5 Quirky Celebrations You’ll Want To Visit
From silly to significant, these festivals shed light on their town’s history and soul
Celebrate the Mecklenburg Declaration of Independence in Charlotte on Meck Dec Day.Photo credit: @cltfive
Want to get a true feel for a town? Not just read what the visitors center or chamber of commerce has to say, but really uncover the heart and soul of a city? Find its wackiest festival, and make plans to attend. You’ll find enthusiastic residents who love their hometown, taste local cuisine at its finest and learn a little history while you’re at it. From the Whiskey Rebellion Festival to an event that celebrates the world’s largest urban bat colony, these are a few of our favorite unique celebrations.
Meck Dec Day (Charlotte, North Carolina)
Every year on May 20, men dressed in full redcoat regalia march along Tryon Street in uptown Charlotte. Armed with rifles, fifes and drums, re-enactors join in the parade to celebrate Meck Dec Day in the Queen City. Short for the Mecklenburg Declaration of Independence, the Meck Dec is believed to have been signed and read on Charlotte’s courthouse steps on May 20, 1775, more than a year prior to the national declaration. For a dose of history any time of year, download the Liberty Walk app, a self-guided tour that takes you along the paths of Revolutionary War soldiers.
Whiskey Rebellion Festival (Washington, Pennsylvania)
The Revolutionary War may have been officially over, but in the town of Washington, one more battle remained to be fought. In an effort to create a steady source of revenue for the newly self-supporting government, then-Treasury Secretary Alexander Hamilton proposed an excise tax on all U.S.-produced whiskey. Western Pennsylvanians nearly seceded from the union over the tax in a violent uprising remembered as the Whiskey Rebellion. Today, the Whiskey Rebellion Festival, held each July in Washington, depicts these early American times with historic reenactments, period-appropriate exhibitions such as distilling and other frontier art, music and food.
RC-MoonPie Festival (Bell Buckle, Tennessee)
Just an hour south of Nashville in the small town of Bell Buckle, townspeople pay homage to a classic soda-and-sweet pairing at the RC-MoonPie Festival. Held annually on the third Saturday in June, this wacky festival rooted in the celebration of the Chattanooga-based snack combining marshmallow, graham cracker and chocolate includes live music, cloggers (a type of folk dance), games and a parade. The festival culminates in the cutting of the world’s largest MoonPie, a shared sweet treat for all who attend.
Coon Dog Day (Saluda, North Carolina)
A nod to North Carolina’s state dog, the Plott hound, Coon Dog Day has taken place annually since the early 1960s in historic downtown Saluda, about a 45-minute drive from Asheville. Grab a funnel cake and a cold lemonade; then take a walk down Main Street with more than 15,000 people and their pups—all paying homage to the beloved breed with live music, a parade and the crowning of Coon Dog Day king and queen.
Bat Fest (Austin, Texas)
Go batty in Austin, where live music, food, crafts and even a bat costume contest celebrate 1.5 million Mexican free-tailed bats that live under the Congress Avenue Bridge.
Gather alongside hundreds of fellow gawkers to witness the world's largest urban bat colony as it emerges from under the Congress Avenue Bridge. It’s Bat Fest in Austin, where each summer, the downtown bridge is packed with people celebrating the iconic bat flight. Since the bridge was structurally redesigned in the ’80s, an estimated 1.5 million Mexican free-tailed bats have migrated to the bridge from central Mexico. (Little did the engineers know at the time that their bridge’s newly created crevices would make for an ideal bat roost.)
Join the revelry as live music, arts and crafts, and yes, even a bat-themed costume contest unfold downtown. Not there in time for Bat Fest? Swing by the Statesman Bat Observation Center—just adjacent to the bridge—any time of year for the best views of the nightly flight.
Ready for a festival? Find hotels in Charlotte, Washington, Bell Buckle, Saluda, Austin.
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