Lazy Daze 2026

From August 22-23, 2026, Cary Sister Cities hosted our beer garden fundraiser, presented by Towne Bank, at the 50th Annual Lazy Daze Arts and Crafts Festival. The garden’s proceeds went to sponsoring the mission of Cary Sister Cities: fostering cultural diversity and cross-cultural understanding through cultural exchanges, economic development, and educational exchanges. . Sister Cities International (SCI) was founded in 1956 by President Eisenhower in an attempt to spread appreciation for other cultures and diplomacy in the aftermath of World War II and the Cold War. The Cary Sister Cities (CSC) non-profit was founded in 1990 to further the mission of SCI in Cary, North Carolina. CSC currently has five sister cities: Le Touquet, France; Bandirma, Turkiye; County Meath, Ireland; Hsinchu, Taiwan; and Markham, Canada.

Special Guests

Hailing from our sister city Markham, Canada, Cary’s town crier, John Webster, and his wife, Mary Webster, have been a festival tradition in their distinguishable town crier outfits for the past 22 years. This year, the couple showed off their regalia while making announcements, such as the Jerry Miller Awards. Event goers loved taking pictures with John and Mary,posing with them as they rang their crier bells.

From our sister city Hsinchu, Taiwan, chefs Ching-Chuan Kao and Yu-Feng Tsai brought us a taste of Taiwanese culture through demonstrating their award-winning cooking talents. Cary Sister Cities has been partnered with Hsinchu since March 25, 1993, and since then, the relationship has only grown stronger. We are grateful to both chefs for sharing this piece of their culture.

John Webster, our town crier

Vendors

The Cary Sister City Beer Garden, presented by Towne Bank, could not have been possible without the help of so many dedicated vendors, both of beer and food. Some of these include the Bond Brothers Beer Company, South Line Brewing Co., KōMANA Brewing Company, Local Time Brewing, Rolling Refrigeration, and Vino & Tap. New this year, our garden also offered a limited-edition beer, Lazy Daze Haze, brewed specially for the anniversary and which was available for only 50 days. The garden also featured food vendors, such as Annelore’s German Bakery, Sassool, and Kona Ice. With the support of these partners, CSC raised a record amount of funding for our cultural exchange and youth leadership programs.

Taiwanese chefs Ching-Chuan Kao and Yu-Feng Tsai

Performers

The Sister Cities Beer Garden stage featured lots of lovely performers, such as Omar Ruiz-Lopez and the Marcel Portilla Band Trio. It also hosted a demonstration of Taiwanese cooking, as well as a trivia competition by Hammered Trivia. On Sunday, Sabrosura and Kinnfolk took the stage, as well as another demonstration by the Taiwanese chefs and an Irish dance performance by the Triggle Academy of Irish Dance.

Inspired by our sister city in County Meath, Ireland, the Cary Sister City Beer Garden also featured Irish dancers, from 3:45-4:30pm on Sunday, August 23. The performers, from Triggle Academy of Irish dance, danced to typical Irish music. Event goers were able to experience Irish culture through this lovely performance.

Delicious German food!

The chefs with their certificates!

Thank you to everyone who visited our table!

Thank You to our Partners

Sponsors:

Towne Bank

Rolling Refrigeration

Supporters:

The Mayton

Vendors:

Vino & Tap

Bond Brothers

Sassool

Annelore's German Bakery

Kona Ice

Big Mike's BBQ

Southline Brewing,

Local Time Brewing

KōMANA Brewing

One of our sponsors, Towne Bank, commented, “What a fantastic event! Our team at TowneBank was thrilled to be part of Lazy Daze working hand in hand with Cary Sister Cities in supporting such a successful event! The combination of great community spirit, beautiful weather, and an enthusiastic crowd created an atmosphere that was truly special.” We could not have said it better ourselves!

We are extremely grateful for all the performers, vendors, sponsors, and guests who supported our team, shared their culture and their talents with us, and made this annual fundraiser an amazing success. Together, this community effort made a real difference. Every dollar raised goes directly toward CSC's mission: funding our student exchange programs, youth development initiatives, and local community engagement efforts that connect Cary to the world.

Our lovely stage!

Event goers learning about Cary Sister Cities