Guest Appreciation Festival
Description
GAF Update – Thank you for a great 2024 GAF! We look forward to seeing you next year!
Good news—GAF is ON! For over 30 years, the NOC Guest Appreciation Festival has brought our community together, and in light of recent events, we all need something to look forward to. Our local artisan and gear vendors, musicians, entertainers, and small-town businesses need your support more than ever.
Let’s come together through our shared love of the outdoors, support one another, and celebrate the resilience that makes Western North Carolina so special.
GAF Hurricane Relief + Rebuild Fundraiser & $10,000 Match
The Wesser Foundation established by Jess Austin, NOC current and past guides and owners will generously match all donations made at the Outfitter’s and General Stores during GAF weekend (Friday-Sunday), up to $10,000! Please consider rounding up your purchase or making a donation to support the rebuilding of our small river towns impacted by Hurricane Helene.
MountainStrong Recovery Raffle Sponsored Generously by NRS
You can win a STAR Slice Paddle Cataraft, paddles and other prizes by donating to the MountainStrong Recovery Raffle!
Upper Nantahala / Cascades Releases
On Saturday and Sunday there will be multiple releases. Check the Full Event Schedule section below for more information!
This Year's Event Features:
- NOC Used Boats and Gear Sales
- Live Bands & Entertainment
- The Outfitter’s Store Closeout Sale Tent
- Used Gear Marketplace
- Artisan Market
- Magician and Tarot Card Reader
- Face painting
- Halloween & Fall Family Fun
- Outdoor Adventures – last chance for rafting, ziplining, and mountain biking for the season!
You can also enjoy live music, delicious food, drinks, and riverside games in a family-friendly atmosphere.
Full Event Schedule:
| Friday | ||
| All Day | Outfitter's Store Sales | Moved to Adventure Center Lot |
| 2pm - 7pm | Used Gear Marketplace & Vendor Village Open | Main Lot |
| 3pm - 6pm | LIve Music: Christina Chandler | Big Wesser |
| Saturday | ||
| 10am - 5pm | 300 CFS Release | Upper Nantahala / Cascades |
| All Day | Used Gear Marketplace & Vendor Village Open | Main Lot |
| 8am - 8pm | Outfitter's Store Sales | Moved to Adventure Center Lot |
| 11am - 2pm | LIve Music: Funck & Hill | Main Stage |
| 12pm & 1pm | NRC Citizen's Race | Details Below |
| 12pm - 4pm | Facepainting & Henna | Riverside |
| Street Magician | Back Yard/ Riverside | |
| Tarot Card Readings | Back Yard/ Riverside | |
| 2pm - 3pm | Costume Contests & Pumpkin Painting | The Backyard |
| 3pm - 6pm | Live Music: Log Noggins | Main Stage |
| Sunday | ||
| 10am - 3pm | 425 CFS Release | Upper Nantahala / Cascades |
| 3pm - 5pm | 250 CFS Release | Upper Nantahala / Cascades |
| 8am - 7pm | Outfitter's Store Sales | Moved to Adventure Center Lot |
Marketplace Vendors:
Shop from the local artisan or used gear marketplaces. Applications and spots for 2024 are officially sold out. There will be additional opportunities for vendors in 2025.
Author Book Signing:
Wickliffe W. Walker: Torrents As Yet Unknown
Author Q & A Session at 3pm followed by book signing at 4pm in the Outfitter’s Store.
Wick Walker grew up near Washington DC, paddling whitewater and wilderness lakes in Quebec. He trained in the Alps and was the first American to paddle Corsica. Wick pioneered runs in the Appalachians and represented the U.S. in slalom competitions, including the 1972 Munich Olympics. A Fellow of the Explorers Club and National Geographic Explorer, he has led expeditions worldwide and authored several books on whitewater. He now lives and writes in the Blue Ridge of Virginia.
Nantahala Racing Club - Citizen's Race:
The slalom course will start just above the NOC Founder’s Bridge and end upstream of the highway bridge. The course will consist of 18-20 slalom gates and will run through the 2013 Worlds Hole. Racers are encouraged to use slalom-specific or plastic “half-slice” boats and have at least class 2 river running skills. The race will start around 12 for the first run. The second run usually starts at 1 or 1:30. Packet pickup will be the morning before the race.
Questions? Email nocevents@noc.com
