The festive state of West Virginia
Bridge Day and Bluegrass, Apple Butter, The Rocket Boys and George Washington's Bathtub! There is a special event in West Virginia for anyone interested in experiencing the Mountain State's unique culture. While many travellers choose the state to bike, hike and raft, many others find themselves participating in the small towns' celebrations of monuments, music and food, with hundreds of fairs and festivals held annually.
Many of West Virginia's festivals centre around music and the traditional bluegrass widely associated with this area, with more than 30 music festivals annually. West Virginia music festivals encompass traditional Appalachian Music with echoes of the state's history of Celtic, Scottish, and British ancestry, since West Virginia was largely settled by the Scottish-Irish immigrants.
Bridge Day is a festival held on the third Saturday of every October in Fayetteville to commemorate the 1977 completion of the New River Gorge Bridge. During the festival, the bridge is closed to cars and opened to pedestrians, marking the only day of the year people are allowed to BASE jump from the bridge into the New River Gorge, 267 metres below. Thousands of jumpers, rappellers, and onlookers gather here for West Virginia's biggest annual celebration.
The annual October Sky Festival (October 5-7) will feature four of the Rocket Boys plus other special guests. Festival goers will have a chance to meet the Rocket Boys, enjoy music by area performers and shop from craft and food vendors. One of the featured highlights will be a rocket launch from New River Park's Launchpad in Beckley. The Salem Apple Butter Festival provides live demonstrations of old fashion apple butter making in the form of copper kettles suspended over wood fires and then canned on the spot for purchase.
Held October 4-7 other activities include apple pie baking contests, parade and quilt show.
A popular festival among travellers visiting West Virginia during springtime is the annual three-day, mid-March George Washington's bathtub celebration held in Berkeley Springs, one of George Washington's favourite areas in the States. Washington's actual bathtub still remains in the area as an outdoor monument to the first president. The celebration features dollar specials throughout town, spa treatments and dramatic readings of George Washington's writings about the area of Berkeley Springs.
West Virginia is located in the Appalachian and South-eastern region of the United States. It is widely known for its outdoor adventure, diverse topography, and its political history. For more information about West Virginia, visit wvtourism.com.
