Craven County, NC Special Events & Permits: Park Event Permits (2026)

Section 28-24 of the Craven County Code addresses exhibitor shows directly: 'Exhibitor shows may be allowed in designated park areas upon approval from the recreation and parks department. ' The section limits shows to 'designated park areas,' meaning the department chooses where in the park a show can be staged, and puts the cost of any required license squarely on the sponsor rather than the county. This sits inside the boat-landing article of Chapter 28, which regulates the Cowpen and Spring Garden Boat Landing sites, but the general park-conduct article carries an equivalent gathering rule in Sec.

28-1(2): permission from the county is required to enter or remain in a recreation area outside posted operating hours, which functionally extends the permit requirement to any after-hours gathering countywide. Compliance is not optional once approved: Sec. 28-28(a) provides that 'flagrant misuse of recreational and parks department rules and regulations will result in forfeiture of future privileges,' so a sponsor who violates the terms of an exhibitor permit risks losing the ability to book county park space again. Enforcement of the article runs through Sec. S. 153A-123 or other applicable law' and lets a violator be told to leave immediately, with trespass available if they refuse.