The North Carolina Apple Festival is held annually over Labor Day Weekend in Hendersonville, North Carolina. It has been Western North Carolina’s premier family festival for 75 years.
From September 3 – 6, 2021, you can enjoy four days of fun including one of the most best known Street Fairs in the Carolinas with freshly picked apples, arts & crafts, festival food and FREE entertainment at the Historic Courthouse on Hendersonville’s Beautiful Main Street.
The King Apple Parade is one of the highlights and the closing piece of the North Carolina Apple Festival and is held on Labor Day each year. This year’s parade will be held on Monday, September 6, 2021, at 2:30 pm. At the parade, there will be professional floats, bands, youth groups, fire trucks, and many others participating in this event that will draw over 60,000 individuals.
There are multiple parking lots throughout downtown Hendersonville that surround the festival including free and fee-based parking. Many parking lots are operated by local non-profits and charge a nominal fee for parking. The North Carolina Apple Festival does not control these parking lots or their fees.
Additionally, the festival does not offer a shuttle. However, there is a private shuttle company providing this service again this year. However, the pickup location has changed! The new pickup and drop off location is across from Lowes at 1250 7th Avenue East in Hendersonville. It’s the old movie theater lot. The shuttle service runs Friday-Sunday, with no shuttle service available on Monday.
So why do we celebrate our apples here in Henderson County? The apple has been called the loveliest of all fruits. It is also one of the most important agricultural crops grown in Henderson County. During a normal year it brings in an average income of $22 million dollars or more. Growing apples has been part of Henderson County’s culture and heritage since the mid 1700s. Today there are approximately 200 apple growers in Henderson County. North Carolina is the 7th largest apple-producing state in the nation and Henderson County grows 65% of all apples in North Carolina.
A full listing of events taking place September 3 through September 6 can be found on the North Carolina Apple Festival website.
Prepared by the North Carolina Apple Festival.