Events and Festivals in JoCo

When planning excursions around festivals that happen annually in the south, keep Johnston County’s towns in mind. JoCo is conveniently located where I-95 and I-40 converge in the center of North Carolina, and is a fun and affordable destination with long-standing, unique events.

For living history demonstrations throughout the year visit Bentonville Battlefield State Historic Site, and come back every five years for their large-scale reenactment of the battle. From Summer to Fall our downtowns offer annual celebrations based on the historical agrarian nature of JoCo from Selma’s Railroad Days to Benson’s Mule Days and Smithfield’s Ham & Yam Festival.

JoCo has two unique genre-based music festivals, Shindig, which celebrates Americana music, and Beach Fest, which features a line-up of Carolina Beach Music bands. Year-round The Clayton Center hosts music acts, comedy, and plays and Live at The Rudy in Selma offers a newly crafted musical variety show seasonally.

Our local breweries and wineries are always hosting special events and live, local music.

All this and much more are found on our calendar, so check it often for special events!