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

Pictured:

CenterFest - Credit Samantha Everette

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.

Submit an Event to our Calendar

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.

Submit an Event

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

Featured Events

Pumpkin Patch Express

All aboard the Pumpkin Patch Express! Join in Saturdays and Sundays through October 26 to celebrate the arrival of autumn at one of the Museum's most popular family-friendly events. Pick the perfect pumpkin to decorate, race through the hay maze, and enjoy a variety of games, photo-ops, and activities inspired by the season. Then climb aboard the train for a relaxing ride back to the station on the Ellerbe Creek Railway!

The 8th Annual Rocky Horror Picture Show Halloween Ball

A Retro annual tradition! More than just a movie screening, Retro presents a full-theatrical, FX-driven, light show-blazing, fog-blowing, call-backing, motion picture extravaganza! Fasten your garter belt and come up to the Carolina Theatre’s historic 1000-seat lab and see what’s on the slab! This madcap musical begins when rain-soaked Brad and Janet take refuge in the castle of Dr. Frank-N-Furter, a transvestite mad scientist from outer space who is about to unveil his greatest creation! This...

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.

NC Comicon

With its creator-focused vision and intimate, all-encompassing atmosphere, NC Comicon is a prime destination for fans and creators of all walks and passions to learn, celebrate, and share in a wide variety of interests and fandoms, from comics to cosplay, gaming, film, animation, design, and more. Regardless of age or experience level, all are invited and welcome at NC Comicon!

Civil War: Part 2 Airsoft Event

Ultimate Airsoft Event! Choose your side — West Coast Syndicate or East Coast Coalition — and get ready for an unforgettable day of action, teamwork, and adrenaline For ages 8 and up.

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.

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...

Durham Holiday Parade

Cheer on dynamic floats, hometown bands, drill teams, schools, and community groups as they make their way down Main Street at the Durham Holiday Parade. The procession will conclude with a guest appearance from Santa. Free EventRain or Shine

African American Dance Ensemble Kwanzaafest

Kwanzaa Fest is more than just a gathering; it’s a time to honor African American culture and values, including unity, self-determination, collective work and responsibility, cooperative economics, purpose, creativity, and faith. It's also a time for reflection and celebration, with communal feasts and gatherings that bring together family and friends. Performances start at 2:00 pm.

Jason Isbell

Six-time Grammy Award-winning singer/songwriter Jason Isbell is one of the most respected and celebrated artists of his generation. The North Alabama native possesses an incredible penchant for identifying and articulating some of the deepest, yet simplest, human emotions, and turning them into beautiful poetry through song. Isbell sings of the everyday human condition with thoughtful, heartfelt, and sometimes brutal honesty. After releasing multiple critically-acclaimed albums, appearing in an Academy Award-nominated film, Killers of the Flower...

Max Roach at 100

Composer, multi-instrumentalist, and 2024 Pulitzer Prize winner Tyshawn Sorey and his all-star trio—pianist Aaron Diehl and bassist Harish... Details

Julia Keefe Indigenous Big Band

Led by the celebrated vocalist and luminary Julia Keefe (Nez Perce), the Julia Keefe Indigenous Big Band brings charisma, passion, and... Details

Marc Ribot: Reframing Dylan

Marc Ribot will perform re-interpretations and re-framings of Bob Dylan’s mid 1960s-era visionary poetry, the poetic environment from which... Details

John Scofield Trio featuring Vicente Archer and Bill Stewart

Over the last four decades, trio format is John Scofield’s favorite mode of expression. The John Scofield Trio brings together Scofield on... Details

David Foster & Katharine McPhee

DAVID FOSTER is one of the most illustrious composers of our time. With 16 Grammy Awards, including three for Producer of the Year, an Emmy... Details

Branford Marsalis Quartet

Saxophonist Branford Marsalis is one of the most influential and revered figures in contemporary music. The NEA Jazz Master, GRAMMY Award... Details

YahZarah is a fearless and genre-defying artist whose powerful voice and dynamic stage presence have made her one of the most celebrated... Details

Acclaimed concert singer John Holiday has performed at world-renowned venues such as Carnegie Hall, the Kennedy Center, Lincoln Center,... Details

Brandee Younger

Harpist Brandee Younger is redefining what her instrument can do—and who it’s for. On Gadabout Season, her latest release for Impulse!, she... Details

Diana Krall is the only jazz singer to have eight albums debut at the top of the Billboard Jazz Albums chart. To date, her albums have... Details

The Some of It All

Introducing The SOME of IT All, an avant-garde jazz trio that pushes the boundaries of the genre, featuring three of the most innovative... Details

TJ Maiani Quintet

TJ Maiani is Durham based drummer and educator. After spending nearly a decade in New York City working with a wide range of musicians from... Details