The North Carolina Whirligig Festival is celebrating its 21st year. The first festival was held in 2004. Several festivals had been attempted but held just one time. Most local residents remember the popular Golden Leaf Festival in the early eighties, but nothing new was sustainable. However, the right team was finally assembled and with one stage and two blocks of vendors, the first festival was held downtown around the courthouse.

The original festival planning team’s goal was to create community involvement that would bring together a diversity of people. The Wilson Works Together subcommittee felt a new sustainable festival would be the appropriate creation. At that time, both the Thomas Law and Farris & Farris law firms placed a Simpson gig in their respective parking lots. Those installations inspired the team to select something unique to Wilson. Thus, establishing the Wilson Whirligig Festival in 2004.

The festival has grown to be an East Coast favorite and has become the largest-attended event in Wilson. The festival certainly opened many doors and kept the presence of the whirligigs in the forefront. Lending inspiration many years later to the creation of the now-famous Vollis Simpson Whirligig Park and Museum.

Over the past 20 years, the festival has kept the focus on family and diversity, but it has completely transformed from a small community event to a regionally recognized and award-winning festival. The festival remains with free admission and free entertainment so that all families can attend and enjoy the activities equally.

The park and museum are led by a separate team that banded together to save the gigs and Wilson became a national model for creative placemaking. By leveraging one of Wilson’s most unique cultural assets into an economic engine of entrepreneurial job creation and tourism, the whirligigs and park have added vibrancy to the historic downtown. The Vollis Simpson Whirligig Park Project is a partnership of Wilson Downtown Properties, Inc., the City of Wilson, Wilson Downtown Development, and the North Carolina Arts Council.

In 2012, the festival was established as a non-profit organization. And in 2019, the festival changed its name from the Wilson Whirligig Festival to the North Carolina Whirligig Festival. The name change increased its visibility, attracted more vendors and attendance increased tenfold.

As always, sponsorships are what keep the festival free, fresh, and possible. The festival is grateful for the support provided by the City of Wilson and the Wilson Tourism Authority. Local sponsorships keep the entertainment and family fun free. While other regional festivals have changed to charging admission fees and ticket costs for their kids’ zone, the NC Whirligig Festival remains dedicated to the original goal of open access for all families.