50th Annual October 16 & 17, 2027 Woolly Worm Festival

20K

visitors

100 +

vendors

1,000

worms

49

years

Fall Fun For Everyone

The 50th Annual Wooly Worm Festival

We look forward to welcoming you to the 49th Annual Woolly Worm Festival hosted by the Avery County Chamber of Commerce and Banner Elk Kiwanis! Join us on October 16 & 17, 2027 in Banner Elk, North Carolina for woolly worm races, craft and food vendors, live entertainment, children’s activities, and so much more.

2027 Festival Hours:

Saturday: 9 AM-5 PM

Sunday: 9 AM-4 PM

About the Festival

Learn more about the Woolly Worm Festival

For nearly 50 years the town of Banner Elk has welcomed both old and new friends to the annual Woolly Worm Festival. This family event co-hosted by the Avery County Chamber of Commerce and the Banner Elk Kiwanis Club welcomes more than 20,000 people to the community to make family memories, the chance to earn the prestigious honor of predicting the high country winter weather and win the $1000 bounty!

Learn More

CBS Sunday Morning News Segment

“Wholesome and family oriented fun.”

CBS News Sunday Morning features the Woolly Worm Festival, October 2023

Join the Fun

20K

visitors

49

years

1000

worms

100+

vendors

2026

Winner & Prediction

49th Annual Woolly Worm Race: Read by Tommy Burleson

2026 Winner: Mark G. from Hammond, LA with a winning worm named Wally!

WALLY’S OFFICIAL WINTER PREDICTION:

❄️ Week 1: Cold and snowy!

🍂 Weeks 2–3: Average temperatures

🥶 Week 4: Below-average temps with a chance of light snow or frost.

☀️ Weeks 5–12: EIGHT straight weeks of average temperatures! Wally’s calling for a pretty mild stretch.

❄️ Week 13: One last chilly surprise! Below-average temperatures with possible light snow or frost.

There are 13 body segments in a Woolly Worm and 13 weeks in the winter season. Each body segment of the winning Woolly Worm corresponds to that week’s weather.

Lodging

Where to Stay

Banner Elk

Beech Mountain

Sugar Mountain

Follow Along on Instagram

That’s a wrap on the 49th Annual Woolly Worm Festival! 🐛❤️ A huge THANK YOU to everyone who raced, volunteered, visited, and helped make this year’s festival such a success. We couldn’t do it without you! Next year is a BIG one! Mark your calendars for the 50th Annual Woolly Worm Festival, October 16–17, 2027! See y’all next year in Banner Elk! 🐛
SUNDAY’S BIG WINNER! 🐛 Michael from right here in Beech Mountain, NC, took home the win in today’s Sunday championship race and walked away with the $500 grand prize! Nothing like a little hometown pride to wrap up an incredible weekend of woolly worm racing! Congratulations, Michael! 👏🐛
Lo from the @averychambernc took home the win in today’s Local Business Woolly Worm Race! 🐛 And honestly, we couldn’t think of a more fitting winner! As one of the hosts of the Woolly Worm Festival, the Chamber helps make this whole weekend possible. Congrats, Lo and the Avery County Chamber of Commerce!
When Mistiweather and Millie the Bear get together, you know it’s going to be a good time! 🐛🐻🕺 We love our friends at Grandfather Mountain Stewardship Foundation! Beyond bringing the fun, they’re doing some pretty awesome things for Avery County kids. Through the Avery Advantage Program, every Avery County Schools student in Pre-K through 8th grade receives FREE Sunday admission for themselves and an adult! Plus, this year Grandfather Mountain naturalists visited local schools to teach kids all about woolly worms and help them get race-day ready. A little dancing, a lot of learning, and a whole lot of community love. That’s what the Woolly Worm Festival is all about! ❤️ Big thanks to our friends at @grandfathermtn for making this weekend even more special! And thank you to our friends at @lmc.danceteam for the expert choreography!!
Day 2 of the Woolly Worm Festival, and Banner Elk is showing off! 🍂🐛 Fall colors, blue skies, and a whole lot of woolly worm fun. Couldn’t ask for a better Sunday in the High Country! Come see us! 🧡
Bringing the kiddos to Woolly Worm? 🐛 Don’t miss the Woolly Whirl Zone at Tate-Evans Park! There’s face painting, yard games, children’s activities, and even more vendors to explore. Not sure how to get there? Start at the corner of the food court and follow the walking path down to Tate-Evans Park. This video shows you exactly where to go! Just a short walk from the main festival area and plenty of fun for the little ones!
☀️🐛 DAY TWO, LET’S GO! Yesterday, Wally raced his way to the top, taking home the $1,000 grand prize and earning the title of our official 2026 Woolly Worm Weather Predictor! But the racing isn’t over! Today, another champion will crawl away with $500 in prize money! 💰🐛 We’ve got sunshine in Banner Elk today, but temperatures will barely break 50°! Bundle up, bring those warm layers, and come enjoy one more day of Woolly Worm fun. 🎟️ Gates are open at 9AM! See you at the races! 🐛 WE NEED WORMS! 🐛 The races are rolling, and we need more woolly worms at the starting line! Help us keep the races going by bringing us any woolly worms you find. We’ll pay you $1 for every worm you bring to the Customer Service Tent! 💵 Check the sidewalks, grassy areas, and under fallen leaves. Those little racers are hiding everywhere!
It all came down to one final showdown between Lightning McWorm and Wally. Racer Mark and Wally pulled off the win to take home the 2026 Woolly Worm Festival Championship! 🏆 That’s what we call WOOLLY WORM RACING! 🏁🔥