The Grifton Shad Festival is an annual festivity in Grifton, North Carolina. It is a celebration created to evoke fun and fellowship in the area. It is also designed to foster working together toward a common goal, so most of the work is completed through volunteer effort.

The Grifton Shad Festival started more than 40 years ago in 1969. The Grifton Resources Improvement Program or GRIP decided to honor the “good year round fishing”, so it could be the theme of the festivities. At first, the members hesitated as hickory shad isn’t fun to eat, but when the then mayor Dave Bosley said that azaleas weren’t eaten at Azalea Festival, the other guys agreed.

Today, the Grifton Shad Festival is one of the most time honored and longest running festivals in the area. It is even the oldest of its sort in Pitt County and second oldest in the eastern part of the state.