The Shake Hatteras Music Festival, once a grassroots one-day celebration that was held in a local backyard, is now a month-long experience spanning six major events across Hatteras Island.
Now in its fourth year, The Shake Hatteras Music & Arts Festival was founded by Barry Wells. He and Ryan Griffin, two long-time friends whose collaboration has now transformed the locals-only Shake Hatteras parties into this summer’s festival series designed primarily for the local community, but open to all.
“Over the winter, Barry and I were having a conversation about what these things could become,” said Griffin. “Barry turned Shake Hatteras from a backyard party to a music festival, and then we changed that to a series of events throughout the month of August and early September. It’s a whole month of festival stuff—that’s The Shake Hatteras Event Series.”
The expansion is not only about creating more fun for residents and visitors alike, but also about making a lasting economic and cultural impact. Partnering with local nonprofits, businesses, and artists, Shake Hatteras 2025 is intentionally rooted in Hatteras Island’s creative and community-driven spirit.
From one night to an island-wide impact
Founded by Barry Wells and produced through Wells Griffin Associates (WGA) under the Untitled Agency Project banner,, Shake Hatteras IV now consists of six themed nights incorporating music, food, art, fashion, and youth-oriented programming. Each event is tailored in collaboration with local artists, nonprofits, and venues to highlight the diverse music and art fabric of Hatteras Island.
“This has been Barry’s thing for his whole career,” said Griffin. “He’s always been someone who created these events people enjoy—he’s really a genius at knowing what people will love. I’ve managed logistics for most of my career. So, while Barry focuses on making these events the ones everyone wants to come back to, I just try to support him by putting as much of the dream together as we can.”
Shake Hatteras IV kicks off August 10 with “Shake Down After Dark: Fashion Show,” Directed by Jennifer Price and ends with a “secret” Swells’a Brewing Beer Co Collaboration Event on September 6th. Along the way, highlights include the flagship Shake Hatteras Music & Arts Festival, and a Labor Day bash headlined by popular bluegrass band Dr. Bacon.
Youth, fashion, and local causes
One of the series’ most unique and meaningful nights is Shake Down After Dark, a fashion show held August 10 at Neptune’s Kitchen & Dive Bar in Rodanthe. A collaboration with local nonprofit Heart Space OBX, the event brings together local retail stores, like Rodanthe Surf Shop & designers, like Claudia Connor of Outer Swim, brand new and local musicians, and performers in a high-energy celebration of art and self-expression.
Heart Space OBX, in the former Kinakeet Clay building in Avon, is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded by Antoinette Gaskins and dedicated to youth empowerment through free and inclusive access to arts, wellness, and music education. Proceeds from the fashion show and other Shake Hatteras events will support their 2025 program growth.
Additional local beneficiaries of the festival series include Outer Banks Wild Care and Chicamacomico Banks Fire & Rescue, who will receive donations as part of the event’s charitable mission.
Designed for locals, welcoming to all
Though tourists are welcome, both Shake Hatteras and its winter sibling event, Shuck Hatteras, were created with islanders in mind.
“Barry always organized the parties that birthed these events on Mondays because most kids who work in the service industry have Mondays off,” said Griffin. “This year is sort of a long weekend—like any festival. But this is really for the people who live here.”
The Shuck Hatteras Festival—traditionally held in December—is also evolving. What began as a two-day oyster-themed celebration is growing into a month-long culinary and music-focused winter series. The 2025 edition will stretch from November through December, featuring local chefs, food trucks, and musical acts with Chicamacomico Banks Fire & Water Rescue as the charitable partner.
“Shuck Hatteras became this event that attracted visitors to Hatteras Island in a time of year that no one visits,” said Griffin. “We’ll do something really similar this year—just stretch it out, involve more partners, and make it bigger, better.”
Griffin emphasized that strong support from the community and business leaders has made these expanded visions possible.
“We have to thank Howard Adams [of Neptune’s and Howard’s Tap Shack]—he has supported the music and arts scene on Hatteras for years, and he supported us last year without knowing what the results were going to be,” said Griffin. “This year, when we came back and said we want to go bigger and do more, without hesitation, he was on board. To us, Howard, and Alex McCune have been the key partners in building this.”
Griffin and Wells’ roots on the island run deep, which is also an unsung backbone of the festival’s success. The two got their first jobs together as teenagers at Top Dog Café. After years away working in the entertainment business, Griffin recently returned and reconnected with Wells, joining forces to expand Shake and Shuck into what he calls a “true creative infrastructure.”
And though a month-long festival is a brand new venture, it is sure to be another big success, based on Shake Hatteras’ four-year history of good music and good company.
“If it’s not perfect this year, next year it will get better,” said Griffin. “And it will keep getting better.”
Shake Hatteras IV: August 2025 Event Schedule
- August 10 – Shake Down After Dark (Fashion Show w/ Heart Space OBX) – Neptune’s, Rodanthe
- August 11 – Shake Hatteras IV: Music & Arts Festival
- August 21 – Shake x Thirsty Artists – Howard’s Tap Shack
- August 30 – Labor Day Bash – Featuring Dr. Bacon
- August 31 – Shake Closing Continuum Party
- September 6 – Swells’a “secret” collaboration event
Festival Sponsors and Partners
- Wells Griffin Associates (WGA)
- Heart Space OBX – Nonprofit partner for youth arts & fashion programming
- Neptune’s Kitchen & Dive Bar – Venue partner
- Howard’s Tap Shack – Venue & marketing partner
- Chicamacomico Banks Fire & Water Rescue – Nonprofit beneficiary
- Outer Banks Wild Care – Nonprofit beneficiary
- Sikovit, Car Crash, Kiki Monster & Dj Funkyzeit, Hadley Shoaf, Poppy Marish – Rising star event contributors
Follow Shake Hatteras and Shuck Hatteras announcements on local event pages and social media.
