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Fire in the Pines Festival

Enjoy fun games, food, hayrides, cool plants and a controlled burn demonstration!

A young person wears a red hard hat and holds a drip torch in front of a festival sign.
Fire in the Pines Festival An annual event held in Wilmington, North Carolina. The goal is to raise awareness of the benefits of controlled burning in longleaf pine forests. © Aris Harding
Event Overview

Please note: There will be no parking on site. Park at Lifepoint Church (on College Rd & 17th St) and take the FREE trolley!

Fire in the Pines is the best way to discover the magic of longleaf pine forests—and why fire helps them stay healthy and strong. Kids and grown-ups alike can enjoy games, cool demonstrations and even watch a real-life controlled burn (safely, of course!).

Did you know that without fire, longleaf pine forests in the Southeast could disappear? So could some of the cool plants and animals that live there—like red-cockaded woodpeckers, Venus flytraps, and other rare plants that actually need fire to grow and survive. It’s wild, but true!

Join all the fun!

  • Kids Activities: crafts, games, animal displays, hayrides and more.
  • Live Music by Folkstone Stringband
  • Food Trucks
  • Live Controlled Burn Demonstration!
Fire in the Pines Festival (3:13) Join your friends, family, and community members at the biggest longleaf pine festival in Wilmington, NC.

Why do people come every year?

Get a sneak peek of all the fun you will have!

Little girl giving a person on a bobwhite quail costume a high five.
Kid holding a firefighter water hose.
People at a hayride.
People seeing a controlled burn.
Little girl giving a person on a bobwhite quail costume a high five.

Burner Bob : Burner Bob raises awareness on the importance of controlled burning in longleaf forests/ © Aris Harding

Kid holding a firefighter water hose.

Fire in the Pines Festival: At this festival, there are a lot of activities for kids, including crafts, games, hayrides, and demonstrations of fire equipment. © Aris Harding

People at a hayride.

Hayride at Fire in the Pines : At this festival, there are a lot of activities for kids, including crafts, games, hayrides, and demonstrations of fire equipment. © Aris Harding

People seeing a controlled burn.

Controlled Burn Demonstration: At the Fire in the Pines Festival, people experience how fire practitioners do a controlled burn in the forest. © Aris Harding