BANKS, Ark. — The Buck Fever Festival is preparing to celebrate four decades of community tradition as the 40th Annual Buck Fever Festival returns to Banks November 12–15, 2026, featuring live music, pageants, a parade, hunting competitions, food vendors, and activities for the entire family.
Festival organizers have released the official schedule for the four-day celebration, which coincides with the opening weekend of Arkansas’ modern gun deer hunting season.
This year’s festival will feature several longtime favorites alongside new attractions, including a car and big truck show, live performances by Big Papa Binns and Carolina Cotton, and a variety of competitions and family-friendly activities.
Festivities begin Thursday, November 12, with pageant practice at 6 p.m.
On Friday, November 13, food vendors will open from 5 to 10 p.m., while the festival’s first pageant, featuring children ages 0–4, begins at 6:30 p.m. Admission to the pageant is $5.
Saturday, November 14, will feature the festival’s busiest day of activities, beginning at 10 a.m. with the opening of food vendors, arts and crafts booths, and general merchandise vendors.
The Children’s Corner will offer free activities from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m., while the antler scoring competition and exhibit will run from 10 a.m. until 1 p.m.
A cake walk begins at 10:30 a.m., with tickets priced at $2 each. Registration for the dog show will take place from 10:30 to 11 a.m., followed by the show at 11 a.m. Admission to the dog show is $5.
Live entertainment gets underway at 11 a.m. with Big Papa Binns performing until 1 p.m.
One of the festival’s traditional highlights, the Buck Fever Parade, is scheduled for noon Saturday. Parade lineup and judging will take place from 11 to 11:30 a.m.
A fish dinner catered by Abe’s Ole Feed House will also begin at noon, with meals available for $20.
Among the new attractions this year is a car and big truck show, scheduled from 1 to 2:30 p.m., with awards presented at 2:30 p.m.
The Antler Idol Talent Show begins at 2 p.m., with $5 admission.
Saturday evening’s activities will include the Biggest Buck and Doe competition from 6 to 8 p.m., along with an awards presentation for festival events beginning at 6 p.m.
The festival’s second pageant, featuring contestants ages 5–21, begins at 6:30 p.m. Admission is $5.
Cornhole tournament registration will take place from 7:15 to 7:45 p.m., followed by a warmup period until 8 p.m. The tournament begins at 8 p.m., with a $50 entry fee per player.
The evening will also feature a headline performance by Carolina Cotton, scheduled to take the stage at 8 p.m.
The festival concludes Sunday, November 15, with a free chili soup dinner beginning at 12:30 p.m., followed by Camo Praise and Worship at 1 p.m.
Organizers noted that several activities, including the Children’s Corner, dog show registration, and Sunday’s chili soup dinner, are free to attend. Admission fees apply to certain competitions, pageants, and other activities.
