Father's Day is June 20, 2027. Cars and Carnivores brings 100+ show cars and a steak cook-off downtown June 5; plus concerts and ideas for dads.

Last checked Oct. 12, 2026. This page is updated each year at the same address. Each listing links to its organizer; where a 2027 date is not out yet, we say which year a date is from. Brunches are added only from restaurants’ own pages.

Father’s Day is Sunday, June 20, 2027. Wake Forest’s big event for car fans comes two weeks earlier: the Rotary Club’s free Cars and Carnivores street festival, with more than 100 show cars and a steak cook-off downtown on Saturday, June 5, 2027.

Who to call

  • Cars and Carnivores: Rotary Club of Wake Forest, wakeforestrotary.org/cc
  • Town events: 919-435-9430
  • Strike & Barrel: 413 Brooks St.

Cars and Carnivores: Saturday, June 5, 2027

The fifth year of what the Rotary Club of Wake Forest calls “Wake Forest’s biggest street party,” according to its festival site:

Time What
6:30 a.m. Car show load-in
8 a.m. Festival opens; cook-off fires lit
9 a.m. Cornhole tournament starts
2 p.m. Car show ends; car show awards
5 p.m. Steak cook-off ends; cook-off awards
  • Car show: more than 100 classics, muscle cars and exotics on Brooks and Owen streets. $25 to enter, 12 awards. Car show details.
  • Steak cook-off: sanctioned by the Steak Cookoff Association, with two $1,000 first prizes.
  • Cornhole: two-player teams, all ages, $40 a team.
  • Vendors: food, crafts and local businesses; 10-by-10 booths from $200.
  • Admission is free. The club says the money raised pays for scholarships, its Launch business programs and medical debt relief for local families.

More for Father’s Day weekend

  • Friday Night on White: free downtown concerts from 6 to 9 p.m. on the second Friday of each month, April to September, along South White Street. Chairs go in the road only after 4:30 p.m.; last call for outside beer is 8:50 p.m., the town’s concert page says. The June 2026 show was June 12; the 2027 bands are not out yet.
  • Bowling and axe throwing: Strike & Barrel, 413 Brooks St., has bowling, duckpin bowling, axe throwing, pool, golf and an arcade. Axe throwing opens at 11 a.m. on Sundays; its weekend “liquid brunch” lists Bloody Marys and mimosas.
  • Breweries: the town’s social district lists Norse Brewing Company and White Street Brewing Company among the businesses that sell drinks in district cups, noon to 9 p.m. Thursday to Saturday.
  • Disc golf: a free 18-hole course on the Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary campus; see our parks and trails guide.
  • Fishing: the Wake Forest Reservoir has a boat launch and allows fishing with a license.
  • Old-time treats: Shorty’s Famous Hot Dogs downtown has served the town since 1916, the town’s history itinerary notes.

Juneteenth

The town holds a Juneteenth celebration each June; its event page said “2026 information coming soon” when we checked. We will add the 2027 date when it is posted.

Father’s Day brunch

No Wake Forest restaurant had announced a 2027 Father’s Day brunch when we checked. We add them only from the restaurant’s own page. Regular weekend brunch is on our brunch guide.

Later in the year: Kars for Kids

The Optimist Club’s Kars for Kids car show is held each September in the Big Lots parking lot off Capital Boulevard, according to the town.

Related: summer camps and pools, Fourth of July fireworks, live music and nightlife and Mother’s Day.

Frequently asked questions

When is Father’s Day 2027?

Father’s Day is the third Sunday in June: Sunday, June 20, 2027.

Is there a car show in Wake Forest in June?

Yes. The Rotary Club of Wake Forest’s Cars and Carnivores street festival is Saturday, June 5, 2027, downtown, with more than 100 show cars on Brooks and Owen streets from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Admission is free.

How much does it cost to enter a car in Cars and Carnivores?

The Rotary Club’s site lists a $25 car show entry, with twelve awards. Cornhole teams pay $40, and vendor booths start at $200.

Is there a Friday Night on White concert in June?

Friday Night on White runs 6 to 9 p.m. on the second Friday of each month from April to September. In 2026 the June concert was June 12; the 2027 lineup had not been announced.