Press Release
Even figs flirt at a safe social distance!
Even figs flirt at a safe social distance!

Due to COVID-19 restrictions, the Ocracoke community will celebrate the summer’s fig bounty in a new and innovative way August 1–8, 2020.

The annual event will celebrate Ocracoke Island’s “Sweetest Tradition” with a week of online videos of cooking demonstrations, interviews, music, and village walk-abouts. Join in for raffles, online vendor sales, and a Virtual Fig Cake Bake-Off!

Many of the festival’s usual elements will be transformed into online versions.

During the weeklong 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 (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! The Fig Festival is also sponsoring 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 5-7, 2021.

For more information, contact Sundae Horn (252-921-0283) or Andrea Powers (252-928-7375).