Despite being postponed, 5th annual Hatteras Village Waterfowl Festival is bigger than ever

March 24, 2025 | Island Features | By: Joy Crist

The Hatteras Village Waterfowl Festival returned to Hatteras Island on March 22, and despite being postponed from its original February timeframe due to a winter storm, the fifth annual event was more popular than ever before.

“Even though it was postponed, we only had one vendor who canceled,” said event manager Karla Jarvis. “We had 84 chairs set up in the tent for the falcon show and we had to get more, so there’s been more people than in past years.”

“We had been talking about moving it to March anyway, because that’s really when the migration season begins,” said Jarvis. “And since it seems like we have more visitors this time of year, we’ll definitely revisit the timeframe for 2026.”

Saturday was filled with a rotation of activities at three locations: the Hatteras Village Civic Center, the Hatteras Island Ocean Center, and the Hatteras Community Building.

The Hatteras Village Civic Center was at the heart of the action, with vendors and exhibits like the Cape Hatteras Secondary School (CHSS) Art Show and a silent auction.

A favorite attendee who made a big impression was an exceptionally friendly barn owl who could be held and petted with ease. Another exhibit that was a highlight for many attendees was the collection of duck decoys, which garnered appreciation for their local ties to Hatteras Island.

At the outdoor tent adjacent to the Civic Center, highlights of the day included two demonstrations by Hawk Manor Falconry of Lillington, N.C., which drew the event’s largest crowds.

The outdoor event space was also the site of the annual duck call competition, with awards given to the top Open Division and Junior Division callers, based on their ability to master a mallard mating call, feed call, and comeback call, as well as their overall calling skills.

Photo by Hatteras Village Waterfowl Festival

The winners in the duck call competition are as follows:

Junior Division:

First Place: Ryan Oden
Second Place: Finn Vann

Open Division:

First Place: Ryan Vann
Second Place: Johnny Fairbanks

At the Hatteras Community Building, students were guided through a painting of this year’s featured and feathered subject – the wood duck – while the Hatteras Island Ocean Center served as a launching point for craft projects and self-guided bird walks, which were an especially popular activity due to the breezy but sunny weather.

With hundreds of attendees migrating through the many activities and events throughout the day, the fifth annual Hatteras Village Waterfowl Festival drew a large crowd in an otherwise sleepy tourism season. Despite the postponement, the March event dates meant that many newcomers could discover the popular annual festival for the very first time.

“I think there’s definitely been more people this year,” said Jarvis. “It could be the later time of year, or it could just be that it’s growing, but we’re happy with the turnout either way.”

For more information on Saturday’s festivities, including local vendors and presenters, visit http://hatterasonmymind.com/HVCA/WaterfowlFestival/.