There was a particular giddy buzz in the air at Paddy’s Irish Pub on Raeford Road Saturday night — and it wasn’t just from the preview of the new Dogwood Festival signature cocktails.
Organizers of the 2025 Dogwood Festival revealed their plans for the 43rd annual celebration during a media night, promising a weekend of music, fun and community spirit.
This year’s Fayetteville Dogwood Festival will be held from April 25 to April 27, featuring a new cookoff event and country star headliners. The Dogwood Festival is the largest of Fayetteville’s family-friendly festivals, with the event entertaining around 250,000 festival-goers, according to the festival’s website.
The festival kicks off with Cork & Fork
The festival begins on Thursday, April 24, with the exclusive Cork & Fork food and wine event hosted in Festival Park. Advertised as “the event built around you,” attendees will sample small bites from local chefs and sip wine. The event kicks off a four-day concert run, along with carnival rides and a kid’s area and some bites to eat. This event is held exclusively for sponsors and ticket holders.
This year, the festival is partnering with Off-Road Outreach, a local nonprofit organization that helps veterans, specifically those who are at-risk or experiencing homelessness. A percentage of the ticket sales from Cork & Fork will go directly to the veteran outreach organization. The program was founded in 2015 and is run by Executive Director Stacey Buckner.
Buckner expressed excitement about being part of this year’s festival.
“I was born and raised here, so the Dogwood Festival has been a part of what we do in the community,” Buckner said. “A percentage of the proceeds will go back to our organization to help with our missions and the veterans we serve.
“We have a homeless vet program, a ‘Veggies for Vets’ program, and a suicide prevention program,” Buckner continued. “We’re really compassionate and make sure the veterans we serve are treated with dignity. We have mobile showers and mobile laundry — basically the essentials to get you out of survival mode.”
Look for Buckner at the Off-Road Outreach table at the festival and Cork & Fork. More information about this ticketed event will be announced soon.
Fridays are for rock ‘n’ roll
5-11 p.m. | Festival Park
On Friday, the festival returns to Festival Park to rock ‘n’ roll for the second night of the free concert series. The live music lineup showcases electrifying local bands to kick off the official start of the weekend. Slated to play are The Simpletones, Fear State and Echostone; fireworks will follow the event.
Country stars headline Saturday night
Noon to 11 p.m. | Downtown Fayetteville
“Country is king around here,” Curtis Jordan, the entertainment chair on the Dogwood Festival Board of Directors, informed those present at the media night Saturday. So, organizers found some of the hottest names in country music to headline this year’s festival.
Saturday’s lineup features local favorite The Guy Unger Band, along with rising star Nicholas Vernon. Vernon is the 2024 winner of the CCMA Male Artist of the Year. In 2023, he was nominated for Male Artist of the Year and Entertainer of the Year.
National recording artist and Canadian-born singer-songwriter Josh Ross, known for songs like “Single Again” and “Leave Me Too,” will also perform. Headlining Saturday night will be Drew Baldridge, best known for his hits “She’s Somebody’s Daughter” and “Tough People.”
New director taking the reins
Kaylynn Suarez is the new executive director of the festival this year and promises a fresh perspective to the event. Suarez announced at Saturday’s media event that the Dogwood Festival will also include a Grand Car Show, featuring a collection of classic, custom, and modern automobiles. The board also has plans to bring back the family-friendly Fayetteville After Five — held the second Friday of June, July and August — and the Fall Festival, similar to the spring festival, but with the twist of fall fun.
A wing cookoff: 2025’s newest event
The festival will host its first-ever “Cooking for a Cause: A Wing Cook-Off,” sponsored by Sam’s Club and hosted by Fayetteville’s inventor of Flip Flop Sauce, Carl Pringle.
Suarez says the cookoff is all about “coming together over great food for a great cause.” The event will support Pringle’s mission to feed Fayetteville’s unhoused population and bring the community together through outreach events.
Signature cocktails
Patrick Gibney of Paddy’s Irish Pub debuted four Dogwood Festival signature cocktails on Saturday night. They were:
- Just Peachy Old Fashioned, made with aromatic bitters, house-made peach puree, bourbon and a sugar cube.
- Paddy’s Summer Colada, made with clarified pina colada, Malibu rum, coconut water, lime and pineapple juices and a house-made strawberry foam.
- Rosemary Spritz, made with gin, rosemary syrup, prosecco, and a rosemary twig.
- The Dogwood, made with vodka, hibiscus tea, tart cherry juice, lemon juice, and simple syrup.
The cocktails were crafted by Paddy’s expert mixologist and are not to be missed.
This year’s festival will be bigger than the last
Johanna Brumm, the Dogwood Festival Board of Directors interim chair, said this year’s festival will be bigger than the previous one.
“This is by far the biggest festival, and you have more diversity when it comes to the events, the music, the kids’ zone, and rides. I like it because it brings in such a diverse group of people from all over the state. It will be bigger than last year. It really checks all the boxes,” Brumm said.
For families and making memories
When asked why Fayetteville residents should attend the festival, Brumm shared her personal experience.
“I have childhood memories of attending with my family, so it’s especially for families. If you have young kids, it’s such a fun annual activity to start and make memories with your family.
“There are so many things to do, like shopping, the kids’ zone, and the food. We have lots of food trucks coming this year. That’s what I remember when I think of the Dogwood Festival,” Brumm said. “It’s the fun family memories.”
The 43rd Fayetteville Dogwood Festival is a free community event. More details about the festival are forthcoming. For now, visit thedogwoodfestival.com for more information.
