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Life is too short for FOMO—so grab the tickets and file the memories. From hot concerts and epic fests to arts, theater, comedy and beyond, Raleigh’s lineup is stacked. Here, our bucket list worth clearing your cal for.
- Tyler Childers, folk, April 15 @ Coastal Credit Union Music Park at Walnut Creek
- Linkin Park, rock, May 6 @ Lenovo Center
- Halsey, pop, May 29 @ Coastal Credit Union Music Park at Walnut Creek
- The Black Keys, rock, June 12 @ Red Hat Amphitheater
- Lil Baby, rap, June 15 @ Lenovo Center
- Tyler, The Creator, alternative hip-hop, July 12 @ Lenovo Center
- Goo Goo Dolls, rock, July 26 @ Red Hat Amphitheater
- Jason Aldean, country, Aug. 21 @ Coastal Credit Union Music Park at Walnut Creek
- Mt. Joy, indie, Sept. 23 @ Koka Booth Amphitheatre
- The Lumineers, folk, Sept. 16 @ Coastal Credit Union Music Park at Walnut Creek
- Magdalena Bay, synth-pop, Oct. 21 @ The Ritz
- Tate McRae, pop, Oct. 25 @ Lenovo Center
- Dreamville Fest
- April 5–6
- Dix Park
- Dreamy atmosphere curated by J. Cole feat. performances by top + up-and-coming hip-hop artists
- Brewgaloo
- April 25–26
- Downtown Raleigh
- Sips and snacks for days from local food trucks and 110+ NC craft breweries
- Got to Be NC Festival
- May 16–18
- NC State Fairgrounds
- It’s gotta be NC—make your way through local vendors, food and entertainment.
- International Food Festival
- June 7
- City Plaza
- Taste the globe locally with bites from over 60 cultures.
- GalaxyCon
- July 24–27
- Convention Center
- Cosplay, listen to and learn about your fave sci-fi, fantasy and comic characters.
- Outlaw Music Festival
- July 27
- Walnut Creek
- Finger-picking, boot-stompin’ classic folk music from the likes of Willie Nelson, Bob Dylan and Turnpike Troubadours
- African American Cultural Festival
- Aug. 30–31
- Downtown Raleigh
- A testament of cultural power and expression topped off with puppetry, performances and vendors
- Hopscotch Music Festival
- Sept. 4–6
- City Plaza + Moore Square
- Hop between two DTR stages for performances by local and national indie musicians.
- BugFest
- Sept. 20
- NCMNS
- A creepy crawler lovers’ delight where all things entomology are found. Hissing roaches, anyone?
- Raleigh Wide Open Bluegrass Festival
- Oct. 3–4
- Downtown Raleigh
- Bluegrass is so back with IBMA Bluegrass Live!’s new fest.
- Lovin’ Life Music Fest
- May 2–4
- Mr. Worldwide, Gwen Stefani, Benson Boone and more head to Queen City to throw some love in your life. Charlotte, lovinlifemusicfest.com
- Iron Blossom Music Festival
- Sept. 20–21
- High spirits blossom at this indie music fest featuring the likes of Vampire Weekend, Khruangbin and Rainbow Kitten Surprise. Richmond, ironblossomfestival.com
- NC Holiday Flotilla
- Nov. 28–30
- Float on alright at the annual boat-decorating competition and parade kicking off the holiday season. Wrightsville Beach, ncholidayflotilla.org
- Feast Wilmington
- March 2026
- Feed your need and consider this fest your passport to all the food and bevs that give Wilmy its foodie credentials. Wilmington, feastwilmington.com
- Nikki Glaser, April 12–13 @ Martin Marietta Center for the Performing Arts
- Craig Robinson, April 17–19 @ Raleigh Improv
- Shane Gillis, May 9 @ Lenovo Center
- Godfrey, May 23–25 @ Raleigh Improv
- Dave Attell, May 29–31 @ Goodnights Comedy Club
- Marlon Wayans, June 12–15 @ Raleigh Improv
- Randy Feltface, June 13–15 @ Goodnights Comedy Club
- Nate Bargatze, July 17–18 @ Lenovo Center
- Casey Rocket, July 17–19 @ Goodnights Comedy Club
- Joe Dombrowski, Oct. 9–11 @ Goodnights Comedy Club
- Grace O’Malley, Oct. 16–18 @ Goodnights Comedy Club
- Big Jay Oakerson, Oct. 23–25 @ Goodnights Comedy Club
- 2025 PGA Championship
- May 12–18
- *Quietly* cheer on your fave pro golfers as they vie for the top title at one of the finest country clubs in the U.S. Cue the golf clap! Quail Hollow Club, Charlotte, pgachampionship.com
- The Soccer Tournament
- June 4–9
- Kick it for a shot at $1 mill with locals, legends and professionals at the “most exciting and highest stakes” 7 vs. 7 soccer tourney in the world. WakeMed Soccer Park, Cary, tst7v7.com
- City of Oaks Marathon
- Nov. 2
- Put your body’s endurance to the test on this 26.2-mile run from North Raleigh to DTR—or opt to hold a snarky poster and line the course to cheer on the overachievers. Both are winners in our book! Raleigh, cityofoaksmarathon.com
- Panthers vs. Bills
- Fall, date TBD
- Are you ready for it? This year’s T. Swift and company losers—er, the AFC runners-up Buffalo Bills—look to get stampeded in Charlotte by a Panthers team on the glowup finding new life under coach Dave Canales and now-hot QB “the Carolina Reaper” Bryce Young. Keep Pounding! Bank of America Stadium, Charlotte, panthers.com
- Swan Lake
- May 15–18
- Classical ballet
- Martin Marietta Center for the Performing Arts, carolinaballet.com
- Carnival of the Animals
- May 31
- Family symphony
- Martin Marietta Center for the Performing Arts, ncsymphony.org
- Hamlet
- June 19–22, 26–29
- Tragedy
- Theatre in the Park, theatreinthepark.com
- Waitress
- Aug. 6–24
- Musical dramedy
- Theatre Raleigh, theatreraleigh.com
- All My Sons
- Oct. 16–26
- Drama
- Theatre Raleigh Arts Center, honestpinttheatre.org
- Witch
- Oct. 24–Nov. 9
- Dark comedy
- Raleigh Little Theatre, raleighlittletheatre.org
- The Music of Harry Potter
- Jan. 3
- Family symphony
- Martin Marietta Center for the Performing Arts, ncsymphony.org
- Madama Butterfly
- Jan. 30 & Feb. 1
- Tragic opera
- Martin Marietta Center for the Performing Arts, ncopera.org
- Red Pitch
- Feb. 5–22
- Coming-of-age
- Burning Coal Theatre Company, burningcoal.org
- UNC Health Championship
- May 29–June 1
- Tee up for a better tomorrow while catching future PGA pros in action, indulging in top-tier hospitality and making a real impact—all from the best seat on the green at Raleigh Country Club. unchealthchampionship.com
- Summer Salute
- May 31
- No beach? No problem. Get your shag on at North Ridge Country Club by swaying to live beach music, running it back at the Pink Flamingo Casino and partying for Transitions LifeCare—good vibes guaranteed. northstatebank.com
- Rock Your World
- Sept. 7
- Party hard—give back harder. Crank up the volume at this adrenaline-fueled fest serving live music, sky-high thrills and nonstop energy that promise to, ahem, rock your world as you hop and bop to Band of Brothers and the Rae Radick Band, throw your hats for a military tribute, and sample sips and snacks in support of the Hope for Haiti Foundation and more. hopeforhaitifoundation.com
- Evening of Hope & Igniting Hope
- Sept. 10 & 11
- Double the impact as hope takes center stage across two powerhouse nights of purpose hosted by Foundation of Hope at the Pavilion at the Angus Barn to fuel critical mental health research and support for those battling mental illness. Glam up for a gala and inspiring keynote, then shift gears for a more laid-back evening of dinner, drinks and dancing. walkforhope.com
- Mighty Giveback Concert
- Expected September
- Nothing’s mightier than music with a mission. Dip your feet into this philosophy by uplifting local nonprofits—and dancing hard—with a high-energy lineup of live music at Red Hat Amp. bandtogethernc.org
- Hops for Hope
- Sept. 13
- The only thing better than cracking open a cold one? Cracking open a cold one for a cause. Compassion meets craft beer at the 10th annual brew-tiful fundraising fest landing in North Hills’ Midtown Park to fund life-changing medical flights for children and families in need. We’ll drink to that—with plenty of brews to pick from. childrensflightofhope.org
- Over the Edge
- Sept. 27
- Got guts? Prove it by taking the plunge from 19 stories up and rappelling down DTR’s Pendo building to benefit Special Olympics NC. Besides serving serious bragging rights, the drop mirrors the everyday adversities individuals with disabilities encounter while raising funds to make them feel a little lighter. sonc.net
- Holt Brothers Foundation Funkraiser
- Nov. 2
- Dance, drink and party for the children? Twist our arm. Uptown funk is gonna give it to you via sips, snacks, music and a memorabilia auction at this annual fundraiser at Angus Barn uplifting NFL football stars Terrence and Torry Holt’s mission to support children of cancer patients. holtbrothersfoundation.org
- Turkey Ball
- Expected November
- Gobble till you wobble for good. A ticket to this ambient annual alfresco gala poolside at Mulino means a holiday turkey for a family in need. mulinoraleigh.com
- Figgy Pudding Caroling Competition
- Dec. 6
- The best way to spread Christmas cheer is singing loud for all to hear, so lift your voices high and battle it out at Moore Square for the caroling crown while bolstering local education through the Wake Tech Community College Foundation. figgypuddingnc.org
- Jingle Ball
- Expected December
- Mix, mingle and jingle all the way at Marbles Kids Museum to bring Christmas to life for local tots in need via thousands of toys and toy program funding in Wake County. And be sure to be nice—Kris Kringle may make an appearance… capitalcityclauses.org
- Midtown Beach Music
- Thursdays April–June
- Tropical oasis: found. Don your Hawaiian shirts, leis and carefree attitudes for Midtown’s lineup of sunny tunes paired with food trucks, sips and all-around good vibes. visitnorthhills.com
- Artsplosure
- May 17–18
- It’s always an explosion of creativity and color at this art mecca serving up a curated lineup of ~175 visual artists from across the country spotlighting ceramics, glass, jewelry, metal, painting and photography. artsplosure.org
- Live After 5
- May 21, June 18, July 23, Aug. 20
- A post-work DTR block party? Say less. DRA’s free summer concert series is back with a spotlight on NC-grown artists. Expect drinks and dancing backdropped by cover bands, original artists, vendors and food trucks all rooted in the Tarheel State. downtownraleigh.org
- Out! Raleigh
- June 20–21
- Local flavors, vibrant entertainment and all the rainbow energy ignite Fayetteville Street to celebrate and support the community and LGBT Center of Raleigh. On Friday, leave the kids behind for a night of adults-only fun. #Boots lgbtcenterofraleigh.com
- NC State Fair
- Oct. 16–26
- Feast your eyes, ears and stomachs on food, artisan goods, games and more at the state’s fave fest. Pro tip: Wait at least 30 minutes after housing a turkey leg or order of fried Oreos to spike your adrenaline on a ride. ncagr.gov
- DRA Tree Lighting
- November
- And Raleigh said, “Let there be light!” Get lit for the holiday event you’ve been pining (!) for by oohing and aahing at the sparkling tree while sipping and snacking on food truck fare and drink vendors. Rockefeller Center, who? downtownraleigh.org
- Raleigh Christmas Parade
- Nov. 22
- Ring in the holidays with parading pageantry and excitement as floats, marching bands, dancers and giant balloons grace—and float over—the DTR streets. And you better watch out (till the end) because Santa Claus is coming to town. grma.org
- A Christmas Carol
- December
- The ghost of Christmas future says laughter and good humor is coming to the Cap City via Theatre in the Park’s annual showcase of good tidings and cheer with a twist. theatreinthepark.com
- Krispy Kreme Challenge
- February 2026
- Pound a dozen doughnuts (or 2,400 calories) in the middle of a 5-mile jaunt and run it back in under an hour, all in the name of charity for the UNC Children’s Hospital. Take it from us—if you want to avoid running through partially digested doughnuts, stay ahead of the crowd. krispykremechallenge.com
- Art in Bloom
- March 2026
- NCMA’s annual petal power is back as florists from across the state and beyond interpret works from the People’s Collection into bold and blooming masterpieces. Okay, bloomers! ncartmuseum.org
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