4th Friday Fayetteville NC: Dates, Hours & Parking

This guide covers what happens at each edition, the 2026 season recap, 2027 planning, road closures, parking and where to eat before or after (Cool Spring Downtown District).

4th Friday at a Glance

What Happens at 4th Friday

The district describes the series as a showcase of Fayetteville's visual and performing arts, live music and street performers, with downtown galleries, restaurants and shops staying in the mix (event listing). The visitors bureau adds that buskers work the streets and vendors and food carts set up across the district (DistiNCtly Fayetteville).

From July through October the series adds The District Vibe, a live performance stage plus a beer garden (event listing).

Each month usually carries its own theme. The June 26, 2026 edition, billed as CommUNITY 4th Friday, combined FayPRIDE and Vintage Vegan Fest on Hay and Person streets, a Nerd Market on Maxwell Street and a Food Truck Rodeo on Green and Gillespie streets (Sunny 94.3).

October 23, 2026: District Fall Fest

The long-running October ZombieWalk was on hiatus for 2026, with updates promised for 2027. In its place, the season finale on October 23 ran 6-10 p.m. and included (Cool Spring Downtown District):

• The District Gets Lit, a book crawl with City Center Gallery & Books, Bound & Vine, Chapter House Books and the Cumberland County Public Library
• The Capitol Encore Academy's School of Rock Band, opening for Americana group Evan Blackerby & The Bandwagon on the District Vibe stage
• An Oktoberfest beer garden pouring Gaston Brewing, North/South Brewing, Heckler Brewing and Dirtbag Brewery, among others
• A Fayetteville debut parade performance by Paperhand Puppet Project
• Hayrides, photo spots, crafts vendors, food trucks and games

If the beer garden is your draw, our breweries guide covers those taprooms the rest of the year.

2026 Dates

Source: Cool Spring Downtown District event listing. July and September did not appear in that listing; September 25, 2026 overlapped with the Arts Council's Friday-night kickoff of the International Folk Festival on Hay Street (Arts Council). The 2027 season dates had not been announced as of October 30, 2026.

Road Closures

Streets close in stages. For the October 2025 edition, the 100 block of Person Street closed at 1 p.m., and the 100-300 blocks of Hay Street plus Anderson, Maxwell, Burgess, Donaldson, Green and Gillespie streets closed at 4:30 p.m. (Cool Spring Downtown District). Check the month's event page for that night's plan.

Parking for 4th Friday

• City rules. Paid on-street parking is enforced 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on weekdays. For special events, a $5 flat rate typically applies at city-owned lots and the Hay Street and Franklin Street decks, starting about two hours before the event (Park Fayetteville).
• Decks. The Franklin Street deck at 208 Franklin St has more than 1,000 covered spaces one block off Hay Street; the Hay Street deck at 460 Hay St sits by Segra Stadium (Cool Spring Downtown District parking).
• Arrive early. Closures start in the afternoon, so drive in before 4:30 p.m. if you want to park close to Hay Street.

Make a Night of It

4th Friday works well with dinner downtown; see our best restaurants guide and the downtown Fayetteville guide. The Market House at the foot of Hay Street makes an easy meeting point. For the rest of the year's festivals, see the Fayetteville annual events calendar. If you are exploring downtown before a move or looking for military ticket savings, see our pros and cons of living in Fayetteville and our military discounts guide.