Durham is where self-made synth beats are created alongside home-grown and international talent.
Where renowned hip hop artists come home to spit with our next generation of performers.

Where there’s no need to wait for Friday night; both large and small festivals and cultural events win the hearts of wandering souls from near and far — all week long.

Each year, 5,000 classes, tours, markets, competitions and performances await you here. The key to your next adventure lies in your own curiosity. Come taste, see, hear and discover.

Annual Events & Festivals The only way through is to do. Learn More

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Featured Events

CenterFest Arts Festival

SAVE THE DATE! The Durham Arts Council is bringing the 45th Annual CenterFest Arts Festival to downtown Durham on Sept 21 & 22, 2019. Visual artists from near and far will showcase their work, and 75 performing arts groups provide continuous music, dance and entertainment throughout the festival including extended Saturday evening entertainment. Add in food courts, hands on activities and Durham’s inspiring nonprofit and government services sectors and you have the best way to...

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NC Jerk Festival

Free Family Fun Day! Live music, Caribbean Food (Jerk Chicken, Jerk Pork, Jerk Seafood Curry Chicken, Curry goat, Oxtail, Corn, Manish Water, Patties, Roti, Doubles, Pholorie, Bake & Saltfish, Coconuts), Kids Zone, Beer Garden, and Arts & Craft Vendors.

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Black Wall Street: Homecoming

Black Wall Street: Homecoming is an annual networking conference for early-stage entrepreneurs, focused on the intersection of content, connections and culture. Celebrate and learn from diverse, multicultural entrepreneurs, their investors and the community that supports them. This year they will have programming for founders and builders -- people who are growing teams, companies, communities and movements. And since teaming up with Art of Cool Fest worked so well last year, they're doing it again. So...

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Art of Cool Festival

AOCFEST will feature a range of R&B, Neo Soul, Hip-Hop, Jazz, alternative and spoken word performances and speakers at 6 venues. Three-time GRAMMY® award-winning singer-songwriter, New York Times best-selling poet, and critically acclaimed actor Jill Scott will headline the AOCFEST stage on Friday, September 27th. Dreamville Records singer-songwriter Ari Lennox who hails from Washington D.C. will also perform at AOCFEST Friday evening. That same evening, Darryl “DMC” McDaniels will hit the Motorco Music Hall stage...

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Pride: Durham, NC

Pride: Durham, NC serves as the annual celebration of community, family, pride, and activism in Durham and across the state. Pride: Durham, NC brings love and activism back to the forefront of Pride as a way to drive stronger connections and further growth and success in a tumultuous political climate. All people with love in their hearts and progress fueling them are welcome at Pride: Durham, NC.Parade 11 a.m., performances 1 p.m. Performances by: DJ...

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Bull City Race Fest and Food Truck Rodeo

This festival has something for the fastest runners and families alike. Start and Finish at Diamond View Park at the American Tobacco Campus and Choose from the Half Marathon, Five Miler or 1 Mile distances. Enjoy a fall morning of running through downtown Durham, Duke University and surrounding Historic Neighborhoods. After you cross the finish line, enjoy delicious eats from a variety of delicious food trucks! The Bull City Race Fest is the culmination of...

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The Durham 150 Closing Ceremony Presented by Duke University and Duke Health

The Durham 150 Closing Ceremony will be a culminating event of Durham 150, the official yearlong commemoration of the 150th anniversary of the City of Durham’s incorporation, and will explore the history of Durham through narration, video, live performance and music. Tickets are now on sale. Purchase Durham 150 Closing Ceremony tickets here. The production will open with remarks from Mayor Steve Schewel, along with a welcome from Occaneechi Tribal Chairman, Tony Hayes. The Ocaneechi...

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The Nutcracker

From the moment the curtain rises, the magic of this Holiday classic is mesmerizing. Take a journey to a land of whimsical characters featuring magical illusions, magnificent sets, and beautiful costumes. Listen as a live symphony orchestra plays Tchaikovsky’s famed score. The Nutcracker is the perfect story ballet for the young and the young at heart. You'll want to visit once, twice, or more during this Holiday season!

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Durham Art Guild's 65th Annual Juried Exhibition

This is the Guild's longest-running, largest, and most impressive annual exhibition featuring the work of 50 regional artists working in a... Details

Solo Exhibit – Frank Myers – Strolling Through Durham

The public is invited to join photographer Frank Myers for his solo exhibit Strolling Through Durham featuring his collection of... Details

Grand Opening! Introducing 5 Points Gallery

The public is invited to help celebrate the grand opening of an exciting new contemporary art gallery in the heart of downtown Durham.... Details

Art Exhibit — "Mary did you know?"

Works by Zaire McPhearson. The Mary did you know? series is inspired by the images of the Renaissance and also the Bible. It explores the... Details

Buy My Art And Call It Holy

Buy My Art And Call It Holy is a 5 day art installation with different programming each day.Monday, September 16 - Night of Meditation... Details

Art Exhibit – "Godchild"

Divinity and art in the Western world have worked together to create a set of toxic ideals, one in which Whiteness is the sole standard of... Details

Art Exhibit — "Unseen"

New watercolors and works on paper by Damian Stamer. Damian’s contemporary paintings explore themes of memory and loss through formal and... Details

Swift Night Out

Get a front row view as large swarms of chimney swifts begin to gather for their annual trip to South America and swarm, dive and roost at... Details

ABCs of Starting A Business

Find out what it takes to start your own business. Explore legal entities, business license requirements, business plans, marketing... Details

Indiana Jones Trivia Night

Start the engine! And head down to Durty Bull for a night of Indiana Jones trivia. Ansley will be quizzing you on all four movies, while... Details

Durham Beer & Banjos

A free weekly music series featuring roots, bluegrass, Americana, and folk music every Monday on the rooftop of The Pit in downtown Durham. Details

Duke Men's Soccer vs SMU

Men's Soccer 7:00 PM SMU Durham, N.C. Details