Hatteras Village Waterfowl Festival returns Feb. 21-22

Celebrating its sixth year in 2025, the Hatteras Village Waterfowl Festival (HVWF) is returning to Hatteras Island on Friday and Saturday, February 21-22.

“Each year, [the festival] has grown and attracted more people, so we are hoping that trend continues,” said organizer Karla Jarvis of the Hatteras Village Civic Association. “There will be some of the perennial favorites such as the falcon demonstration and guided painting, but we are working on putting some new events into the festival.”

The two-day event will kick off Friday evening with the delicious Fin, Feather, and Bourbon dinner. Small plates featuring seafood and waterfowl will be accompanied by select bourbons, wines, and beer. (The full menu is listed below.) 

Tickets for the Fin, Feather, and Bourbon event are limited and can be purchased online at https://form.jotform.com/223608794296166.

All events on Saturday, February 22, are free and open to the public, and include a wide variety of displays, workshops, vendors, and activities for attendees of all ages.

Hawk Manor Falconry will make an exciting return to the main stage, and attendees will have an interactive experience with birds of prey, learn the history of falconry, and also enjoy flight demonstrations and a simulated hunt. These amazing birds and handlers wowed the crowd in the past, and the 2025 encore performance is not to be missed.

2025 ‘s festival will also feature some of previous years’ favorite exhibitors and events that have been a fixture since the beginning, such as the Cape Hatteras Secondary School Art Show and Competition, local decoy exhibits, historical tours, a Duck Call Competition, a guided painting workshop, bird walks, and much more.

“The duck call competition, in particular, seems to be gaining a lot of ground quickly,” said Jarvis. “We started with using our two buildings, and learned that was too big, but it’s coming to the point where we may now soon need to expand into both buildings to contain it all.”

The majority of the festival’s activities take place at the Hatteras Village Civic Center, and more information about the event can be found on the Hatteras Waterfowl Festival’s Facebook page or on the event’s website at https://hatterasonmymind.com/HVCA/WaterfowlFestival/.