Things to Do in Durham this Week

Weekly Events in Durham

(November 24 - November 30)

Welcome to a comprehensive guide of weekly events in Durham – from Broadway shows to intimate performances, serene river paddles to art exhibits, dance parties, food tours and more. Start here to plan your perfect week.

If you’d like to add an event to our calendar, submit an event here. Please check with the event organizers to see if events change due to weather. Have a great week!

Even More Ways to Find Events in Durham

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Noteworthy Events in Durham this Week

Duke Women's Soccer hosting NCAA Quarterfinal match vs. Washington at Koskinen Stadium

• Friday, November 28
• 6pm

Smashfest at the Scrap Exchange

• Scrap Exchange’s SMASHFEST offers an opportunity for people to let off some steam and invest in local organizations instead of spending money on new things for the holidays! Buy or bring your own smashable items.
  
• Friday, November 28
• 2pm - 6pm
• Free to attend, purchase tickets to smash gadgets

Durham Craft Shop Small Market at Durham Central Park

• Join the Durham Craft Market to get a head start on your holiday shopping! They'll have 50+ Durham Craft Market members and guest artists, all local artist-run small businesses. Shop unique, handmade, and local this season!
• Saturday, November 29
• 9 am
• Free

Small Business Saturday Cozy Winter Market at Boxyard RTP

• Browse 10 gift booths around the market and enjoy unbeatable discounts on seasonal food and drinks to make this holiday season uniquely yours. Grab a special passport to collect stamps throughout the day and turn it in complete for a free hot cocoa! When you arrive, be sure to also check out The Makery’s Christmas Tree lot and The Black Santa Experience.
• Saturday, November 29
• 12pm -4pm
• Free

6th Annual Handcrafted DURM Holiday Market at Durty Bull Brewing Co.

• Celebrate with holiday fun, treats, and a costume contest!
• It's just up the way from the Durham Farmers Market. They'll have fresh and funky crafts of all sorts: beauty and health items, art, apparel, fun novelties, jewelry and accessories. They prioritize minorities (including gender-based)/vendors of color and small mom-and-pop businesses with seasonal offerings and custom crafts and gifts!
• Saturday, November 29
• 2 pm
• Free

Multi-Day Events

Elf The Musical at DPAC, Durham Performing Arts Center

• ELF THE MUSICAL, inspired by the hit film, is the hilarious and heartwarming tale of Buddy, a young orphan child whose life is changed forever when he mistakenly crawls into Santa’s sack of toys one Christmas Eve. When he discovers he is human, Buddy embarks on a journey to New York City to find his birth father and, in turn, helps the Big Apple rediscover the true meaning of Christmas.
• Wednesday, November 26 from 2 PM - 4 PM
  Wednesday, November 26 from 7:30 PM - 9:30 PM
  Friday, November 28 from 2 PM - 4 PM
  Friday, November 28 from 7:30 PM - 9:30 PM
  Saturday, November 29 from 2 PM - 4 PM
  Saturday, November 29 from 7:30 PM - 9:30 PM
  Sunday, November 30 from 1 PM - 3 PM
  Sunday, November 30 from 6:30 PM - 8:30 PM

Durham Bulls FestiBull of Lights at Durham Bulls Athletic Park

• FestiBull of Lights transforms the Durham Bulls Athletic Park into a dazzling winter wonderland! Stroll through thousands of twinkling lights synchronized to festive music, creating a magical holiday experience for all ages. Meet Santa, hop aboard the NC by Train Holiday Express, create seasonal crafts, roast s’mores, savor festive food and drinks, and enjoy even more holiday fun — all surrounded by a breathtaking display of lights! Meet Santa & Wool E. Claus!
• November 20- January 3
• Admission: $12

Thanksgiving: History & Legacy Tours at Bennett Place

• The modern Thanksgiving holiday stems from a mid-19th century campaign by Sara Josepha Hale for the adoption of a national thanksgiving holiday. President Abraham Lincoln created the federal holiday in 1863 during the American Civil War.
• So how did our Thanksgiving narrative come to focus on a fantastical meal shared between colonists and American Indians? What messages did Americans hope to convey with the Thanksgiving holiday? What were some popular Thanksgiving foods of generations past?
• Most Saturdays in November, Bennett Place staff lead guided tours that explore the history & legacy of this Civil War era federal holiday. These tours include a living history component, preparing a 19th-century dish within the Bennett's kitchen.
• November 1-29
• Admission: $8 adults, $6 seniors, military/veterans, children

Holiday Cocktails & Treats at The Durham

• Get in the holiday spirit as you enjoy festive cocktails and house-made treats on the Roof and in the Coffee Bar, all decked out with our mid-century holiday décor. This special menu is available in addition to our regular menus.
• November 28- January 1

Guided Spirits Tasting Tour at Liberty & Plenty Distillery

• Join a brand ambassador from Liberty & Plenty Distillery for a guided tour of the production facility and Rickhouse in Downtown Durham to learn the basics of how spirits are made. Every tour includes a tasting of Liberty & Plenty Distillery's rums, vodkas, gins and whiskies.
• Every Friday at 5:00 PM and 6:30 PM and every Saturday at 2:00 PM and 3:30 PM
• Admission: $20

Pre-Theatre Menu at Alley Twenty Six

• Durham’s Alley Twenty Six offers a Pre-Theatre Menu from 4-5:30 p.m. Tuesdays-Sundays. The three-course menu includes appetizer, entree, and dessert. An example menu includes a mandatory green salad or coconut shrimp for the first course; spicy jackfruit bibimap or spam fried rice for the second course; and for dessert, Mexican chocolate pot de crème or St. Angel Triple Crème Cheese. The menu and prices change based on season and ingredient availability.

$1.50 Oysters at Alley Twenty Six

• Durham’s Alley Twenty Six is now offering $1.50 raw oyster special from 4-5 p.m. Tuesdays-Fridays. A selection of oysters are sourced from North Carolina and often Canada, Virginia or elsewhere along the East Coast and served with cocktail sauce, Mignonette sauce and lemon. Bar seats are available first come, first serve or make a reservation at alleytwentysix.com.

Studio Ghibli Film Series at Carolina Theatre

• For decades, Studio Ghibli has created breathtakingly beautiful movies that have captivated and inspired audiences for generations through masterful storytelling and stunning visuals. Experience the wonder of these groundbreaking, beloved animated films.
• July 30 -Dec 13

Monday, November 24

5 p.m.

Arts & Drafts at Beer Study Durham

6 p.m.

Disc Golf Putting League at The Glass Jug Beer Lab - RTP

6:30 p.m.

Trivia Night at Ponysaurus Brewing Co.

Crunk Club DRM presents: Crank Arm Durham RUN at Crank Arm Brewing Durham

7 p.m.

Not Rocket Science Trivia at Fizzwerks

Board Game Night at Moon Dog Meadery

7:30 p.m.

The MOST Open Mic (Monday Moans) at West End Wine Bar

The Devines Intervention Comedy Open Mic at Devine's Restaurant and Bar

Tuesday, November 25

5 p.m.

Yaki Tuesday at Dashi

Free Wine Tasting at Wine Authorities

5:30 p.m.

Duke Football Radio Show and Tailgate Dinner at Washington Duke Inn & Golf Club

6 p.m.

The Glass Jog Run Club - Winter Series at The Glass Jug Beer Lab - RTP

Vinyl Night with DJ Deckades at Gizmo Brew Works

Adult Coloring Night at Hi-Wire Brewing

Gentle Yoga Flow at ReCity Network

Music Bingo Night at Glass Jug Downtown

Glass Jog Run Club - Spring Series at The Glass Jug Beer Lab

Women on the Wall at Triangle Rock Club - Durham

BYOV w/ Jaffar (Bring Your Own Vinyl Night) at Rubies on Five Points

7 p.m.

Karaoke Night at the bar @DBCo

Trivia at Beer Study Durham (back room)

Not Rocket Science Trivia at DSSOLVR Durham

Video Game Night at Moon Dog Meadery

Wednesday, November 26

11 a.m.

NCCU Women's Basketball v. UNC Greensboro at NCCU

Guided Tour of Pauli Murray's Childhood Home at Pauli Murray Center for History and Social Justice

3 p.m.

Durham Farmers’ Market at Pavilion at Durham Central Park

4 p.m.

Whiskey Wednesday at Alley Twenty Six

5 p.m.

Wine Wednesday! Free Wine Tasting at Beer Study Durham

6 p.m

Watch the season premiere of StrN/Ager Things at Fullsteam's future home

6:30 p.m.

Crank Arm DURHAM Wednesday Night Ride at Crank Arm Brewing Durham

Trivia Night at The Glass Jug Beer Lab - RTP

7 p.m.

Thanksmissin at The Fruit

Pinball Tournament at Boxcar Arcade

Hammered Trivia at Hi Wire brewing

Signature Wine Tasting at Zinc House Winery & Brewery

Trivia Night at Mystic Farm & Distillery

Music Bingo at Ponysaurus Brewing Co.

Music Bingo at the bar @DBCo

Brett Chambers Open Mic at The Blue Note Grill

Old School Bingo Night – Every Wednesday Night at DSSOLVR

Music Mashup Trivia at Fizzwerks

7:30 p.m.

English Country Dance at Reality Center

8 p.m.

Air Hockey Tournament at Boxcar Arcade

Karaoke at Moon Dog Meadery

9 p.m.

Last Wednesdays: Velvet Disco DJ Sets with Lex Nell at The Velvet Hippo

Thursday, November 27

11 a.m.

Thanksgiving at The Durham

Thanksgiving Celebration at JB Duke Hotel

11:30 a.m.

Vegetarian Thanksgiving Feast and Raffle at Parizade

1 p.m.

Thanksgiving Buffet @ Washington Duke Inn & Golf Club at Washington Duke Inn & Golf Club

5:30 p.m.

Walking Club with Bull City Strollers at Glass Jug Downtown

6 p.m.

Silent Book Club at Letters Community Bookshop

Vinyl Night with DJ Deckades at Gizmo Brew Works

Dungeons n' Drafts at DSSOLVR Durham

6:30 p.m.

Decolonizing Yoga at Duke Park

Sapphic Happy Hour at Zeitgeist Gallery & Bar

Boulders & Brews Meetup at Triangle Rock Club - Durham

7 p.m.

Thursday Trivia at Baryo

Crank Arm Durham Presents: Level up and Sip at Crank Arm Brewing Durham

Trivia Night at Beer Tooth Taproom

Board Game Night at Moon Dog Meadery

Hammered Trivia at Durty Bull Brewing

7:30 p.m.

Trivia Night w/Big Slow Tom at Clouds Brewing Brightleaf Square

8 p.m.

Music Trivia Bingo with Stormie Daie! at The Velvet Hippo

Queer-Eoke at Club ERA

Friday, November 28

Events at Club Era

• 7-10 p.m. - Pregame Fridays!
  
  
• 10 p.m. - 2 a.m. - Freaky Fridays

10 a.m.

Black Friday Stout Day at The Glass Jug Beer Lab - RTP

Tasting at Counter Culture Coffee

12 p.m.

Friday Co-Working Social at The Glass Jug Downtown

1 p.m.

Duke Volleyball v. California at Cameron Indoor Stadium

6 p.m.

Duke Women's Soccer hosting NCAA Quarterfinal match vs. Washington at Koskinen Stadium

The Duke Street Dogs at The Blue Note Grill

Friday Night Live Music on the Lawn at Bull McCabe's Irish Pub

7 p.m.

Hoppy Hour Cinema movie series at Glass Jug Downtown

SunSets Evening Rooftop DJ Sets! at The Velvet Hippo

9 p.m.

Hush Hush Improv Comedy at Mettlesome Theatre

Well Seasoned - comedy at Mettlesome Theatre

Karaoke at Flying Bull Beer Company Taproom

10 p.m.

The [Friday] Night Shift at The Velvet Hippo

Saturday, November 29

Guided Walking Tours with Triangle Adventures

• 2 p.m. - Historic Downtown Durham Walking Tour
• 4 p.m. - Durham African American History Tour
• 6 p.m. - Downtown Durham True Crime Tour

8 a.m.

Durham Farmers’ Market at Pavilion at Durham Central Park

parkrun Durham at Southern Boundaries Park

9 a.m.

Durham Craft Shop Small Market at Durham Central Park

South Durham Farmer's Market at Hub RTP

10 a.m.

Guided Hike - Approach of Nature's Nightime at Eno River Durham
Jazz Brunch at Lula & Sadie's

10:15 a.m.

Drag Story Hour at Boxyard RTP

11 a.m.

Drop-In Make Your Own Body Fragrance at Bright Black.

12 p.m.

Crafternoons at Gizmo Brew Works

Free Wine Tasting at Wine Authorities

2 p.m.

6th Annual Handcrafted DURM Holiday Market at Durty Bull Brewing Co.

NCCU Men's Basketball v. Carolina U at NCCU

3:30 p.m.

Duke Football v. Wake Forest at Wallace Wade Stadium

8 p.m.

Moon Dog on Fire at Moon Dog Meadery

Durham Ghost Walk at Fate & Folklore

9:30 p.m.

Saturday Night Dance Party at The Velvet Hippo

10 p.m.

Drink, Drag, Dance, Repeat! at Club ERA

Sunday, November 30

10 a.m.

Jazz Brunch at Lula & Sadie's

11 a.m.

Namaste for a Pint Yoga Class at Glass Jug Downtown

11:30 a.m.

Yoga @ The Winery at Zinc House Winery & Brewer

12 p.m.

Sunday Dollar Bin Sale for Charity at Rumors Durham

12:15 p.m.

Public Tour of Duke Chapel at Duke University Chapel

12:30 p.m.

Open Table TTRPG at Moon Dog Meadery

1 p.m.

Savory Sunday - Bloody Marys with ALL the Fixins at Liberty & Plenty Distillery

2 p.m.

Cigar & Bourbon Pairing at Mystic Farm and Distillery

Hot Wax on Tap at Bright Black.

Hammered Trivia at Durty Bull Brewing Company

3 p.m.

NAACP Durham Branch Annual Freedom Fund Banquet at Hilton Durham Near Duke University

Craft Club & Supply Swap at Glass Jug Downtown

5:30 p.m.

Ideal’s Presents: Little Drummer Boy Dinner at The Durham

8 p.m.

andmoreagain presents: The Spill Canvas with Mae and Leighton Antelman of Lydia at Motorco Music Hall

Running Art Exhibits

Miler Lagos: The Merx Tree at Rubenstein Arts Center Gallery

• This site-specific installation by Colombian artist and engineer Miler Lagos is made of cardboard boxes collected on Duke’s campus, stacked and carved to resemble the base of a Ceiba tree—an ancient and sacred symbol in Mesoamerican and Amazonian cultures. By reshaping discarded cardboard to its pre-processed arboreal form, Lagos confronts viewers with the hidden cost of commerce.
• With the title, Merx, Latin for “merchandise” and derived from the Roman god Mercury (patron of commerce and communication/divination), Lagos imbues his work with a multi-leveled significance. The reclaimed cardboard evokes global systems of trade and transformation. And the Cieba tree connects the shamanic practice of bridging realms by inserting tobacco leaves into its bark to Duke’s historical entanglement with tobacco as a commodity. In this context, The Merx Tree becomes both a reflection of the global impact of distribution, and a monument to the invisible, often spiritual, networks embedded within it.
• Sept 7- Nov 25
• Free

Art Exhibit — The Disobedient Ones at Frederic Jameson Gallery, Friedl Bldg

• Cornelio Campos and Rodrigo Dorfman, two consolidated visual Latino artists living in North Carolina, come together for their first collaborative exhibit. The exhibit will also feature a forum about art and mobility, guided tours, and a film screening as part of the 2025 North Carolina Latin American Film Festival.
• Campos and Dorfman will be exhibiting new paintings created at the intersection of emerging AI technologies and the ongoing challenges of bearing witness to the (im)migrant Latino experience in the Nuevo South. The Disobedient Ones/Los Desobedientes is an attempt to break the rules, challenge assumptions, and search for new definitions of our humanity in a world whose axis and paradigms appear to be disintegrating before our eyes.
• On view Weekdays 9 a.m.-6 p.m.
• Cornelio Campos is a self-trained painter and muralist from Mexico who has resided in Durham, North Carolina, since 1990. His paintings and murals reflect on his indigenous Purépecha roots and his immigrant experience in the United States. Campos has exhibited throughout North Carolina, Colombia, Italy, and Mexico, and his work is part of the permanent collection of the Smithsonian’s Anacostia Museum. He is the first Latino to receive a North Carolina Heritage Award.
• Opening: September 20, 5:00 PM - 8:00 PM
  Film Screening: October 4, 6:00 PM
  Forum: October 11 and 12 (TBA)
  Guided Tour: November 7th (TBA)
  Closing Party: December 12. 5:00 PM - 8:00 PM
• September 29- December 12

Art Exhibit — Sherman Fleming: Unsettled at Nasher Museum of Art at Duke University

• Known for his provocative performances, Sherman Fleming (b. 1953), is an influential multimedia artist based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. This focused survey gathers works spanning forty years of Fleming’s career, presenting paintings, drawings, ephemera, and documentation of his performances made between 1978–2019.
• Fleming’s works are demonstrations of perseverance, self-control, and conviction. The artist’s main medium is his body, which he uses in myriad ways. His endurance performances span hours and even months and include walking through Philadelphia for a day while carrying an eight-foot-tall wooden phallus along with spending a year wearing a noose—objects purposely chosen as material reminders of racial and sexual stereotypes of Black masculinity as well as the ongoing trauma of racialized terrorism in the United States.
• The unsettling nature of his work pushes the boundaries of discomfort as the imagery features both difficult subjects and unresolved compositions. Overall, Fleming’s complex practice is connected through his relentless processes that consistently expand the horizons of what art can be and how it may be experienced on paper, canvas, in a gallery, in a theatre, or even live on the street. Through his innovative explorations of identity, the artist’s messaging continues to resonate in profound ways, many years after its making.
• Tu-Sa 10 a.m.-5 p.m., Su 12-5 p.m.
  
• September 29- January 18

Art Exhibition — Human Landscapes, the Mystery of the Mark at NCCU Art Museum

• North Carolina Central University (NCCU) and the Eric Kelly Museum are proud to announce a major exhibition celebrating the extraordinary work of NCCU alumnus Dr. Eric A.W. Kelly III, founder of the Kelly Worldwide advertising and marketing Agency and Director of Eric Kelly III Museum, and one of the most transformative abstract expressive artists of our time. Running from October 23, 2025, through January 4, 2026, the exhibition, Human Landscapes: The Mystery of the mark, presents a groundbreaking fusion of color, sound, and emotional storytelling through more than 50 paintings spanning seven decades of artistic mastery. In this groundbreaking exhibit, Dr. Kelly will be showing some of his early masterpieces from his days at NCCU, leading up to his present style called neo-abstract expressive.
• Dr. Eric Kelly III’s visionary style—marked by bold black lines, synesthetic color experiences, and deeply expressive portraiture—has shaped a new visual language that bridges abstraction and identity. A 1982 graduate of NCCU’s Visual Communications program and the university’s first Art Scholarship recipient, Dr. Kelly returns to his alma mater to debut a multisensory journey that explores the human condition through dynamic compositions, vivid colors, original music scores, and shares his new movie documentary “Human Landscapes” during the exhibition.
• This event is free and open to the public. RSVP FOR ART TOURS 919-308-9090
• October 22- January 4

Coming into Focus: A Snapshot of Photography at Nasher Museum of Art at Duke University

• Recently the Nasher has added over 2,000 photographs to its collection, including works by the best-known practitioners from the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, such as Edouard Baldus, Ilse Bing, Henri Cartier-Bresson, André Kertész, Arthur Rothstein, Nadar, and Edward Weston. Coming into Focus: A Snapshot of Photography at the Nasher celebrates these gifts and other acquisitions, highlighting a sampling of gems and
  illuminating a bright future of continued collecting and presenting of photography in innovative and ambitious ways.
• July 28- January 1
• Free

Art Exhibition — Labor&Materials and The Intuitionist at 21c Museum Hotel Durham

• 21c Durham is unveiling two new exhibitions with Labor & Materials and The Intuitionist. The exhibitions feature a thematic group exhibition of 67 multi-media artworks by 40 artists from across the globe exploring the evolution of industry and labor in the 21st century and a two-person exhibition of paintings by Atlanta-based artist Xavier Daniels and Toronto-based artist Natia Lemay.
  
• June 12- May 31
• Free