Festivals, races, music and Bridge Day in Fayetteville, Oak Hill, Beckley, Summersville, Hinton and the gorge
September 23-29
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Showing of 83 events
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Scheduled releases from Summersville Dam create the six-weekend Upper Gauley (Class III-V+, minimum age 16) and Lower Gauley (Class III-V, minimum age 12-14) rafting season. Gauley season begins the first weekend after Labor Day and runs six weekends. No entrance fee; book commercial trips with a licensed outfitter.
Active Southern West Virginia road race starting and finishing at the Beckley Exhibition Coal Mine, following the rail trail and uptown Beckley. Half marathon at 8:00 AM, 5K at 8:30 AM. Children 12 and under run the 5K free; adult 5K registration rose from $30 (early) to $50 (race day) in 2026, half marathon from $60 to $80.
Marathon, half marathon and 5K on the ACE Adventure Resort trail network. Registration includes an event shirt (if registered by August 31), finisher medal, burrito buffet and free camping Friday and Saturday nights. Check-in 7:00 AM, race start 9:00 AM, cutoff 5:30 PM.
Evening art-walk series pairing vendors with downtown businesses, with live music, artists, food trucks and extended shop hours. Court Street stays open to traffic. In 2026 the series ran June, August, September and October (skipped July, which has its own Heritage Festival). Free.
Inaugural weekend-long mountain biking festival celebrating the New River Gorge's trail system and the newly built Needleseye Trail System. Free group rides, skills clinics, demos, youth activities, live music, the Alley Cat Challenge and Donut Race, plus the paid WV Enduro Series grand-finale race (New River Gorge Enduro). Clinics and group rides are first-come, first-served with sign-up 15 minutes before each session.
Downtown chili cook-off and street festival organized by Beckley Events, with chili and non-chili vendor booths, a People's Choice vote and live music on multiple stages. Sampling tickets are $4 for five samples and a voting coin (2026).
Afternoon fall festival at Freefolk Brewery on U.S. 60 with craft beer, food, games and entertainment. The brewery's Herd and Hops Beer Mile fundraiser runs the same day.
Fundraising beer mile at Freefolk Brewery that pairs beer tasting with a run or walk, held the same day as the brewery's Folktober Fest.
WV Enduro Series round 8, the series' championship/grand-finale race, on ACE Adventure Resort's trails including the new Needleseye Trail System. Held as the featured paid race inside the free, resort-wide NRG Bike Fest weekend (group rides, skills clinics, demos and camping).
Evening bluegrass concert by the Grammy-winning Infamous Stringdusters at The Outpost campground on Fayette Station Road, with food trucks, local beer and art vendors.
Railroad-heritage festival filling downtown Hinton with live music on two stages, a car show, food and craft vendors, a kids zone with trackless train rides, model railroad displays, a beer garden and fireworks. Amtrak's Cardinal stops in downtown Hinton on the festival's Friday and Sunday. Free admission.
Art exhibition on the life of Dolly Parton at Love Hope Center for the Arts. Ten percent of art sales from the show go to the Dollywood Foundation.
Three-day cryptid festival with paranormal speakers and researchers on two stages, live music, a Bigfoot calling contest, wrestling exhibitions and campfire storytelling. More than 100 vendors and food trucks, plus family activities including bounce houses, gem mining and a carved pumpkin contest. 2026 admission $10.
Fifth annual charity motorcycle ride honoring West Virginia's 65 fallen post-9/11 service members and their Gold Star families, with a group ride and a weekend of fellowship and remembrance.
Nashville guitarist Daniel Donato and his Cosmic Country band play an evening show at The Outpost campground, with food trucks, local beer and vendors.
Fall trail race of about 15K starting at historic Camp Washington-Carver and running along the rim of Mann's Creek Gorge before dropping toward Babcock State Park. Organized by the Babcock Gristmill Grinder race team, with a cap of 150 runners.
Family-friendly, educational two-day powwow featuring Indigenous dance, drumming, storytelling and basketweaving demonstrations, food, a 50/50 drawing and a handmade quilt raffle. The 2026 edition is the 8th annual.
Haunted attraction underground at the Beckley Exhibition Coal Mine, produced with Theatre West Virginia, themed as a quarantined mine with actors playing mad scientists and infected miners. Walk-ups welcome, no reservation required. Tickets $10 per person (2026).
Fall color weekend with a Marketplatz of local artisans and vendors, a Saturday Bavarian style celebration at Mountain Creek Lodge reached by the resort aerial tramway, giant pretzels and German fare, live entertainment, an antique and collectible car show, and special menus at the park restaurants.
Friday-evening food-sampling festival before Bridge Day, organized by the Canyon Rim Rotary Club for more than 20 years and hosted at Adventures on the Gorge. No admission fee; food samples $4 to $12 from regional restaurants, food trucks and caterers, plus local artwork and live music. Tickets and food sell out most years, so organizers recommend arriving before 8:00 PM.
West Virginia's largest one-day festival, held on the closed New River Gorge Bridge and its U.S. 19 approaches. Free admission, rain or shine. BASE jumping and rappelling from the bridge, more than 160 vendors, and the paid Into the Gorge bus ride and Bridge Walk catwalk tour. U.S. 19 closes to traffic 7:00 AM to 5:00 PM; shuttles run from designated lots on both sides of the gorge from 8:30 AM, $5 cash per person. No pets, coolers, chairs, bicycles or drones, and bags must be clear apart from small purses.
Point-to-point 5K on Bridge Day morning, starting on U.S. 19 just north of the New River Gorge Bridge and finishing at the Fayette County Courthouse. Limited to 600 runners; the first mile is run-only at a 15-minute-mile pace, no strollers, minimum age eight. Packet pickup Friday 5:00-7:00 PM at the Memorial Building, 200 West Maple Avenue; race-day check-in at a North Side or South Side location depending on lodging.
16th annual chili cook-off on Court Street as Bridge Day winds down, adding a youth division for 2026. Free admission and parking; tasting tickets are $10 cash for five samples. Registration and setup run 1:30-2:30 PM, tasting, judging and public voting 3:00-5:00 PM, and awards at 5:45 PM, with more than $2,500 in prizes across adult, youth, people's choice, best vegetarian and best cornbread categories.
Family fall festival at the Beckley Exhibition Coal Mine with arts and craft vendors, live music, food, games, pumpkin painting and guided underground coal mine tours. Coal mine tours are $16 for adults and $11 for children (2026).
Farm to table buffet dinner overlooking the Bluestone Gorge, with locally sourced dishes such as honey pecan trout, braised pork loin and Appalachian slow braised chuck, plus seasonal vegetables, breads, artisanal meats and cheeses and desserts. Social hour at 4:00 PM, dinner at 5:00 PM. 2026 price 55 dollars per person; a dinner and lodging package is also offered.
100-mile ultramarathon organized by Rim to River Endurance Company on trails at and around ACE Adventure Resort in New River Gorge National Park.
Costumed stand-up-paddleboard outing on the New River, paddling about 500 yards upstream on flat water from the upper Fayette Station parking area and back. Experienced paddlers only (not for first-timers); a signed waiver, swimming ability and a PFD are required, and space is capped (about 80 participants in 2024). Run by Visit Fayetteville WV; organizer contact named in local coverage as Tabitha Stover.
Town-wide trick-or-treat evening in Fayetteville. Confirmed for October 31, 2026, 6:00-8:00 PM. Free.
Two-day bass fishing championship on Summersville Lake, limited to 70 boaters and 70 non-boaters who qualified through regional events during the year. Entry fee $25 per competitor (2026); top finishers advance to the B.A.S.S. Nation Championship.
Month-long gnome-themed scavenger hunt through downtown Fayetteville shops and restaurants. Participants pick up tracking sheets at the Visitor Center; the hunt includes "Gilby's gnome quest," a storyline following a gnome seeking the "Heart of the Hills," plus bonus gnomes and a mid-month grand-prize gnome. Best pursued Thursday-Sunday when businesses are open. Free.
The Town of Fayetteville's late-morning Veterans Day parade downtown.
Christmas craft and vendor show at the Beckley-Raleigh County Convention Center, with retail and craft vendors and food trucks. Vendor setup is the evening before the show opens.
Holiday festival at the Beckley Exhibition Coal Mine with lights, an underground mine tour, Christmas carols, a visit with Santa, ice skating, craft vendors and a gift shop. Ice skating is $7.50 for adults and $5 for children, including skate rental (2025 pricing).
Downtown holiday weekend with a gingerbread-house display and competition, a craft show, holiday theater performances, a Christmas parade, arts programming and a tree lighting. Most activities are free; the 2025 edition included a ticketed Larry Keel Experience concert ($25 advance / $29 day-of) and separately ticketed Historic Fayette Theatre shows.
One-hour untimed, stroller-friendly run or walk through the Fayette County Park holiday light display, organized by Active Southern West Virginia. Adults $10; age 12 and under free.
Family holiday market with free Santa and Grinch photos from noon to 5:00 PM, gift bags for children, a free bounce house, local vendors and food trucks. The event also runs a food, clothing and hygiene donation drive. Vendor fee was $32.10; free for the public to attend.
Annual New Year's Day plunge into the New River at Fayette Station. Check-in/arrival at 12:45 PM; capacity limited to about 100 participants split into two entry groups under an NPS permit. Pre-registration and a signed liability waiver are required; free to join.
Fantasy-themed off-season weekend across downtown Fayetteville with a wizard-themed scavenger hunt, falconry demonstrations, a Snakes of West Virginia presentation, a ticketed feast, a Yule Ball, a quidditch tournament, themed crafts and a Magic Makers Market. Most activities are outdoors, so organizers advise dressing for winter weather.
Point-to-point winter trail ultramarathon from downtown Fayetteville to Hawks Nest State Park across high ridgeline single-track with views of waterfalls, dropping to the banks of the New River. Free morning shuttle from the finish back to the start; 7:00 PM cutoff. Organized by Rim to River Endurance Company.
Folklore-themed weekend across downtown and surrounding trails, with a Bigfoot/Mothman scavenger hunt, a cryptid-themed art walk, a Junior Cryptozoologist kids program, a pet costume contest and a K-12 creative-writing contest (2027 entry deadline February 28). An art exhibition runs at Love Hope Center for the Arts through March 28, 2027.
Six-mile point-to-point road race down about 800 feet from the south rim on Burma Road and Ames Heights Road, across the New River at the bottom of the gorge, then back up the opposite rim on grades as steep as 20 percent (the "Burma Burn"). Buses carry runners to the start; walkers allowed at a 20-minute-mile pace. Finish-line perks include chip timing, a finisher medal, t-shirt and post-race brunch at Adventures on the Gorge.
Trail-running weekend based in New River Gorge National Park and Preserve, starting and finishing at Charlie McCoy Town Park. The 2027 edition offers a Friday-night 55K (7:00 PM start) and a Saturday 50K (7:00 AM start); the 2026 edition also offered shorter 5K and half-marathon distances. Significant elevation gain on the ultra distances, around 3,200 feet.
Five days of old-time string band contests, concerts, workshops, square dances, vendors and rough camping, run by the West Virginia Department of Arts, Culture and History. Draws more than 3,000 musicians and fans from all 50 states and over 20 countries. Pre-camping opens July 30, 2027; no arrival on the property or access road before 9:00 AM July 30 (per the standard pre-camping rule); checkout by 1:00 PM August 8, 2027.
Multi-day state fair at the Lewisburg fairgrounds with midway rides, agricultural competitions and exhibits, and grandstand concerts. Lewisburg is somewhat more than an hour from Fayetteville.
American Whitewater's whitewater festival during Gauley season, drawing thousands of paddlers to camp, shop a riverside vendor marketplace and swap river stories. The festival does not run guided trips; paddlers arrange their own. Camping and vehicle access to the inner grounds are restricted overnight. 2026 admission (visitwv.com listing) was $65 for Thursday-night arrival, $55 for Friday-night arrival, $45 for Saturday-only, $20 per dog, age 15 and under free.
Markets, seasons and recurring nights that run for weeks or months.
Saturday-morning producers market in the courthouse parking lot, running from late spring into fall. A second market runs Thursdays 2:00-6:00 PM at the Rick Rutledge Pavilion, 1400 Virginia Street, Oak Hill. SNAP/EBT, WIC FMNP and senior vouchers are accepted.
Favorites that already happened this year or haven't posted next dates yet. Each shows its usual timing, so check with the organizer before you book around one.
Downtown Halloween trick-or-treat and vendor event organized by the Lively Family Amphitheater Committee, with local businesses, churches and organizations setting up along Main Street. The 2025 event drew more than 30 vendors and roughly 1,000 trick-or-treating children.
United Way of Southern West Virginia fundraiser at Tamarack Marketplace, displaying Christmas trees decorated and sponsored by local businesses, agencies and families, with the trees auctioned off at the end of the run. The 17th annual event in 2025 opened November 7 and ran until November 22.
Annual Veterans Day parade through downtown Beckley, organized by American Legion Post 32 with the City of Beckley.
Drive-through holiday light display at Fayette County Park, running nightly through most of December. Recent seasons have run 6:00-9:00 PM weeknights and 6:00-10:00 PM Friday-Sunday, $5 per vehicle weeknights and $7 Friday-Sunday (2021 season prices); a canteen sells hot chocolate and weekend food trucks are on site. Active Southern West Virginia's Ugly Sweater Fun Run/Walk takes place inside the display on December 6, 2026.
The City of Beckley's downtown holiday parade, with floats, bands, dancers and walking units. The 2025 parade (theme "Toyland Christmas Gifts") started at 11:00 AM with cookies and photos with Santa afterward at WVU Tech's Neville Street building.
Holiday festival that opens with a Christmas Beach Bash at Hinton Landing, with food trucks and a Santa visit, in late November, followed by a downtown festival in early December with a parade and free trackless train rides for children.
City of Oak Hill's annual downtown Christmas parade along Main Street. The 2025 parade started at 5:00 PM.
Theatre West Virginia's annual staging of Charles Dickens's holiday classic, presented indoors at the Raleigh Playhouse and Theatre in downtown Beckley (moved from the Soldiers and Sailors Memorial in recent years). The 2025 run included an evening matinee and weekend performances.
Winter songwriter festival held across several downtown venues (Love Hope Center for the Arts, Southside Junction Taphouse, Lost Appalachia Trading Company, New River Yoga and Very Rare Vintage in 2026). Most performances are free; ticketed concerts run at Love Hope Center for the Arts. The 7th annual edition (February 2026) headlined Becky Buller and Ned Luberecki, with proceeds going to a charity chosen yearly by the festival's board.
Half-marathon trail race and fun walk through Babcock State Park, run as a figure-eight out-and-back loop starting and finishing at the Sugar Camp Run Picnic Area, mixing paved park road with rocky, rooted single-track and creek crossings. 2026 was the 22nd running.
Annual spring ramp-food and music festival at ACE Adventure Resort, celebrating the wild-onion tradition of the Appalachian spring harvest with food vendors and live music.
Ultramarathon at ACE Adventure Resort run as four 25K (15.5-mile) loops dropping into New River Gorge National Park, crossing Rush Run and Arbuckle creeks with views of waterfalls and the New River; each loop gains and loses about 2,400 feet. Solo and relay (two- and four-person) divisions for both the 100K and a shorter 50K option. Organized by Rim to River Endurance Company. Cutoffs are 24 hours for the 100K and 12 hours for the 50K.
Multi-day City of Beckley festival marking West Virginia's state flower, with music, vendors, a parade and pageants held at venues across town. The 2026 festival ran May 9 through May 17.
Multi-sport adventure race at ACE Adventure Resort combining mountain biking, trekking and guided whitewater rafting through New River Gorge National Park, past scenic overlooks, historic sites and abandoned coal mines. Organized by Grit Adventure Racing in partnership with ACE; short-course options are offered so all teams can finish within the cutoff.
Multi-day music festival at ACE Adventure Resort with mountaintop camping, real bathrooms and free hot showers included, plus access to resort rafting, ziplining and the waterpark for ticket holders. Resort admission and camping are sold as packages.
Free Friday-evening concert series at the City Pavilion in downtown Summersville, running from June through mid-August. Attendees bring their own lawn chairs.
Summers County's largest day on the Greenbrier River, bringing more than 1,000 paddlers and floaters together for a family friendly float from Pence Springs to Talcott Bridge. Free to participants who bring their own gear and shuttle; Berry's Campground rents tubes for $25, kayaks for $50 and life jackets for $25, with $5 parking and a $5 shuttle return. Registration 8:00 AM to noon; all participants off the river by 6:00 PM.
Three day small town festival in downtown Ansted with live music including country, clogging and gospel performances, food and craft vendors, a Saturday parade, a tractor show, children's activities and a Saturday night fireworks show.
Outdoor drama in New River Gorge National Park and Preserve since 1961. The 2026 season ran June 19 to July 18 with the 65th-anniversary "Honey in the Rock" in repertory with "Shrek the Musical"; tickets $15 to $25. Performances begin at 8:15 PM. Umbrellas and tarps are not allowed; ponchos are.
Non-competitive, women-and-girls (age 10 and up) mud run and obstacle course on ACE Adventure Resort's natural terrain, run at each participant's own pace rather than against the clock. A portion of every registration supports Girl Scouts of Black Diamond Council.
Fourth annual charitable motorcycle rally with live music, biker games, vendors, camping, a Wall of Death stunt show, a guided ride and a custom Harley-Davidson raffle. Proceeds benefit the veteran-support charity Backpacks 4 Veterans.
Adventure triathlon in the New River Gorge combining 16.5 miles of mountain biking, 7 miles of Class IV whitewater and 9 miles of trail running, starting and finishing downtown at the county courthouse. Solo, three-person relay (men's, women's, mixed) and four-to-six-person raft team divisions.
The town's two-day Independence Day festival, held downtown with a parade, the Freedom 250 Soap Box Derby, vendors and activities, and fireworks at dusk on July 4 at Charlie McCoy Town Park. Organized by the Town of Fayetteville with Visit Fayetteville WV. Free admission.
Raleigh County's first-ever county fair, held at the Beckley-Raleigh County Convention Center with livestock exhibits, food vendors, local exhibitors, live music and fireworks.
Folklore festival in Talcott honoring steel driving man John Henry, with a Saturday parade, live music, a car show, fireworks, craft and food vendors, children's activities including a rubber ducky race, a church service at the John Henry Tunnel, and access to the John Henry Historical Park and Museum. Free admission.
The 101st Nicholas County Fair in 2026, with a horse show, goat show, livestock show and sale, tractor show, quilt and art show, midway rides and nightly live music.
Overland endurance rally starting and ending in Hinton, sending Jeeps, trucks, street legal side by sides and adventure motorcycles down a mapped 400 to 550 mile course of backroads across Summers, Greenbrier, Pocahontas, Monroe, Fayette, Nicholas, Wyoming and Raleigh counties. Includes a Gambler 500 class for 500 dollar beater vehicles. Benefits the Hinton Area Foundation and Backroads of Appalachia.
Week-long City of Hinton festival on the New River, a Summers County tradition dating to 1965. Most events are free; the 2026 program included a downtown car show and a New River kayak race with a $10 entry fee.
Week of Beckley events organized by the Beckley-Raleigh County Chamber of Commerce, including Restaurant Week and the Appalachian Arts and Crafts Fair at the Convention Center. The 29th annual festival in 2026 ran July 30 through August 9, with the arts and crafts fair August 7-8.
The 13th annual lakeside festival in 2026, with vendors, live music, food trucks, children's games and raffle prizes. Proceeds benefit local people in need.
Annual festival at the Beckley Exhibition Coal Mine celebrating local beekeeping, with a honey show, vendors, demonstrations and family activities. The 9th annual festival in 2026 ran 10:00 AM to 4:00 PM.
Week-long Labor Day tradition with a parade, live music at Lively Family Amphitheater, a car and vehicle show, pageants, a photography contest and a fireworks finale at Oak Hill High School. The 2026 festival ran August 31 through September 6, with pageants held August 15-16.
Labor Day weekend paddling gathering hosted by the Carolina Canoe Club with members of several other clubs (Coastals, Monocacy Canoe Club, TRPC, Keelhaulers). Group meetings each morning; participants arrange river trips by water level and skill, from beginner class II to advanced class III-IV. This is the paddlers' gathering, distinct from the former climbers' festival of the same name and from Adventures on the Gorge's Rendezvous River Lodge venue.
Week-long City of Beckley children's festival opening on Labor Day with a home run derby at Beckley Little League, and including a Kids Fest Parade. The 33rd annual festival in 2026 used the theme "Under the Big Top."
Fundraiser concert for Friends of New River Gorge National Park and Preserve, with live music (2026 lineup: the John Inghram Band, Matt Mullins and The Bringdowns, the Carpenter Ants, Andrew Adkins, and Larry Groce), a Kids Zone run by Active Southern West Virginia, New River Gem Mining Co, and local food vendors. 2026 tickets were $25 adults / $10 children plus fees.
Downtown Summersville festival that marked its 56th year in 2026, with a parade, pageants, eating contests, a potato auction, live music, car and tractor displays and the Spud Run 5K.
35th annual jubilee in 2026. Friday from 5:00 PM with 9:00 PM fireworks; Saturday vendors 9:00 AM-4:00 PM, parade 10:00 AM and car show 11:00 AM-4:00 PM.
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