On Saturday, April 20 from 11:00am - 8:30pm, swashbucklers of all ages will converge on the banks of the T-ARRRGH River, a pirate's paradise located in Downtown Greenville! Returning for its 17th year to the Greenville Town Common and Tar River district, PirateFest festivities will include fine arts and crafts for sale, spirited beverage stations, food trucks, sword fighting, pirate encampments, cannon demonstrations by real live pirates, and more! This festival culminates in a headlining concert by Sister Hazel and special guest Tayler Holder at the Greenville Toyota Amphitheatre at sunset!
There will be plenty of piratical happenings for the whole family!
Greenville as the home of the East Carolina University Pirates and heart of Pirate Nation, really embodies and embraces the pirate history and culture of our region. Many current and former ECU students, families, and pirate lovers from all over the country make their way to this all day festival to surrender the booty in the gem of eastern North Carolina!
For the PirateFest event schedule, vendors, and other information click here!
Come for PirateFest and stay to enjoy Pirate Nation! Pirate culture is deeply ingrained in Eastern North Carolina culture due to the Outer and Inner Banks being a protective haven for pirates during the 1700’s! This buccaneer backstory is the reason why East Carolina University’s mascot is Pee Dee the Pirate! Another pirate you may recognize, Blackbeard, lived just down the Tar-Pamlico River in Bath, NC. You can even visit ECU’s Queen Anne’s Revenge Conservation Laboratory to visit the remains of his ship yourself!
Between all the sea shanties, take a break at The Scullery, Coastal Fog, or Blackbeard's Coffee Roasters! Or maybe take your hearties to Captain Jack’s Mini Golf, or on a paddle down the Tar River with Riverside Recreation! You can even visit UBE in Downtown for all your ECU Pirate wardrobe needs.
Photos Courtesy of Aaron Hines | City of Greenville, NC
To make this argh-some event happen, we need all hands on deck!