You'll find plenty of special events
year-round in the Triangle. For up-to-the-minute listings, check local
newspapers or your town’s Web site. Here are some highlights:
First Night Raleigh rings in the new and bids adieu to the old with a New Year's Eve extravaganza of music, song, theater, magic, stories and more in downtown Raleigh. There's something for the entire family, with a special "early" New Year's Eve for kids.
At the end of April, the Southern Women's Show at the Raleigh Convention Center features fashion shows, entertainment, makeovers and hair styling, health and fitness information, cooking demonstrations and more.
Also in Raleigh, check out Artsplosure's Spring Jazz and Arts Festival held each May. Raleigh's best and brightest free outdoor festival, Artsplosure is one of North Carolina's largest and most diverse music and arts festivals, with music, roving street performers, food and art exhibits.
In June,
the Komen NC Triangle Race for the Cure®
is held at Meredith College to raise money to help eradicate breast cancer as a
life-threatening disease. Several other road races held throughout the year also
bring out running enthusiasts – check out the Great Raleigh Road Race in
April and the Old Reliable 10K Run in November.
Hillsborough's Hog Day is touted as one of
the finest street festivals in the Southeast. On the third Saturday of June,
locals duel in barbecue cookoffs. Grab a bite of the best eating in the state in
between shopping for crafts, tapping toes to music and keeping up with the kids
as they careen through activities just for them.
Summer is filled with music. Alive
After Five is an every-other-Thursday summertime treat on Raleigh's Fayetteville
Street Mall. Enjoy free, live music ranging from rock and roll to R&B; enjoy a
glass of beer with other young and young-at-heart Raleighites. In Carrboro,
gather on Carr Mill Mall's lawn every Thursday after work and on Sundays from 11
a.m. until 1 p.m. Listen to free tunes celebrating music from the Appalachians
to the Peruvian highlands. Take a picnic or buy food at a local deli.
At Summerfest in Cary's Regency Park, the
N.C. Symphony plays outdoor pops concerts each Saturday in June and on
the Fourth of July. When the Independence Day concert ends, marvel at a
breath-taking fireworks display. Take a picnic supper or buy food there. Nearly
every community in the Triangle hosts a July 4th celebration, so be
sure to check the newspaper for details.
Festival
on the Eno takes place on the weekend nearest the Fourth of July. Held at
Durham's Eno River State Park, it raises money to preserve and expand the park.
Wade in the river, listen to bluegrass, reggae, jazz and other music; tap your
toes while you watch clogging demonstrations or join in joyful communion with
the African Dance Ensemble. Check out beautiful arts and crafts, and eat
delicious food at this free-spirited celebration.
The internationally acclaimed American Dance Festival brings the world's best modern dance troupes and choreographers to Durham every summer. The festival begins the first week of June and runs for six weeks. Tickets can be purchased at Duke University.
There's no better way to
spend a late summer
evening than with Movies on the Lawn at the N.C. Museum of Art. Laid-back,
picnic-toting patrons watch classic movies while children chase fireflies on the
grounds of the new outdoor Museum Park Theatre. Call the Museum's Box Office at
(919) 715-5923 for more information and get the lineup of
fall, winter and spring
concerts featuring the best in folk, traditional, jazz and world music.
Cary's annual Lazy Daze
Festival, held in Cary's downtown the last Saturday in
August,
is a huge arts and crafts street festival. You'll find live entertainment, good
food, handmade crafts and art from craftsmen from around the country, and many,
many people.
The Jimmy V Celebrity Golf Classic held each August brings more than 100 celebrities, 100 local and national sponsors and 1,200 volunteers to Cary’s Prestonwood Country Club to raise money to fight cancer.
Say goodbye to summer at the N.C. Symphony's
annual Labor Day Pops in the Park concert held at Meredith College. Great
fireworks wrap up a fun evening for all.
Fall is festival time in Chapel Hill.
In September, La Fiesta Del Pueblo sparkles with Hispanic music, dancers,
arts, crafts and foods. In early October, the community celebration
Festifall showcases local talent. Three stages of music ranging from jazz to
blues, booths with crafts and artwork from more than 100 artists, children's
activities and more keep all the two-legged members of your family hopping.
Farm life comes to the city every October at the North Carolina State Fair. Spend your money winning stuffed animals on the midway; ride the roller-coaster before you enjoy Polish sausages, cotton candy and corn on the cob; see who wins blue ribbons for pies and relishes; hear country stars belt out their heart-breakin' hits; pat the animals and milk a cow. The fair is an experience in sensory overload and down-home fun you won't want to miss.
Raleigh's International Festival
brings the world to you each November at the state fairgrounds. At this
weekend event, you'll enjoy the dazzling music, dance and food of the many
ethnic groups enriching the Triangle's culture.
Special events brighten the holidays. Exhibitors and shoppers alike crowd the Convention Center in November for the Carolina Christmas Show, as well as the Jim Graham Building at the state fairgrounds for the Christmas Carousel of Arts and Crafts.
And when all the halls are decked with boughs of holly, the annual mid-December Oakwood Candlelight Tour features a half-dozen historic homes in Raleigh's fabled Oakwood neighborhood. Not to be outdone, historic Hillsborough's Christmas Candlelight Tour on the first Sunday of December takes you into some of its finest 19th-century homes.
While each town hosts a holiday parade and visit with Santa, not to be missed is the State Capitol Tree Lighting and Holiday Festival. The Governor and First Lady light the official state Christmas tree on Capitol Square followed by an open house at the Capitol and holiday festival of music and entertainment at area museums.
No matter what the season, you'll find plenty of sports to enjoy. Catch ice hockey action with the Carolina Hurricanes at Raleigh's RBC Center or the women Trailblazers at the Ice House in Cary. Get caught up in baseball with the Carolina Mudcats at Five-County Stadium in Zebulon and the Durham Bulls at their stadium. Don't forget the Durham Dragons women's fast-pitch softball team, which plays at Durham Athletic Park. If that's not enough, there's ACC football and basketball – worlds unto themselves!