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Clayton Harvest Festival drew nearly 30,000 attendees; Chamber to partner with NC State for economic impact study
Summary
Maria Smith of the Clayton Chamber of Commerce reported the 2025 Harvest Festival drew 29,800 attendees and 300 vendors on Saturday; the chamber will partner with NC State on a 2026 economic impact study.
Maria Smith, director of operations and events with the Clayton Chamber of Commerce, told the council that the 2025 Clayton Harvest Festival remains a major community event and shared attendance figures: “The 2025 Harvest Festival welcomed 29,800 attendees over the 4 days and hosted 300 vendors on Saturday,” she said.
Smith described the Harvest Festival as the town’s legacy event and thanked municipal partners. She said the chamber will partner with North Carolina State University to conduct a second economic impact study for the 2026 festival, which the presentation characterized as the event’s 75th anniversary. Council members and Chamber leaders framed the partnership as a way to quantify the festival’s regional economic contributions and support planning for future years.
The chamber asked for continued town support for the multi‑day event and noted volunteer and sponsorship needs; no town action items or funding requests were made at the meeting.
