Due to COVID-19 pandemic restrictions, the Ocracoke community will celebrate the summer’s fig bounty in a new and innovative way Aug. 1 to 8 as many of the festival’s usual elements will be transferred to online versions.
During the week-long event, festival attendees on and off the island can tune in to the Ocracoke Fig Festival’s YouTube channel or Facebook page for daily videos on how to preserve, bake and cook with figs, village fig tree tours, and interviews with island “fignitaries.”
During the fig season, island restaurants will offer fig-infused menu items both savory and sweet.
Local shops will stock this year’s selection of fig preserves, so you can take some Ocracoke sweetness home with you. If you’re not on the island, you can order fig preserves from the OPS gift shop website at ocracokepreservation.org, or festival vendors. The website also features a traditional Ocracoke fig cake recipe.
To show appreciation for the festival’s longtime vendors, the Facebook page will showcase their merchandise and provide contact information.
All are welcome to enter a cake in the Virtual Fig Cake Bake-Off. Bakers will be invited to submit photos, videos, and recipes for the Fig Festival virtual attendees to vote on.
In addition, the Fig Festival will offer our annual raffle basket of T-shirts and other gift shop merchandise.
The original 2020 Fig Festival art by Charma Casey will be raffled.
The Fig Festival will also sponsor a fig photo contest. Details on both contests will be posted on the OPS website in July.
Mark your calendars for the next in-person Fig Festival on August 5 to 7, 2021.
For more information, contact Sundae Horn, 252-921-0283, or Andrea Powers, 252-928-7375.
The Ocracoke Preservation Society is a 501c-3 non-profit, community-based organization dedicated to the preservation of Ocracoke Island’s rich historical and cultural heritage.
