Events in Durham, NC | Find Festivals, Concerts & Sporting Events

Every day in the Bull City, there’s a wide variety of events happening to help you get involved in our vibrant community. If you're already here or planning a trip, use our search function below to find events suited to all interests and ages.

Durham is home to many homegrown festivals and events that happen annually and are easy to plan a trip around. From beats to barbecue and everything in between, check out our seasonal events page to find the perfect time to visit the Bull City.

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If you're a Durham-based venue or organization and you'd like us to include your event on our calendar, follow the link below to find our submission guidelines and submit your information.

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If you have any questions, please email eventcalendar@discoverdurham.com.

Featured Events

Scrappy Glitz and Glam with Stormie Daie: A DIY Fashion Experience

Join us for a fabulous evening of creativity and sustainability with Drag Queen icon Stormie Daie and The Scrap Exchange!Get ready to repurpose, recycle, and reinvent old styles into bold new looks perfect for PRIDE: Durham, NC weekend. The Scrap Exchange will roll in with a treasure trove of tops, bottoms, and edgy pieces (think distressed denim, jackets, and more!) for you to mend, alter, bedazzle, and make completely your own.Want to bring a personal...

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CenterFest Arts Festival

Celebrate Centerfest's 50th anniversary! Since 1974, Durham Arts Council has brought the Durham community together with an annual arts festival in the fall. As Durham’s signature fine arts festival, CenterFest showcases juried visual artists from across the country and fills multiple stages with stand-out local performers. Art shoppers are dazzled by world-class ceramics, paintings, photography, jewelry, fiber art, woodwork, glass, and more. Creators are based in Durham, the Triangle and across the country. CenterFest also...

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The Promise of Peace: Slavery's End in North Carolina

The close of the American Civil War with military surrenders at sites like Bennett Place assured the end of legal slavery in America. On the evening before the 160th anniversary of the Bennett Place surrender, join us as we commemorate and recognize the lives of over 330,000 North Carolinians enslaved during the Civil War. This program highlights experiences of enslaved and newly freed people through storytelling, music, and luminaries.

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Pride: Durham, NC

9/26 Justice Concert & Rally | 5PM–9PM, CCB Plaza - 201 Corcoran Street 9/27 Community Parade & March | 12PM–2PM Health & Wellness Kickback | 2PM–5PM Duke East Campus - 1304 Campus Drive 9/28 Food Truck & Vendor Market | 12PM–4PM Durham Central Park - 501 Foster Street

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Cigar & Bourbon Pairing

Join a professionally led course on the art of pairing cigars and bourbon. This class is for new cigar smokers and seasoned cigar smokers alike. Get ready to indulge in a unique pairing experience that will tantalize your taste buds and elevate your senses. This course will demonstrate hand-rolling techniques along with proper cutting, lighting and smoking. Then move to the porch to indulge in a guided pairing journey including a trio of bourbons to...

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Raphael Saadiq: No Bandwidth!

Fresh off back-to-back sold-out nights at the legendary Apollo Theater in New York City, Los Angeles’ historic United Theater on Broadway, and two homecoming nights at Oakland’s Fox Theater, Raphael Saadiq’s No Bandwidth Tour will see him extending his run after garnering widespread acclaim. Praised by NPR’s KQED as “a masterclass in intimacy, vulnerability, and musical excellence,” the one-man-show offers a powerful blend of storytelling and emotionally evocative experience, with Saadiq guiding audiences through his...

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Bull City Race Fest and Food Truck Rodeo

Experience the brand NEW 2025 Race Routes! 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...

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Chocolate & Bourbon Pairing

This luxury class will take you through different Mystic Bourbons and the chocolate pairing that brings out the amazing flavors. Learn about, and taste, all of their spirits along with a classic chocolate pairing.

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Diana Ross

Diana Ross is a consummate performer, as well as one of the most iconic female singers of all time and one of the most prominent women in popular music history and pop culture of the late 20th century. Diana Ross’ famed and remarkable career spanning almost five decades has resulted in major awards, accolades and music history milestones. Her international achievements were acknowledged by the prestigious Kennedy Center Honors in December 2007 in Washington DC...

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2025 Chefs for Change Gala

Enjoy a multi-course dinner prepared by five of North Carolina’s top chefs—Matt Kelly, Gray Brooks, Aaron Benjamin, Michael Lee and Chris McLaurin—along with a live auction led by professional auctioneer Scott Peterson of Custom Benefit Auctions. Most auction items will be exclusive, chef-focused culinary experiences. Proceeds benefit Families Moving Forward, Durham’s primary emergency shelter for families with children.

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Paradiso 26: MC Hyland, Lightsey Darst, Sharon Kunde

The poetry performance series presents a powerful trio! MC HYLAND (she/they) is the founding editor of poetry micro press DoubleCross... Details

Pregame Fridays!

Every Friday at Club Era they pick a spotlight artist playlist. All you need to do is show up on the dance floor with your moves and vibes! Details

Third Friday Jazz Night

Join Redhead Hemp and local jazz artist Kayla King for an evening of live music. Relax in the canna cafe and sip an infused drink while... Details

Live Vinyl Spinning by PhDJ Every 1st & 3rd Friday!

A favorite local DJ comes to spin records every FIRST and THIRD Friday of the month with a variety of vinyl offerings. Anything from funk... Details

Dashi x The Floor Izakaya Sessions

Marshall Jones and thefacesblur bring deep grooves to Dashi’s izakaya—live and streaming on DanceGruv Radio. Come through for Third Friday... Details

Brett’s Open Mic: Celebrating 30 Years

For three decades, Brett Chambers has been a pioneer of Durham’s open mic scene—welcoming musicians, singers, poets and dancing crowds to... Details

Sheng Wang

Sheng Wang is a comedian, actor and writer originally from Houston, TX. His first Netflix special, Sweet & Juicy, released in September... Details

Open Mic Comedy Night at Durty Bull

Join in every Friday from 8pm-11pm at Durty Bull for a night of laughs. Check out local aspiring comics as they test out there material and... Details