The 39th annual Square Fair – Clinton’s annual street festival and barbecue cook-off – will take place in downtown Clinton on Saturday, Oct. 10, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. The festival will take place in the Sampson County Courthouse Square, in the City Market parking lot, and along Lisbon Street.
A kick-off concert will take place that Friday night, Oct. 9, as part of the Alive After Five music series; Liquid Pleasure, a band from Chapel Hill, will perform that evening from 6-8:45 p.m.
Saturday, live music will be provided by the Carolina Dreamers as well as other groups, mentioned Tyler Wise on Monday. Wise works with Planning and Development as the Main Street manager.
“We’ll have some of the local dance clubs,” Wise added. “We’ll also have Rhythm Express Band – they’re out of the Rocky Mount area.”
Local churches as well as the Coharie Tribe will perform songs and dances at Culture Alley, a new edition to Square Fair.
Culture Alley, Wise clarified, is an “exciting” add-on to the Square Fair this year.
“We’re doing two stages this year,” she explained about Culture Alley. “One on Sampson Street and Vance Street – and that will be where different cultures are able to perform.”
“We’re also going to do an Abigail Carter fashion show there, and that’s to acknowledge her story,” Wise added.
Carter was a woman who lived in Clinton and created bib canvas overalls for her husband who was a railroad engineer. The overalls were patented by Carter in 1859
“This year we’ve actually added food trucks,” Wise also mentioned, “so there will be a few food trucks there.”
The 2026 Square Fair will also include a classic car show.
The Square Fair is sponsored by the North Carolina Arts Council. 130 vendors are scheduled for the event, with 15 barbecue teams set for the cook-off.
“They start Friday evening, cook all through the night, they’re judged by folks associated with the North Carolina Court Council, and then the results will be shared around 2 p.m.,” Wise explained about the barbecue competition.
She noted that as of this week, no further vendor entries or barbecue cook-off entries are being accepted.