Dillsboro Easter Hat Parade
What began as a handful of Dillsboro merchants donning Easter bonnets and walking around town on a spring day in 1988 has become a town tradition: the annual Easter Hat Parade. This year, the event takes place on Saturday, April 19, from 2–4 p.m. Beginning at 10 a.m., Dogwood Crafters will help those who don’t have a hat to create something festive for the occasion.
Dillsboro Easter Hat Parade
“Dogwood Crafters members buy hats all year,” says Brenda Anders, a member of Dogwood Crafters who helps keep the Easter Hat Parade going strong. “These crafters are happy to help others get creative.” A table set up outside Dogwood Crafters is loaded with all the frills so that parade participants can customize their bonnets.
Attendees are also welcome to show up in their own creations. A variety of awards are given each year in categories such as Tallest, Smallest, Poofiest and Best of Show. Leashed pets are also welcome in the parade, and some owners dress them for the occasion as well.
“There are so many entries that often the judges make up categories on the spot,” Anders says. “Some children who come every year spend weeks in making their hat.” The Easter Bunny also makes an appearance at the event and will pose for photographs. With the excitement over beautiful spring weather, this free event has become a tradition for many families in Western North Carolina. Businesses are open and visitors are invited to come early to enjoy the many shops and restaurants that Dillsboro has to offer before the parade begins.
Those planning to attend can expect “fun, fellowship, a day in the small walk-about town and hats,” says Anders. “Lots of hats!”
Learn more at DogwoodCrafters.com and VisitDillsboro.org.
