Chicks, piglets and more highlight Got to Be NC festival

The Got to Be NC Festival is happening this weekend. The annual event serves as a precursor to the N.C. State Fair, which happens every fall.

Posted 11:00 a.m. May 18 — Updated 11:00 a.m. May 18

RALEIGH, N.C. — The Got to Be NC Festival is happening this weekend. The annual event serves as a precursor to the N.C. State Fair, which happens every fall.

The Got to Be NC Festival is free to attend and will run May 19-21, 2023, at the North Carolina State Fairgrounds in Raleigh. Parking is also free.

The festival gates open at noon on Friday.

There will be carnival rides, local vendors, antique farm equipment, carnival rides and other activities.

Some highlights to check out:

The Agri-Plaza inside the Jim Graham Building will be home to a variety of animals including alpacas, goats, pigs and pardoned Thanksgiving turkeys. It is home to the Butterfly Barn inside the Agri-Plaza and features information about butterfly life cycles and their migration pattern. The space is also where the Carolina Cooker Skillet Skee-Ball will be happening. This event will feature fried eggs and cast iron skillets. Also be sure to see some baby chicks hatch live in one of the incubators inside the building. The building is also home to the Pig Patch Birthing Center where you can see some piglets.
Enjoy live music on the Homegrown Music Stage
Watch Kenya Safari Acrobats perform some amazing stunts outside of the Exposition Center and the Grandstand.
See the King BMX Stunt Show outside between Dorton Arena and the Graham Building.
Enjoy an antique tractor pull at the Grandstand on Saturday afternoon.