Festival Dates are Set!

We invite you to Downtown Smithfield, NC, the first weekend of October 4-6, for the Ava Gardner Festival, to learn about Ava, her rural upbringing, her five-decade career as a global film star, her great loves, and her exciting life abroad. The Museum is hard at work putting together the details of this year's activities. The tentative schedule of events is below, but please check back with us for planning your trip to Smithfield! The most popular ticket for the weekend is the 3-Day pass, which is available here on the Gift Shop page.

Friday, October 

9:30am-4:30pm           
Museum opens with regular hours

6:30pm-10pm             
Food trucks, concessions and Pandora and the Flying Dutchman @ Neuse River Amphitheater

Down by the Neuse River at the newly renovated amphitheater is the perfect location for the film, Pandora and the Flying Dutchman (1951). There will be food trucks to enjoy before the movie starts at nightfall, which should be around 7:30pm. We suggest for a more comfortable experience, that you bring a lawn chair (wall seating and grass seating is available). 

Saturday, October 5   

9:00am-5:00pm           
Museum opens with regular hours

10:00am-Noon                 Mogambo @ Howell Theatre (Tickets required)

The Howell Theatre will host the film Mogambo (1953). Ava's love for silver screen is attributed to her precious childhood moments at this historic theatre, originally built in 1935. Seats are limited and tickets are ONLY available through the theater's website or at the theater.

1:00pm and 3:00pm          Heritage Tours

Festival goers will have two opportunities on Saturday to step aboard a tour bus with one of the Museum’s experts for a one-hour, guided trip through Ava’s hometown. Participants travel to the Grabtown and Brogden communities, just seven miles east of Smithfield, where Ava was born and raised. The tour concludes with a group visit to Ava’s final resting place in Sunset Memorial Park. Seats are limited and tickets are available via the museum's Gift Shop.

Sunday, October 6

10am-12N                           Breakfast with Ava
Join us Sunday morning at the museum for breakfast served with The Goddess Blend coffee and a film screening of the delightful movie, One Touch of Venus in the museum's theater. Seats are limited to 50 visitors, we encourage purchasing tickets in advance here on the Gift Shop link.

5:00pm                               Museum closes.

Stay tuned as the Ava Gardner Festival Team continues to organize more events and activities.