08/19/2026
On September 21st, the Mayberry Days Festival gets underway in the town of Mount Airy, North Carolina…bringing all of your favorite characters from the iconic Andy Griffith Show to life in the little NC town that inspired Mayberry! Running September 21–27, 2026, the weeklong celebration fills Andy Griffith’s hometown with fans of the classic show. One of the biggest highlights comes Saturday morning with the Mayberry Days Parade, when squad cars, marching bands, special guests, fan clubs, and tribute actors portraying familiar Mayberry faces travel down Main and Rockford streets. Throughout the week, visitors can enjoy live shows, autograph sessions, guided tours, trivia, checkers, music, screenings, pork chop sandwiches, and the Sunday Mayberry Days Chapel service. Events are held around favorites like the Andy Griffith Playhouse, Andy Griffith Museum, Historic Earle Theatre, and Blackmon Amphitheatre. The festival actually began in 1990 as a one-day celebration of the show’s 30th anniversary before growing into the weeklong tradition it is today. Andy Griffith himself returned in 2004 for the unveiling of Mount Airy’s “Andy and Opie” statue.