If music and the fine arts are your passion, Kernersville has a lot to offer. The sounds of local and regional artists can be heard at several venues downtown on Friday and Saturday evenings. Local retail stores provide free country, bluegrass and other genres of music. Christian concerts and Gospel singing are often held in Harmon Park. Music at Twilight concerts are held at the Paul J. Ciener Botanical Garden during the summer months. All musical performances are offered free of charge.
“The Kernersville Spring Folly is just one event that our family enjoys in Kernersville! We won’t miss going home without a funnel cake.” — Kernersville resident
Kernersville is known for its big music festivals. With music on two stages, Spring Folly is held the first full weekend of May each year, bringing in excess of 30,000 people downtown. Ranked as a top 20 festival in the Southeastern United States, Spring Folly also includes an art show, classic car show, carnival rides and specialty entertainment, in addition to tasty festival food. The third Saturday of August, the Honeybee Festival is held at 4th of July Park, with live music and crafters taking the biggest spotlight.
July 4 attracts thousands of people to celebrate Independence Day. A two-hour up-tempo concert gets the crowd pumped for the fireworks display. The central viewing location for the concert and fireworks is the Raider football field at Kernersville Elementary School, although it can be viewed from many locations around town.
July 4 features a festive community parade while Kernersville’s annual Christmas Parade, typically held the first Sunday of December, is the Triad’s largest Christmas parade. The other major community-wide gathering is the Downtown Trick-or-Treat. Monitored by the Kernersville Police Department, it is a safe place for young children to trick-or-treat on Halloween.
Kernersville Little Theatre gives local actors an opportunity to perform in one of their four major shows each year. KLT has also placed a priority on getting children excited about the arts. As Oscar Wilde once said, “The stage is not merely the meeting place of all the arts, but is also the return of art to life.” KLT has often had its actors participate in community events, such as playing the role of historic Kernersville characters at Spring Folly.
Kernersville has its own arts & craft guild and several writers groups for creative types.
Kernersville has its own movie theater, bowling alley and roller skating rink. Countryside Cinema shows recent release movies, and Countryside Lanes attracts bowlers of all ages.