The Pea Island National Wildlife Refuge will host a series of beach cleanups along the beaches of the refuge throughout the summer, and volunteers from the community are invited to attend! Those who would like to participate are asked to meet at the Pea Island National Wildlife Refuge Visitors Center—which is located at 14500 N.C. Highway 12 in Rodanthe, N.C.

These beach cleanups will be held as scheduled weather permitting, and participants are encouraged to wear comfortable clothing, sturdy shoes and work gloves. For more information, please contact the Pea Island National Wildlife Refuge Visitors Center at 252-987-2394. 

Celebrate summer at the 18th Annual OBX Watermelon Festival on Thursday, August 1st from 10:00 AM – 4:00 PM at Kitty Hawk Kites, Jockey's Ridge Crossing, in Nags Head. This event is FREE to the public. Enjoy the following activities.
Event T-Shirt Tie Dye Station (provided by Food Lion)
Watermelon station
Watermelon-themed competitions
Watermelon Flip Cup
Watermelon Bowling
Watermelon Eating Contest
Arts and Crafts Watermelon Wind Socks
Splash Blast
Face Painting (provided by The Lost Colony)
Rock Wall
Food Trucks

Widely known for its rich history of saving souls in peril from the sea, the Chicamacomico Life-Saving Station has, for many years, provided a re-enactment of the beach apparatus rescue drill, recognized as an integral part of the Life-Saving Service. Meet on the porch promptly at 2 and hear an introduction to the history of Ocean rescues from the early 1800’s to present before proceeding out to the drill field where Chicamacomico’s Drill team will explain the equipment, and conduct the drill culminating with the rescue of a lucky kid from the audience. This event is free.

There are some great movies coming to The Pioneer Theater in August. Movie titles, dates, and times are listed below. The perfect activity for a rainy day at the beach. See the event webpage for details and to purchase tickets ahead.

Point Break (2015 version) on July 30, 31, and Aug 1 at 7:30 pm

Los Frikis (2024) on Aug 2 at 8pm, Aug 3 &4 at 7:30 pm

Dirty Dancing (1987) on Aug 2, 3, & 4 at 2 pm and Aug 6, 7, 8 at 7:30 pm

Frozen (2013) on Aug 9, 10, 11, 13, 14, & 15 at 7:30 pm

Cars (2006) on Aug 16, 17, 18, 20, 21, & 22 at 2 pm

Skyfall (2012) on Aug 16, 17, 18, 20, 21, & 22 at 7:30 pm

Beauty and the Beast (1991) Aug 24, 25, 27, 28, & 29 at 7:30 pm

Come to Dowdy Park for Fitness Fridays. Enjoy family friendly free fitness classes including Tai Chi, Pilates, and Balance & Stretch classes. This event is free, and open to all ages and/or levels of fitness experience. This event recurs every Friday until August 16, 2024.

It’s Summer time on the Outer Banks. Get your morning started right by adding fun and fitness to your vacation. Enjoy a flat fast paced run/walk through beautiful Kinnakeet Shores in Avon, NC part of the Cape Hatteras National Seashore. Everyone gets a T-shirt, unique finisher medal and chip timing. Awards to the top 3 male and female in the Overall, 1st place Youth boy/girl (14 & under) and 1st Place M/F Masters (40 & Over). A light post - race breakfast and refreshments provided at the finish line. See event details for more information.

Surface and Undercurrents: Influences from Iceland, the Arctic & the Anthropocene is a collaborative group exhibition that explores environmental themes. Ideas for this exhibit were developed during the artists' retreat in Iceland during the summer of 2023. The exhibition features work by North Carolina artists Lisa LeMair, Christina Weisner, Chistopher Proto, Emily Holmes, Wendy Allen, Scott Solter and Ashley Paskov. Surface and Undercurrents: Influences from Iceland, the Arctic & the Anthropocene will be on display in the Courtroom Gallery August 2-31, 2024.

There will be an opening reception on Friday, August 2 from 6pm to 8pm, where visitors can meet Lisa LeMair, Christina Weisner, Chistopher Proto, Emily Holmes, Wendy Allen, Scott Solter and Ashley Paskov and view their work.

The opening reception is during downtown Manteo's First Friday festivities, and is free and open to the public.

In August the Vault Gallery will feature porcelain pieces by Pamela Lassiter. Pamela's work is inspired by the natural environment of her home on Hatteras Island. The body of work in this exhibition is a reflection of the life and patterns that she sees on the island. The various organic forms and processes develop from studying the oceans movements. Pamela is fascinated by the tide as it ebbs and flows creating dynamic patterns in the sand. These patterns are interpreted through a process of carving and adding coils to wheel thrown and altered or hand built forms.

Sea and Sand will be on display in the Vault Gallery August 2-31, 2024.

​There will be an opening reception on Friday, August 2 from 6pm to 8pm, where visitors can meet Pamela and view her work.The opening reception is during downtown Manteo's First Friday festivities and is free and open to the public.​ 

Take a stroll along the shaded street in Ocracoke village and you’ll naturally notice the town’s love of all-things fig. Fig trees are everywhere in this coastal town, and during this annual celebration, visitors and locals alike can celebrate the fig through a myriad of music, dancing, history, activities, and of course, plenty of fig goodies.

This two-day event features a wealth of activities that take place at the Ocracoke Preservation Museum, or the nearby Community Square in the heart of the village. Visitors can enjoy a Traditional Ocracoke Square Dance with caller Philip Howard and music by Molasses Creek on the initial night, and then dance the night away with local music. On Saturday, enjoy a Fig Cake Bake-Off, plenty of fig cake samples, a “fig marketplace” with plenty of arts, crafts and baked goods, and lots of games and family-oriented activities for visitors of all ages. With historical programs along the way that explain the significance of the fig in this small coastal village, visitors can enjoy a wealth of educational activities, good times, fun and games, and lots and lots of fig fare at this delicious festival that puts the humble fig in the spotlight. This event is free and open to the public. See the event website for a schedule of events.

There are some great movies coming to The Pioneer Theater in August. Movie titles, dates, and times are listed below. The perfect activity for a rainy day at the beach. See the event webpage for details and to purchase tickets ahead.

Point Break (2015 version) on July 30, 31, and Aug 1 at 7:30 pm

Los Frikis (2024) on Aug 2 at 8pm, Aug 3 &4 at 7:30 pm

Dirty Dancing (1987) on Aug 2, 3, & 4 at 2 pm and Aug 6, 7, 8 at 7:30 pm

Frozen (2013) on Aug 9, 10, 11, 13, 14, & 15 at 7:30 pm

Cars (2006) on Aug 16, 17, 18, 20, 21, & 22 at 2 pm

Skyfall (2012) on Aug 16, 17, 18, 20, 21, & 22 at 7:30 pm

Beauty and the Beast (1991) Aug 24, 25, 27, 28, & 29 at 7:30 pm

First Friday is a fun-filled, family-oriented event held the first Friday of each month, in historic downtown Manteo. The sidewalks pulse with live music, magic, artisans, and much more. The Manteo Stroll featuring celebrations, specials, art openings, sales and more inside Manteo galleries, shops and restaurants also happens during First Friday.

There are some great movies coming to The Pioneer Theater in August. Movie titles, dates, and times are listed below. The perfect activity for a rainy day at the beach. See the event webpage for details and to purchase tickets ahead.

Point Break (2015 version) on July 30, 31, and Aug 1 at 7:30 pm

Los Frikis (2024) on Aug 2 at 8pm, Aug 3 &4 at 7:30 pm

Dirty Dancing (1987) on Aug 2, 3, & 4 at 2 pm and Aug 6, 7, 8 at 7:30 pm

Frozen (2013) on Aug 9, 10, 11, 13, 14, & 15 at 7:30 pm

Cars (2006) on Aug 16, 17, 18, 20, 21, & 22 at 2 pm

Skyfall (2012) on Aug 16, 17, 18, 20, 21, & 22 at 7:30 pm

Beauty and the Beast (1991) Aug 24, 25, 27, 28, & 29 at 7:30 pm