ELIZABETH CITY, N.C. - Po-tay-toe, po-tah-toe. Either way you say it, potatoes are delicious and this weekend, a big celebration of all things spud returns to Elizabeth City.
The North Carolina Potato Festival runs Friday, May 19 through Sunday, May 21. The opening ceremony kicks off Friday at 5:30 p.m., followed by a weekend of (obviously) potatoes, plus plenty more food, arts, music and contests, including the potato peeling competition and Little Miss Tater Tot.
The festival, which started in 1940, celebrates eastern North Carolina's history of farming potatoes.
According to organizers, North Carolina farms produce around 3.2 million pounds of potatoes each year, adding around $23 million to the state economy.
Attendance for the 2022 Potato Festival was more than 50,000 with around 41,000 unique visitors. This marks a sharp increase in the number of visitors: Organizers say around 35,000 attended the festival pre-COVID. Deborah Malenfant with Elizabeth City tells News 3 that the festival costs around $100,000 to put on, but visitors spend between $1.5 million and $2 million. She says the festival has a strong economic impact on the city.
"The sales tax impact on our local economy, staying in hotel rooms and being able to visit not only the vendors and activities happening at Potato Festival, but the downtown businesses themselves. All of our businesses will be open throughout the weekend, the restaurants,” said Malenfant.
The theme for the 2023 festival is Healthcare.
It runs from 5 p.m. - 11 p.m. on Friday, 10 a.m. - 11 p.m. on Saturday and 10 a.m. - 6 p.m. on Sunday.
Saturday, starting at 10 a.m., the festival will offer free french fries while supplies last.
The event will impact several blocks of Water St., and parts of Main St. and Ehringhaus St.
