Downtown Hamlet is throwing open Main Street for the 44th Annual Seaboard Festival, a free celebration running from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday with a car show, a 5K, craft and food vendors, live music and activities for children. Organizers expect the daylong event to pull in a crowd that has become a Halloween-weekend tradition in Richmond County.
According to seaboardfestival.com, the festival is held annually in downtown Hamlet on the last Saturday in October and is organized entirely by volunteers through Seaboard Festival Day, Inc., a nonprofit. The Richmond County Daily Journal reports the event typically draws thousands of visitors to downtown Hamlet, with admission free and a diverse mix of craft, commercial, informational and food vendors filling the streets.
This year's edition features the annual 5K, a car show, craft and artisan vendors, live music, local performers and the long-running Conductor's Call contest.
Festival Music Across Downtown
Live music and local dance performances are part of the festival.
The car show runs separately from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Activities for All Ages
The festival includes activities for all ages, along with performances by local dance groups.
The festival is also offering a free kids paint-your-own Halloween bag station, the post notes. A festival map identifies key landmarks for visitors, including the library, City Hall, the Main Street Park Stage, the information tent, the Kids Zone, the Library Stage, the Post Office, the Visitors Center, the Hamlet Depot and the Tornado Building.
Accessibility and Festival Rules
Portable toilets are located throughout the festival area, with accessible units placed at the Hamlet Public Library on 302 Main Street, Lackey Street and McDonald Avenue. An information booth sits in the middle of Main Street near the Post Office for anyone needing directions or help during the day.
The festival prohibits alcohol, animals or pets, coolers, bicycles, skateboards, scooters, radios or amplification, literature distribution and solicitation, per the post.
Sold-Out Vendor Spaces and a History Rooted in Railroads
Vendor interest was strong enough this year that all spaces sold out, though seaboardfestival.com noted the festival was still accepting applications for non-food vendors to be placed on a waiting list. The event's roots trace back decades in downtown Hamlet, though sources differ on exactly when it began: the festival's own website says it was established in 1982, while the Richmond County Daily Journal reports 1983.
Separately, NC Field Family describes the festival's origins as a railroad memorabilia display on Main Street that grew into an annual celebration of Hamlet's railroad heritage. In years past, the event has drawn large crowds of vendors and visitors alike — the 39th Annual Seaboard Festival in 2021 filled Main Street with more than 120 vendors, according to Visit Richmond County.
With free admission, a full slate of music, a car show, a 5K and activities built for kids and adults alike, Saturday's festival continues a tradition that has anchored downtown Hamlet's fall calendar for decades.
