Spring is in full bloom here in North Carolina. We’ve been blanketed in pollen, our heaters are switched off and now the countryside has exploded in lush light green. It’s time to enjoy the outdoors and feast on the best food and drink the state has to offer. There’s a ton of great food festivals happening in the next couple of weeks, and our team at BringMeThat team has prepared a guide for you.

NC Pickle Festival | Mount Olive, NC | April 26-27

We’re used to having pickles on the side — as a kind of afterthought — but the NC Pickle Festival brings this culinary supporting actor to center stage. Join an estimated 40,000 participants as they worship at the cult of the pickled cucumber. Meet Ollie — an 8-foot-tall pickle. Partake in the Tour de Pickle bike ride, the petting zoo and the Pickle Derby. There will be live entertainment, rides, an antique car show and food vendors galore. There will probably be pickles, too. Go and see why the Pickle Festival was named a top 10 attraction in North Carolina.

Brewgaloo 2013 | Raleigh, NC | April 27

This festival highlights local craft beers from breweries such as Aviator, Natty Greene’s, Big Boss, Carolina Brewing, Bull City, Fullsteam, Steel String and more. Drink your local beer (in full pints or in sample sizes), eat at local food trucks and enjoy live (local) music.

BrewDurham | Durham, NC | May 4

Some people insist on making beer themselves, and we applaud their creative spirit. Visit the BrewDurham Festival to sample from more than 50 homebrews by 25 different brewers. We know some people are completists, but we don’t recommend trying them all. Local food vendors will be on the scene. Proceeds will benefit The Scrap Exchange, a Durham nonprofit focused on reducing waste by promoting reuse.

BBQ Festival on the Neuse | Kinston, NC | May 1-4

Billed as the largest BBQ cookoff festival in NC, the BBQFotN runs for four days with “non-stop activities, entertainment and the best BBQ in North Carolina.” This festival has everything: cooking competitions, rides, wine tasting, art markets, live music (Mandolin Orange, Nnenna Freelon) and all the food you can eat. Don’t miss it!

Asheville Herb Festival | Asheville, NC | May 3-5

Yes, it’s an “herb festival” and yes, it’s in Asheville and, yes, some of the herbs are medicinal, but this event is not being held on April 20. Every year herb enthusiasts flock to Asheville for this celebration of herbal soaps, herbal ingredients, herbal medicines and treatments and just about anything herbs can be used for. The herb fest will be held at the WNC Farmers Market.

Casks for a Cure 4 | Raleigh, NC | April 25

Hosted by local brewery, Big Boss, Casks for a Cure 4 will feature beer “by some of the top home brewers in the area and includes a cask from the soon-to-be-open Haw River Farmhouse Ales.” This event will benefit the NC chapter of the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society.