"The best ROI wasn't necessarily what was best for our community." That's how Lee Nettles, executive director of the Outer Banks Visitors Bureau, described the moment plans for the Soundside Event Site turned away from a hotel and toward something else. What got built is the half-mile Soundside Boardwalk at 6800 S. Croatan Highway. It officially opened on April 22, 2026, alongside Earth & Art OBX and the spring Soundside Market.
This fall is the first one with the boardwalk open, so you can use the site on any ordinary day. You can also expect it to be packed several Saturdays in a row. Each of those events has its own rules for parking, pets and getting in.
The Hotel That Was Never Built
The Event Site took close to 20 years to become what it is now. The Dare County Tourism Board bought the three original lawn parcels in 2007 and 2008. In 2010, a feasibility study looked at a meeting and gala facility of 25,000 to 45,000 square feet. By 2012, the site's limits on parking, septic capacity and buildable footprint had changed the plan. It became a hotel with meeting space, and the event portion shrank to about 15,000 square feet.
Public feedback then pushed back on that plan. As Nettles told the Outer Banks Voice, "People didn't want occupancy tax dollars going toward the development of a hotel that would compete with private businesses."
So the money went to the shoreline instead. The Tourism Board spent more than $3 million on the boardwalk, and the Visitors Bureau manages it. The boardwalk runs west from the Event Site lawn toward the sound and marsh, then curves around First Flight Adventure Park, where you can watch climbers on the park's 50-foot agility course. It ends at a large gazebo overlooking Roanoke Sound.
What The Site Is Like On A Regular Day
On days with no event, the lawn and boardwalk work like a public park. The Visitors Bureau lists the outdoor areas as open to the public. Dogs are welcome on a leash as long as they follow the posted rules. The boardwalk is wide, level and stable, so it works for wheelchairs, mobility devices and strollers. That's unusual for a walk out to the sound on this stretch of the Outer Banks.
The Bureau doesn't post fixed daily hours or an admission fee for the boardwalk. Its visitor page does say that special events can change access, parking and site setup, and it suggests checking the events calendar before you go. That matters more in the weeks ahead than at any other time this year, because the calendar is about to fill up.
Three Saturdays, Three Sets Of Rules
The fall events here have different organizers, and each one handles parking, admission and pets its own way. Here is how this fall lines up:
| Date | Event | Admission | Getting there | Pets |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sat., Oct. 17 | Outer Banks Seafood Festival, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. | $20 for ages 13 and up; 12 and under free with a paying adult | No general parking on site; free shuttles from two lots, or walk or bike in on multi-use paths | Not allowed on grounds or shuttles |
| Sat., Oct. 24 | 10th Annual OBX Brewtag, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. | Free | Parking at the Event Site, Outer Banks Outlet Mall and Nags Head Elementary; shuttles 11 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. | Not stated in event listings |
| Sat., Nov. 14 | GrassFed Bluegrass Music Festival, noon start | Ticketed through Etix | Check before you go | Not stated in event listings |
| Sun., Nov. 22, Nov. 29, Dec. 13 | Soundside Holiday Markets, noon to 4 p.m. | Not stated | Not stated | Not stated |
Two weekends a week apart show how different the rules can be. If you drive to the site on October 17, you won't find general parking there. If you drive there on October 24, you will. A walk with the dog that's fine on most days isn't allowed on October 17, either on the grounds or on the shuttle buses.
October 17: The Seafood Festival Keeps Cars Off The Lawn
The Outer Banks Seafood Festival fills the lawn from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Saturday, October 17. General admission is $20 for ages 13 and up. Children 12 and under get in free with a paying adult. The festival's Eventbrite listing says general admission comes with $10 in beverage and merchandise bucks. The same page shows prices "From $23.18," so plan on $20 plus fees at checkout.
There's no on-site parking for festivalgoers. Free shuttles run from 9:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. from two lots: Nags Head Elementary School at 3100 S. Wrightsville Ave., and The ARK Church at 113 Villa Dunes Dr. Buses come about every half hour or more often. The organizers note that accessible parking and an accessible bus are available. Organizers also encourage walking and biking, since multi-use paths lead straight to the site. Bike racks are free, though you'll need your own lock, and pedestrians should cross Route 158 only at the designated crosswalks. VIP tickets come with reserved parking at the former Pamlico Jack's lot, just north of the festival entrance.
The festival raises money for its Seafood Festival Endowment Fund. The fund supports the local fishing community with needs such as medical emergencies and equipment repairs.
October 24: Brewtag Opens Up Parking Again
A week later, the 10th Annual OBX Brewtag returns from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Admission is free. Kitty Hawk Kites & Adventures presents the event, which is fitting given who runs the adventure park along the boardwalk. The main event is a contest to see which team's homemade contraption can launch an empty keg the farthest. Local beer, food and activities for kids fill out the day.
This time, the Event Site has public parking, along with lots at the Outer Banks Outlet Mall and Nags Head Elementary. Shuttles run from 11 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. Net proceeds go to the Rogallo Foundation.
November 14: A Full Day Of Bluegrass
GrassFed Bluegrass comes back for its second year on Saturday, November 14. Doors open at 11:30 a.m. and the music starts at noon. Local event coverage lists the main event as running until 9 p.m. The lineup includes:
- Shadowgrass
- East Nash Grass
- Broken Compass Bluegrass
- Frontporch
- Pickety Split
- Redbud
- All She Wrote
- Podunk Ramblers
Etix shows all-in prices of $71.52 for general admission (ages 13 and up), $115.29 for VIP and $26.42 for children 5 to 12. Children under 5 get in free with an adult general admission ticket. The Visitors Bureau's listing gives a Kill Devil Hills location, but the ticket page places the festival at the Soundside Event Site in Nags Head. The festival is at 6800 S. Croatan Highway.
The Season Winds Down At Thanksgiving
The Soundside Markets schedule has no market date in October. Its 2026 section lists the Holiday Market on three Sundays, November 22, November 29 and December 13, each from noon to 4 p.m. The Visitors Bureau's fall guide promises photos with Santa Claus and Buddy the Elf from 1 to 3 p.m. and with the Grinch from 3 to 4 p.m. The markets also offer a live campfire, Christmas music, food trucks and more than 70 local makers and artisans.
November 22 is the longest of the three days. The market's special event runs from 1 p.m. until sunset, and the town tree lighting is at 5:15 p.m.
The ropes course you pass on the boardwalk closes for the year around the same time. First Flight Adventure Park's posted season runs from March 20 through Thanksgiving, which falls on November 26 this year. The park says it plans to stay open through November, weather permitting, and asks visitors to reserve through its live calendar because it doesn't post fixed fall hours. So the holiday markets fall on either side of the park's closing. The November 22 and 29 markets come just before and just after Thanksgiving, and the December 13 market is the only date on the schedule after the park closes.
After the December 13 market, the lawn has no more events on this schedule, and the climbers are gone for the season. What's left is the half-mile boardwalk, open to the public like it has been since April, ending at the gazebo over Roanoke Sound.
At Outer Banks Realty Solutions, we pay attention to how places like the Soundside Event Site change everyday life on the soundside of Nags Head, from shuttle routes to new public access to the water. If you'd like to talk through what this side of town is like before you make a move here, Schedule a Free Local Consultation.
