The 38th annual “Festival for the Eno” will be held on July 1st and 4th at West Point on the Eno, City Park. This Durham tradition features live music with over 65 artists on four stages, a craft show spotlighting over 80 local artisans, food trucks and local food vendors, a beer garden, educational workshops and plenty of family fun on the river.

Presented by the Eno River Association, the Festival showcases the nature, culture and history of the Eno River Basin and annually raises tens of thousands of dollars for the purchase and protection of land along the Eno River.  A 38 year-old Independence Day Weekend celebration, the Festival provides safe, diverse and fun entertainment for all ages — and brings tens of thousands of people each year to the lush green banks of the Eno River.

“There is nothing else quite like the Festival for the Eno,” says event organizer Greg Bell.  “It was modeled on Pete Seeger’s Clearwater Festival, and a note of congratulations from Seeger to our founders on the success of the first Festival for the Eno hung on my wall for years.  It’s so much more than a good cause … The Festival for the Eno should be on every Triangle resident’s bucket list.”

Photo courtesy of the Eno River Association

The Festival for the Eno is a recognized showcase for blues, bluegrass, old-time, gospel, rock and world music. Four music stages — and other venues — offer an eclectic mix of contemporary and traditional music, storytelling, poetry, dance, puppetry and demonstrations. This year’s festival is anchored by performances from Afro-Beat legends Antibalas, Ruby Amanfu & Steelism, the African American Dance Ensemble, Dialli Cissokho & Kaira Ba, The Gospel Jubilators,  A.J. Ghent and Orquesta Gardel. Over 65 contemporary and traditional musical artists will perform, and a complete list of performers and events at the festival can be found here.

The festival also features an arts show featuring 90 of North Carolina’s finest artisans offering fabulous work in clay, metal, jewelry, fabric, fiber, wood basketry, glass and much more. In addition to music and crafts, The Festival for the Eno offers incredible food from local restaurants and popular food trucks and a craft beer garden.

Environmental activities and exhibits including the award-winning “Trash-Free” program, backyard bees & chickens, Sustainable Home and Garden Expo, High Strung Hands-On Music, a mist tent, canoe and kayak rentals and demonstrations, rain barrel painting, Hands-On Clay, E.E.E.K.! Eno Environmental Education for Kids, dance workshops, face-painting, clean energy demonstrations, non-profit displays, all on the shaded banks of the beautiful Eno River.

“We are also excited to be expanding our demonstrations this year,” said Bell. “Offering dance workshops throughout each day and presenting a celebration of NC textile heritage called ‘From Farm to Tablecloth’, in which attendees can process fiber through the steps that take it from a raw commodity to a finished piece.”

Advance tickets for the 38th Annual Festival for the Eno are $30 for a 2-Day Pass and $18 for a single day pass. Teens (ages 13-17) pay $11 for a single day pass and children 12 and under are admitted free. Tickets are available here. 

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