The Dogwood Festival is returning to Fayetteville's Festival Park for its 41st year this weekend. Beginning Thursday night, the four-day event features concerts, carnival rides, craft vendors and activities for the kids.

One of the most anticipated offerings, however, is the food. Dozens of food trucks, trailers, pushcarts and tents from all over the region will offer a variety of fares, from empanadas and barbecue to doughnuts and ice cream.

With so much to choose from, it’s easy to miss your favorites. Here’s a guide to the food at the Fayetteville Dogwood Festival.

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Cork & Fork

The festival kicks off at 6 p.m. Thursday with Cork & Fork, a food and wine event. Single tickets are $40 or $75 for couples at thedogwoodfestival.com/tickets and include small bites from local, regional and chain restaurants, beer and wine.

Fayetteville-owned establishments serving food and beverages at the event include Bees & Boards Charcuterie Co., Guatemala Centro America, Gaston Brewing Company, Southern Coals, H8ters, Blue Moon Cafe and Rude Awakening Coffee House.

Others offering food and drink include Burney’s Sweets & More, Bubba’s 33, Chicken Salad Chick, Bonefish Grill,  Carrabba’s Italian Grill, Duck Donuts and Zaxby’s.

Fayetteville Dogwood Festival food

Here are the food trucks and food trailers you can expect to find at the Fayetteville Dogwood Festival, according to the event’s vendor page.

Food trucks

Big Erv BBQ & 910 Sweets serves pulled pork and turkey, grilled wings, brisket and ribs with sides like macaroni and cheese, baked beans and fries. The Fayetteville food truck also offers sweets like banana pudding and cupcakes.

Mac’s Grill Aroma, a Fayetteville food truck, will serve burgers, hot dogs, chicken sandwiches, shrimp and grits and loaded fries.

Mike Nice Empanadas, a Latin food truck based in Knightsdale, specializes in empanadas. The fried pastries are filled with a choice of beef, chicken or cheese; or choose from fillings inspired by Birria tacos, buffalo chicken, or Philadelphia cheesesteaks.

Party in a Pita serves Mediterranean food like gyros, shawarma and falafel. The Raleigh food truck also offers stuffed grape leaves, tabouli salad and hummus and baba ghanouj plates starting at $5.

Tanks & Franks, a Fayetteville food truck, serves specialty hot dogs with toppings like crushed Fritos, jalapenos, Coney sauce, bacon, scallions and macaroni and cheese atop Koegel’s hot dogs, which are popular in the Midwest. Sides include fries and waffle fries.

Off The Hook Seafood & Chicken, a Greensboro food truck, offers fried shrimp, fried whiting, wings and chicken tenders. The truck also serves Italian ice and funnel cake.

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Sweet treats and drinks

Bayou Billy Sweet Dixie Tea of the Carolinas, a food vendor based in Salisbury, will serve sweet tea on tap in its signature tin mugs.

Bruster’s Real Ice Cream, a Pennsylvania-founded chain with about 200 ice cream parlors along the East Coast, will serve ice cream made in-house and other desserts like sorbet and Italian ice.

Cool Breezes, a Durham food trailer, serves pineapples filled with a frozen drink similar to a slushy and topped with fruit like pineapple and strawberries. The dairy-free tropical treats come in flavors like pina colada, peach and mango.

Drizzle D’s, an artisan doughnut and drink trailer based in Raleigh, serves miniature doughnuts in flavors like apple pie, French toast, peanut butter cup and maple bacon. Drinks include frosted lemonade and frozen cappuccinos.

Kona Ice, a shaved ice food truck franchise with hundreds of locations across the country, is bringing its snow cones to the festival.

Moose Joose Slush, a food trailer based in Charlotte, serves frozen slushy drinks starting at $7 with half-price refills. Customers can build their own slushy with flavors like blue raspberry, cherry, Cheerwine, sour apple and pina colada.

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Concession stands

Here is a sampling of concession stands serving deep-fried decadence, sugary sweet treats and foods on a stick at the festival.

D&J Concessions, a Raleigh food vendor, serves fair foods like corn dogs, turkey legs and sausage. The concessions stand also has desserts like soft-serve ice cream, funnel cakes and fried Oreos.

Leisure Time Concessions, a food vendor based in Manakin Sabot, Virginia, serves jumbo corn dogs, chicken tenders and fries. The concessions stand also has desserts like soft-serve ice cream, funnel cakes and fried Oreos.

Tropical Island Concessions, a Raleigh food vendor, serves fried foods like blooming onions, corn dogs and funnel cakes, as well as sausages, steak and cheese sandwiches, burgers and fries.

Taylor Shook writes about food, dining and business for The Fayetteville Observer. She can be reached at [email protected], on Twitter, or Facebook. Want weekly food news delivered to your inbox? Sign up for the Fayetteville Foodies newsletter. 

This article originally appeared on The Fayetteville Observer: Here's your guide to the food at Fayetteville Dogwood Festival in 2023