http://www.carolinaindiefest.net/

Carolina Indie Fest, 229 Wicker Street, Sanford, NC (2026)

08/31/2026

The Ghosts Of Liberty is a foothills, North Carolina based band consisting of husband & wife duo Emma Millard (Lead Vocals) Tyler Millard (Vocals, Guitar) and Tyler’s father Rich Millard (Keys).

While described to me as Americana folk-rock I would locate the music of the Millards three squarely in a modern country music dynamic. I may find out differently when seeing them on stage, that does happen, but their music available online has the consistent themes family, naturalism and celebration of personal expression often found in country music. It’s also clear to me that at least some of their music, like Daddy’s Daughter or their song Roanoke River, would be right at home in TV shows like Yellowstone that draw on many of the same themes.

There is a bittersweet backdrop to Ghosts of Liberty. Emma’s husband, Tyler, has a degenerative retinal disease which makes his continued engagement in music, and the raising of their two children, truly something to admire. A lot of strength is present in Ghosts of Liberty and it’s not just in Emma’s soaring vocals. We are looking forward to seeing them live at Carolina Indie Fest at 6:15pm on Friday, Sept 25th.
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08/28/2026

This feels a bit like cheating because we’ve done this once before - Jesse James DeConto and The Pinkerton Raid were scheduled to play at Carolina Indie Fest in Fall 2025. Of course that Indie Fest was rained out, and the subsequent date in May 2026 didn’t work for Jesse’s schedule ... so here we go with a REintroduction of Jesse.

There is no surface level description for Jesse’s music, he is often going for weight and substance all the way down. Yes, there are some fine instrumental and vocal lilts to suspend us during the heavier moments but it’s tough not to follow where his lyrics take you. Don’t misunderstand, these aren’t dark and dim themes but they are existential in nature. What do we take from the world around us? What do we give?

Describing someone as a protest singer seems reductive. In this year 2026 have we not all been protesting something? Yet Jesse embraces the term and taps into some of our soulful pleas for change. He grants us some vision to see where love is a balm for present wounds.

Jesse and The Pinkerton Raid perform first on Saturday, Sept 26th at a new starting time of 2:30pm. If you’d like some greater depth on Jesse himself listen to The Rant interview of Jesse from one year ago.
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08/27/2026

Laser tag is back, baby! Let your inner ‘80s child run free (until they lose all their lives) at laser tag during Carolina Indie Fest. We’ve built a lit course under the parking deck attached to Beer Hall | Brewery Sanford NC for play during afternoon and evening hours.

There is a small fee ($5 for a half hour of play/player) and we will have half hour segments structured for all ages battle royale and slightly structured adult team play. Join us for an awesome time running around, acting like idiots and pew pew pew-ing at our friends old and new.

A big thank you to Rogue Toys Sanford NC in downtown Sanford for sponsoring this event!
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08/26/2026

Charlsee & Cam Gandee are an indie rock duo from the Kentuckiana region, giving them runnerup for the furthest distance traveled to Carolina Indie Fest this year. Their music is fun, vibrant and really breathtaking when Charlsee’s strong, clean vocals take center stage.

At first listen you’ll be drawn into the vocals and may hazard a comparison to Grace Slick’s iconic voice but Charlsee are clearly their own style. Their lyrics and storytelling are top notch & they seem to take delight in departures from the norm (such as with their song Desert Eye Sun).

Dreamy, intimate and effortless - their music might be entrancing if it weren’t delivered with a flair for the dramatic that makes it languid and energetic all at once. It’s a big sound for a two person band & something we all should be excited to see in person. Charlsee & Cam hit the stage at 8:45pm on Friday, Sept 25th at Carolina Indie Fest.
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08/25/2026

Feeling peckish? Carolina Indie Fest always hosts a diverse selection of great food trucks for your gustatory pleasure. This year, thanks to the City of Sanford & DSI, we are able to park the food trucks on Steele Street adjacent to our vendors. You’ll have lots of space to wander, peruse menus and take in all the sights and smells of these trucks:

Tacos El Primo, Inc - the official caterer of Carolina Indie Fest as well as a proud sponsor, Tacos El Primo has served the Sanford area for over 25 years. Look for original recipes, handmade tortillas, and a whole lotta great tacos.

Cousins Maine Lobster Raleigh - it took a Shark Tank appearance to launch a lobster truck! Not really, Cousins Maine Lobster was in business before going on the show ... but the appearance didn’t hurt. Now in some 30 states Cousins is THE recognized name for crustaceans on the go. Ask for lobster hot, cold, on tater tots - you name it.

MrRuckus - I’ve seen people mock the smaller sized Ruckus City food truck ... and then eat their words. The sliders produced by Ruckus City are among the best whether it’s jerk chicken or bite sized bacon cheese burgers.

Dalat Streets of Vietnam - noodles, summer rolls, spring rolls & banh mi sandwiches highlight Dalat’s offerings. Vegetarians can opt for the seasoned tofu.

Doy Doy Grill - fresh Mediterranean foods including gyros, chicken wraps, hummus plates and more.
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08/24/2026

We have a record TWO festival beer sponsors at our Fall 2026 Carolina Indie Fest and we’re celebrating by giving away FREE Carolina Indie Fest shirts each week to those who create the best label design for the beers.

The contest is simple, stop by any of our sponsor locations:

* Raven Forge Games (132 S. Steele Street); or,
* Sanford Yoga & Community Center (126 W Main Street - standing in as a location for Common Defense ); or;
* Beer Hall | Brewery Sanford NC (229 Wicker Street)

Pick up a printed label design paper and start drawing the beer label of your dreams! We will collect and post the labels every week for folks to vote on the best one. Be sure to guess the Alcohol By Volume (ABV) of the beer for a chance to win special prizes.

The names for the beers are under consideration now, when they are released feel free to submit again (the name might spark some fresh creativity). Or suggest your own name & write it on the label! The best names are those that marry the branding of the brewery and the sponsor.

Contest starts today and we will announce this week’s winners next week. Really looking forward to your creations!

08/21/2026

Modern Moxie | NC Indie Rock is an indie rock band out of Charlotte that can tend towards the “pop” side of rock. Their music is solidly rock but can be light and pop bubble gum-ish at times.

Listeners to Modern Moxie can treat themselves to a number of self produced music videos by the band (available on YouTube). This is always one of my favorite things about indie music, I grew up in the era when MTV played music videos almost nonstop. It was new and fun back then and now, since it’s not been in fashion for some time, it’s new and fun again with indie bands.

You can get a preview of Modern Moxie on Saturday, August 29th at the Mann Center for the Arts for Hemlockfest.

Modern Moxie takes the stage at Carolina Indie Fest on Saturday, September 26th at 3:45pm.
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08/20/2026

Do you love browsing books, talking about books, reading books ... just generally, books? Well we've got a treat for you at Carolina Indie Fest this year.

Sanford area bookstore Sips And Sequels and travelling purveyor of books The Traveling Scroll are hosting an Open Air Book Fair at Indie Fest this Fall. In addition to the hundreds of book options we have several authors with us including paranormal & urban fantasy romance novelist B.L. Brown, fantasy romance author Cassie Swindon - Official Author, and dystopian Sci-Fi fantasy author Amanda Cole. Stop by and get to know the authors, buy books & maybe get them signed by the author. These are the known authors at this time, we may have a few others to join shortly.

Alongside these bookish things you'll find CharLatte Mobile Coffee, a mobile coffee & more vendor. Those looking for a non-coffee option should check out mocktails from Mystical Mixes (both days) and dirty sodas, energy drinks and garden waters from The Tonic Garden (Friday only). Lemon Kissed lemonades will also be for sale both days. And if you're looking to pair some well known local sweets with those drinks check out Mom Lisa's Gourmet Cookies and C&G Sweet Spot. Gourmet donuts will also be available from the Carolina Donut Diva.

08/19/2026

You may have noticed this Fall’s poster artwork for Carolina Indie Fest features our beloved Indie Man character reprising a famous Harrison Ford role under the nom-de-plume Indiemana Bones. If you look closely you might see Indie Man has replaced the well known bullwhip for a microphone and cord.

Artist Kelly Schrader worked with us on this one, this is her first Indie Man encounter but we are well acquainted her talents - she brought the artwork for our first annual renaissance fair to life in spectacular fashion. If you follow her socials you’ll see Kelly painting murals in Raleigh, promoting her “boobface” brand, showing up at some occasional shows but generally engaging in a variety of art ventures. Kelly will be among the vendors at Indie Fest, you should stop by and give her a tip-of-the-cap for this Fall’s design which is fun and eye catching.

Is there some larger meaning to this poster? Not necessarily. Indie Man swapping a beer for the fertility idol is a funny thought (it would take gold to pry that beer from my hands!) We actually have a 3D printed version of the idol thanks to Sanford’s own Fable Forge | Licensed Literary Merch . The intent is to use the idol for promoting Indie Fest but the front of the idol (which can’t be seen on the poster) is very ... engaging. They call it a fertility idol with good reason! Anyway, we’re working now on the best way to use it and spread the word - maybe you’ll see an idol on an Indie Fest account near your very soon ...
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08/19/2026

You may have noticed this Fall's poster artwork for Carolina Indie Fest features our beloved Indie Man character reprising a famous Harrison Ford role under the nom-de-plume Indiemana Bones. If you look closely you might see Indie Man has replaced the well known bullwhip for a microphone and cord.

Artist Kelly Schrader worked with us on this one, this is her first Indie Man encounter but we are well acquainted her talents - she brought the artwork for our first annual renaissance fair to life in spectacular fashion. If you follow her socials you'll see Kelly painting murals in Raleigh, promoting her "boobface" brand, showing up at some occasional shows but generally engaging in a variety of art ventures. Kelly will be among the vendors at Indie Fest, you should stop by and give her a tip-of-the-cap for this Fall's design which is fun and eye catching.

Is there some larger meaning to this poster? Not necessarily. Indie Man swapping a beer for the fertility idol is a funny thought (it would take gold to pry that beer from my hands!) We actually have a 3D printed version of the idol thanks to Sanford's own Fable Forge. The intent is to use the idol for promoting Indie Fest but the front of the idol (which can't be seen on the poster) is very ... engaging. They call it a fertility idol with good reason! Anyway, we're working now on the best way to use it and spread the word - maybe you'll see an idol on an Indie Fest account near your very soon ...

Carolina Indie Fest

08/31/2026

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08/25/2026

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08/19/2026

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