Calendar

Hatfield-McCoy area events

Use these typical months to plan a riding trip around local festivals and races. Every event below has an organizer or official tourism source. Past editions establish a planning season, not a confirmed date for the next event.

The booking suggestions are our advice: start group-lodging enquiries several months ahead and reserve once dates and attendance are agreed. They are not organizer deadlines or measured sell-out forecasts. Check the linked page's year, registration terms and current program before paying for travel.

Compare seasons, holiday staffing and fall color in the best time to ride guide.

Typical month	Event and place	Organizer or official tourism page
May in the cited edition	Dirt Days, Williamson	Pikeville-Pike County Tourism
May	Heritage Day, Matewan	WV Tourism event listing
June	Hatfield-McCoy Reunion Festival, border area	WV Tourism feud guide
June	Hatfield-McCoy Marathon, Tug Valley	Official marathon weekend page
September	King Coal Festival, Williamson	WV Tourism festival description
September	Matewan Homecoming	WV Tourism celebration description
October	National TrailFest, Gilbert	Official National TrailFest site

Dirt Days: spring motorsports in Williamson

The official tourism listing identifies the Tug Valley Area CVB as organizer and documents a May 2026 edition with downtown heads-up drag racing for off-road machines. It links to the event's own updates. Treat May as the cited edition's month and confirm the next dates before arranging a riding weekend.

Booking advice: start a group-house enquiry in winter for a spring visit, then book when the next event is confirmed. If entering a race, check its registration and machine-class rules separately from your trail plans.

Matewan Heritage Day: May

WV Tourism's May 2026 listing describes a day of labor-history reenactments, Appalachian music, food, crafts and family activities in Matewan. The Matewan Massacre reenactment is a central part of the program. Follow the event-website link on that listing for the organizer's updates.

Booking advice: decide in late winter or early spring whether this is your main event or an off-trail break. Confirm the performance schedule before booking accommodation and allocating the rest of the weekend to riding.

Hatfield-McCoy Reunion Festival: June

WV Tourism's feud guide describes an annual June reunion with descendants of the families and a tug-of-war. Its festival description also mentions music, narrated tours, reenactments, food and crafts. Use these as examples from published descriptions; ask for the next edition's program and locations before planning individual stops.

Booking advice: begin checking a summer group stay in winter or early spring. Confirm the reunion dates separately from the marathon rather than assuming the two programs always share a weekend.

Hatfield-McCoy Marathon: June in the Tug Valley

The marathon's own site confirms June racing through the Kentucky–West Virginia border area. The full marathon starts in South Williamson, Kentucky, and finishes in Williamson, West Virginia; the weekend also offers half-marathons, a shorter race and a children's run. This is a running event, not an ATV ride. The official site currently advertises its next race weekend in June 2027.

Booking advice: arrange lodging when you register, after checking the organizer's packet-pickup and transport instructions. For a mixed running-and-riding group, agree arrival and departure plans before reserving the house. The published race schedule says there is no race-day registration.

King Coal Festival: September in Williamson

WV Tourism's festival description places King Coal on the third weekend of September and describes food and craft vendors, music, a block party, a parade and recognition of a coal miner as Mr. King Coal. That is its published recurring pattern, not confirmation of the next edition.

Booking advice: start autumn accommodation enquiries in spring or early summer. Once the festival schedule is available, ask your host how to reach and park at the property during downtown activities.

Matewan Homecoming: September

WV Tourism's archived celebration description places the homecoming in September, with a car show, entertainment, vendors and a Matewan Massacre reenactment. This is distinct from May's Heritage Day; confirm that the next homecoming is scheduled and which activities are returning.

Booking advice: check the town's autumn program before committing to an event-led trip. Begin group lodging enquiries in spring or early summer, and coordinate the visit with your planned riding days.

National TrailFest: October in Gilbert

The organizer's About page describes an October gathering in Gilbert for side-by-side, ATV and dirt-bike riders, with activities and direct access to the Hatfield-McCoy Trails. WV Tourism's past-edition guide describes a poker run, mud pit and other entertainment. Check the organizer's site for the next program; it currently announces October 2027 dates.

Booking advice: begin planning when the next edition is announced, particularly for several cabins or a whole house. Choose whether to stay near Gilbert's activities or base your riding in Williamson, and confirm your transport plan before booking. Do not assume an evening event permits a night ride back on the trails.

Before an event weekend

Trail rules still require a permit for every driver and passenger and limit riding to daylight. Check what an event ticket includes, arrange permits separately if needed, and follow the Authority's rules. Use our large-group planning guide to coordinate beds, trailers and different riding abilities.

Sources

Sources checked October 31, 2026. Recheck the year on each event announcement before booking.