North Carolina Apple Festival

We arrived at the 2024 Festival on Saturday around noon and there was plenty of parking lots and it seemed like they were prepared for the crowds. We stopped at HenDough (which was only a few minutes from the actual festival) to grab doughnuts before getting started. Since the Apple festival was the main reason for our trip to Hendersonville we were prepared to try all types of Apple products. There were farm stands selling fresh apples, Apple Cider and a few stands with Apple Slushies; BUT HONESTLY THIS COULD'VE JUST BEEN CALLED [The Hendersonville Festival].On one end there was festival type foods (corndogs, funnel cakes, turkey legs) and a few carnival rides for kids age 7-12. Not really for toddlers. The other end is plenty of arts & crafts, t-shirts and other vendors to spend money on. The Apple product stands were far few in between: one stand selling fried apple pies/baked apple frittata but they only accepted cash. Overall, this was a good way to spend time as a family but I expected way more apples goodness.

How can you not put 5 stars! This is a small town country apple festival. Not a lot of shopping vendors, it's hot, it's loud and fried food everything! It's .08 miles from 1 end of the street to the other. Parking is ample and runs about $5-$10. This isn't Carowinds, Six Flags, or Dollywood. Again this is a small town apple festival and it's a perfect way to spend the afternoon. Also note all the regular stores of downtown are open for shopping and lunches, etc. so get in the car, get a spot, and go for a walk! If you get thirsty, there are plenty of places to stop and get a drink.

The 2022 Apple Festival had apples for sale but few apple foods, which is what I was looking forward to. I wanted apple cobbler, apple Jack pies, apple fritters and such. There were lots of arts and crafts and basic festival foods. The Main Street stores had fun merchandise. There was music and dancing. Lots to enjoy.

What a great festival! We had never been to Hendersonville, and had no idea that they have such a wonderful downtown area to host this festival every Labor Day weekend. You can definitely get your fill of everything apple here - fried pies, apple fries, cider smoothies, donuts, every type of APPLE by the bushel or the peck and more. There weren't as many craft retailers as I thought there might be, and there's definitely room for more in the four block festival area. Carnival rides, a giant slide, balloon animals and more are there to keep the kids entertained.Downtown Hendersonville itself is very nice, with many shops and restaurants, wide sidewalks, and tables and chairs for outdoor dining and people watching.

Crowded, overpriced , and lacking in charm and value. So disappointed in this money sucking street fair. High point was leaving and going to air museum with a wallet that was 150. 00 lighter. Won't make that mistake again

The festival has a lot to offer in the way of carnival food and drinks, lots of venders selling local crafts and lots of WNC apples. For the kids there are several little rides and a slide. For cash convenience, this year several portable bank machines were brought in. And, be prepared to spend, spend, spend! There is free live cover band music throughout the day and into the evening. Many of the shops & eateries along Main Street are open and many have extended hours. Overall, we've been to almost everyone of these for the past 20 years. It does seem larger than it used to be, but the crowds have increased, too. That means a lot of extra traffic in the area resulting in parking issues.

I went in 2018. It wasn't even planned though. I decided to drive to hendersonville for a gem show and happened to see all these tents set up on the main Street and decided to check it out. It was great!! There were almost 5 blocks of them! I've been to lots of art shows but this one had really unique stuff, scented candles that you can use on your body as a moisturizer once melted!!!

Cider Slushies rule!!The NC Apple Festival takes place every year on Labor Day weekend. The good news = it really is a lot of fun. The bad news = it draws massive crowds.We arrived early in the day, around 10 AM, and Main Street was starting to thicken with people. Parking was pretty easy to find. As you approach the Festival, you will see people holding signs for paid parking. Local businesses let organizations such as the Girl Scouts and The Red Cross use their parking lots to earn donations in return for the parking. Great move for charities!The Festival itself is block after block of stands from various apple farms interspersed with arts, crafts and vendors. The Farms offer everything from fresh apples, apple sippers, cider and cider slushies, to apple turnovers and apple pies; if you can make it from an apple, it's there!One end has a carnival set up, complete with rides and games. Ticket prices were very reasonable and some of the games guaranteed winning a prize for the kiddos.Yes, there was a two way street filled with festival goers walking at a zombie's pace, at times making it difficult to see things or to stop and browse. Other than that, this is a pretty high quality way to spend some time with your family!!

2024 NC Apple Festival is awesome. New this year a petting zoo with zebra and lots of other animals. Plenty of games and rides, as well as good food. Great for kids of all ages .https://youtu.be/CQh_fvq5RKs?si=COs1P85C-hmhwqct

So much fun. There were so many amazing vendors. Will definitely go this year. Best festival around.