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April is just around the corner, meaning festival season is kicking off across Arkansas! As the weather warms up, communities statewide prepare to showcase their local traditions, history, and culture with exciting hometown festivals. Whether you’re looking for live music, delicious food, or unique arts and crafts, there’s something for everyone. Find a festival near you and join in the celebration this year!
River Valley Crawfish Festival | Greenwood
This festival includes a carnival, 5 and 10K runs, vendors, food trucks, a gumbo cook-off, and, of course, crawfish! Admission to the festival is free, but there will be a junior rodeo in the rodeo arena that requires tickets. Enjoy!
Venue: Greenwood
Date: April 3 – 5
More Information: Click Here
Crawfish Festival | Wilson
Make plans to feast on some of the best crawfish in the Delta while enjoying music, a crawfish cooking competition, kid-friendly activities and perusing local vendors. The best part is that festival admission is complimentary with a donation to the local fire department.
Venue: Wilson, AR
Date: April 5
More Information: Click Here
Bentonville Whiskey Festival |Bentonville
This is an upscale tasting event happening in downtown Bentonville, featuring a wide assortment of whiskey, bourbon, Scotch and other fine spirits from around the world. Tickets do sell out so get yours early.
Venue: Peel Mansion
Date: April 5
More Information: Click Here
Hogskin Holidays Festival |Hampton
Legend has it that during the Great Depression, there were a lot of marked hogs running loose around Champagnolle Creek and the river bottoms of lower Calhoun County. During the depression, money was hard to come by, and food was scarce, so people from other counties surrounding Calhoun County would come to Calhoun County for hog hunting. They would kill the hog and skin it in the woods. The hunters left the marked hog skin hanging on a fence or over a tree limb in the woods. They took the dressed hog back to their family for food. There were so many hog skins left in the woods that Calhoun County became known as “Hogskin County”. The name “Hogskin County” has stuck through the years. In 1992, the people of Calhoun County created a festival in honor of the legendary name. Each year during the second weekend in April, the people of Calhoun County celebrate their heritage with the “Hogskin Holidays Festival and Pork Cook-Off”.
Venue: Hampton
Date: April 5-12
More Information: Click Here
Mid Mod Arkansas | Stuttgart, Slovak and Lonoke
Each year, Preserve Arkansas’s Mid Mod Arkansas tour highlights significant Mid-Century Modern architecture in cities throughout the state to raise awareness and encourage appreciation for these buildings. This year there will be a tour of private homes and churches in Stuttgart, Slovak and Lonoke. Tickets include lunch sponsored by the Museum of the Arkansas Grand Prairie and the Grand Prairie Historical Society. Make plans to check this out.
Venue: Stuttgart | Slovak | Lonoke
Date: April 5
More Information: Click Here
Harding’s Spring Sing |Searcy
This musical variety show will feature hundreds of students involved in multiple productions competing during four judged performances to determine winners in four individual categories. Since 1974, Searcy has been home to this musical extravaganza showcasing the talent and spirit of Harding. This year, more than 20 social clubs are represented in club performances, which will surely entertain! The theme for the year is “Rise”
Date: April 10-12
Venue: Benson Auditorium at Harding University
More Information: Click Here
Lanterns Festival at Wildwood Park | Little Rock
At this festival you will celebrate the food, music, crafts, and performing arts of various world cultures and one US city. You can explore the beautiful outdoor lights along the woodland trails of the park and even light your own lantern and float it onto their lake!
Venue: Wildwood Park
Date: April 10-13
More Information: Click Here
Arkansas Cherry Blossom Festival | Hot Springs
This festival is a celebration of Japanese culture and includes various demonstrations, exhibits and musical performances. You can even see Sumo wrestling!
Venue: Hot Springs Convention Center
Date: April 11-12
More Information: Click Here
Arkansas Roots Music Festival | Dyess
The Arkansas Roots Music Festival will begin at the Johnny Cash Boyhood Home at noon Saturday, April 12, featuring an afternoon of live music from Arkansas artists. Food trucks will be available, and participants will be able to tour the Boyhood Home of Johnny Cash (tour included in ticket price). The musical lineup this year includes: Erin Enderlin, Cliff & Susan, Adam Hambrick and Sofie Smithson (from Sofie and the New Relics).
Venue: Historic Dyess Colony: Johnny Cash Boyhood Home
Date: April 12
More Information/Tickets: Click Here
Vintage Market Days | NWA
Vintage Market Days is an upscale vintage-inspired market featuring original art, antiques, clothing, jewelry, handmade treasures, home décor, outdoor furnishings, consumable yummies, seasonal plantings and more. The three-day event is a unique opportunity for vendors to display their talents and passions in different venues and for shoppers to enjoy and appreciate their creations.
Venue: Benton County Fairgrounds
Date: April 11-13
More Information: Click Here
Arkansas Folk Festival | Mountain View
The 63rd Annual Arkansas Folk Festival will be held April 18-19 in Mountain View, Arkansas You can take a walk around the historic downtown area and see the wonderful window displays, check out the Artisans Market featuring handmade arts and crafts, there will be antique cars, food vendors and of course, live music! Experience the rich traditions of the Ozarks with: live music performances all weekend, a tractor show, a goat milking contest, and live demonstrations from time-honored traditions. Ozark State Park has free shuttle service to and from the courthouse square. Bring your instruments and have some fun pickin’ and grinnin’!
Venue: Mountain View Square and the Ozark Folk Center State Park
Date: April 18-19
More Information: Click Here
Blazin’ BBQ Festival |Manila, Arkansas
This event is a celebration of all things BBQ, from mouth-watering ribs to juicy brisket and everything in between. Experience a day filled with delicious food, live music and family-friendly activities.
Venue: Manilla
Date: April 19
More Information: Click Here
Seersucker Spring Social | Little Rock
Enjoy an old-fashioned Southern Spring Social at the Old State House Museum, hosted by the Arkansas State House Society. Sip on mint juleps and other libations at the open bar, snack on hors d’oeuvres, play lawn games and more on the lawn of Arkansas’s first state capitol building. Wear your favorite southern spring/summer attire; maybe you will be awarded the best-dressed lady and gentleman! All proceeds go to support the museum’s School Bus Fund program, which pays the cost of transportation for schools from across Arkansas to visit the Old State House on field trips.
Venue: Old State House Museum
Date: April 24
More Information: Click Here
44th Annual Fordyce on the Cotton Belt | Fordyce
The small town of Fordyce (Dallas County) celebrates the railroad and its historical significance with the annual Fordyce on the Cotton Belt Festival, which is held each year on the fourth Saturday in April. One of the biggest highlights of the festival each year is the “Redbug Reunion Rally.” Friday night of festival week is set aside as a time for former students and graduates of Fordyce High School to get together and reminisce. This popular event is a major part of the success of the festival.
Venue: Downtown Fordyce
Date: April 19-26
More Information: Click Here
Spring Fling Bike Rally |Eureka Springs
The winding roads of the Ozarks have long been a favorite of motorbikers. The Spring Fling Bike Rally in Eureka Springs is the place to be for fun events and rides with friends through the mountains.
Venue: Eureka Springs
Date: April 23-27
More Information: Click Here
Dogwood Festival | Siloam Springs
The award-winning Dogwood Festival in Siloam Springs features exhibitors from all over the United States. Many have said that this festival is the most vendor-friendly festival around. It has a small-town, family-like atmosphere for those visiting over the long weekend.
There will be more than 200 booths that provide a wide variety of finds, including arts and crafts, handmade items, gifts, vintage finds and more! There will also be a line-up of live music and entertainment to enjoy.
Venue: Downtown Siloam Springs
Date: April 25-27
More Information: Click Here
Earth Day Garden Market | Fayetteville
Make plans to celebrate Earth Day 2025 at the Botanical Garden of the Ozarks. The celebration will be a family-friendly outdoor event that includes educational & environmental activities, crafts and games. You can enjoy live music, get a snack at food trucks, visit booths featuring a variety of community partners, and explore six cultivated acres of spring garden beauty!
Venue: Botanical Garden of the Ozarks
Date: April 26
More Information: Click Here
James Black’s Bowie Heritage Festival |Washington
This Arkansas spring festival is a celebration of James Black, the blade-smith who created the first Bowie Knife for Jim Bowie in the Arkansas town of Washington. At this festival you can also experience a wide range of Arkansas heritage crafts and trades.
Venue: Historic Washington
Date: April 25-26
More Information: Click Here
Arkansas Pie Festival | Cherokee Village
This festival is a competition between commercial pie makers, home chefs, and students. Attendees will be able to sample pies of all varieties before crowning a people’s choice. In addition, there is a 5K, a pie-eating contest, a pie-throwing contest and more.
Venue: Cherokee Village
Date: April 26
More Information: Click Here
The festival lineup is FULL this month. You can also check out these other great events happening around the state at the Robinson Center Performance Hall , Murphy Arts District and the Walton Arts Center. Don’t forget to check out the schedule and grab some tickets to watch some baseball action and cheer on the Arkansas Naturals or the Arkansas Travelers this April!
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