RALEIGH, N.C. (WPTF) — North Carolina’s beloved cherry-flavored soft drink will once again be at the center of celebration as the annual Cheerwine Festival returns to Downtown Salisbury this Saturday. The event runs from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. and offers a full day of food, music, and family activities in honor of the Southern soda brand.
Joy Harper, vice president of marketing for Cheerwine, says the company has maintained strong ties to its origins for over a century.
“Cheerwine is a soft drink, it has a one-of-a-kind cherry taste that started right here in North Carolina. It was first created in 1917 in Salisbury by my great great grandfather, L.D. Peeler. Members of the fourth and fifth generation are involved in the family business, and so we’re proud to still have our roots here,” Harper told the WPTF Morning News.
The Cheerwine Festival began in 2017 to commemorate the brand’s 100th anniversary. Since then, it has become an annual tradition in partnership with the city of Salisbury.
“We received great feedback and a lot of requests to make this an annual event so we decided to team up with the city of Salisbury and now we co-host this event to make it an annual event. Since the start the festival has grown a lot in size, we’ve expanded our footprint and added a lot of attractions and fun experiences for everyone,” said Harper.
The 2025 festival promises a wide variety of attractions for all ages. Harper says visitors can expect plenty of Cheerwine-themed offerings throughout the day.
“We’ll have live music throughout the day, we’ll have tons of food vendors many offering Cheerwine inspired food and drink items. We’ll have two beer gardens — many of the breweries offering Cheerwine inspired beers, ciders and seltzers. We’ll have craft vendors, we’ll have a family-friendly kid zone. There will be a Cheerwine history exhibit and of course plenty of ice cold Cheerwine,” said Harper.
For those planning to attend, all event details, including maps and transportation, are available online.
“If you go to cheerwinefest.com you’ll see the full schedule. We have links to maps, parking and shuttle information. We have three convenient shuttle stops so hop off of 85, park in our free shuttle parking and we’ll get you quickly to the festival,” said Harper.
In addition to food and festivities, visitors can browse exclusive Cheerwine merchandise, only available during the event. The festival is free to attend and draws thousands of fans each year to experience a taste of North Carolina’s soda legacy.