03/05/2025 to 03/08/2025
A Rich & Diverse History of Rice Farming
Celebrate the area's rich and diverse cultural history at this year's NC Rice Festival! This annual event educates and entertains while exposing festival-goers to the unique rice-growing culture of Brunswick County, its connection to the Rice Coast of Africa, and its unique status as the northernmost area of the Gullah Geechee Cultural Heritage Corridor.
The 2025 NC Rice Festival Events
Introducing the NC Rice Festival
- Wednesday, March 5, 2025 | 6:00 pm | Tickets available online
- Introducing the NC Rice Festival: Come view two NCRF-produced video documentaries and hear local historians' and descendants' presentations for those who are unfamiliar with the Festival or Brunswick County’s rich history of rice cultivation and Gullah Geechee heritage. FREE, but seating limited.
- 1224 Magnolia Village Way, Leland, NC
Ancestry Reveal Event
- Thursday, March 6, 2025 | 6:00 pm | Tickets available online
- Join local residents as they explore the ancestral connections between their families and the people of West Africa’s Rice Coast with help from DNA and AfricanAncestry.com.
- Navassa Community Center, 338 Main Street, Navassa, NC
Dedication of The Reaves Chapel
- Friday, March 7, 2025 | 1:00 pm to 2:30 pm | By invitation only
- Hosted by North Carolina Rice Festival, Inc., the North Carolina Coastal Land Trust, and the Cedar Hill/West Bank Heritage Foundation, state and local dignitaries, organizational representatives, and community partners will join together to mark this historic site on an historic day. The Chapel will remain open to the public after the Dedication ceremony from 2:30 pm to 4:00 pm on March 7th and from 12:00 pm to 4:00 pm on March 8th.
- 2024 Cedar Hill Road NE, Navassa, NC
Gullah Geechee Cultural Heritage Gala
- Friday, March 7, 2025 | 5:00 pm | Tickets available online
- Enjoy a low-country inspired menu from award-winning Festival Culinarian, Chef Keith Rhodes, as well as Gullah Geechee performing artists, a silent auction, and an overall great time at this ticketed event.
- Leland Cultural Arts Center (LCAC), 1212 Magnolia Village Way, Leland, NC
NC Rice Festival
- Saturday, March 8, 2025 | 10:00 am to 5:30 pm | Free & open to the public
- Celebrate the culmination of the festival with indoor and outdoor activities, historical and cultural presentations, live entertainment, arts and crafts, family fun, a children's stage, and food trucks!
- Brunswick Town Fort Anderson, 8884 St. Phillips Road SE, Winnabow, NC
For more details on the North Carolina Rice Festival, visit https://www.northcarolinaricefestival.org/.
