bands? Mild winter. More black? Better stock up on firewood.

Simple enough… until Jim found TWO completely different worms predicting TWO completely different winters.

Naturally, there was only one logical solution: make them race.

What started as a tiny community event with 63 worms, a few vendors, and one very cold October day somehow turned into one of the largest festivals in North Carolina.

Fun fact: the worms race up string because Jim originally thought they might sting him, so he used a blade of grass to move one. The worm climbed it… and the rest is history.

More than 50 years later, we’re still gathering in Banner Elk every fall to cheer for tiny fuzzy weather forecasters climbing three feet of string like their lives depend on it.

And we wouldn’t have it any other way🐛

(The first ever Woolly Worm Festival pictured)

05/13/2026

We can do better. Worms are watching.

05/07/2026

National Travel & Tourism Week is a reminder that places are important, but people are what make them unforgettable ❤️

Every fall, the Woolly Worm Festival brings more than 20,000 visitors to Avery County for a weekend full of laughter, tradition, mountain memories, and plenty of smiles. Families, friends, and visitors travel from across North Carolina, throughout the Southeast, across the country, and even internationally to experience the whimsy and joy that make this festival so special.

Thank you to every attendee, volunteer, sponsor, local business, and community member who helps make the Woolly Worm Festival such a beloved High Country tradition. The smiles, laughter, and memories shared here are what keep people coming back year after year 🐛

04/27/2026

You already know who it is 🐛

04/17/2026

Daydreaming of festival views like this 😍 We’re exactly 6 months out, folks! Mark your calendar for October 17 & 18 for the 2026 Woolly Worm Festival. Tag a woolly good friend to join you 👇

04/10/2026

In today's game of "where's woolly", how many worms do you see??

Have a beautiful spring weekend!

04/03/2026

Happy Easter Weekend from the Woolly Worm Festival!

Address

Banner Elk, NC
28604

Telephone

(828) 898-5605

Website

http://www.woollyworm.com/

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