Things to Do in Durham this Week

Weekly Events in Durham

(January 5- January 11)

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

Discover Durham has an app! Now, you can access our event calendar, updated daily, plus curated itineraries, challenges and a handy map to help you find even more things to do, places to eat and drink and more, all from your phone.

Join the Love Durham Challenge

Show your Durham love your way: as a foodie, a family, a style icon or a creative, with the 2026 Love Durham Challenge on the Discover Durham app. Choose the challenge that matches your Durham love, then check in at ten participating businesses or events by February 28. You'll earn a branded tote and themed patches while supporting the small businesses that keep Durham's heartbeat strong during the slowest season. Some events will be additional Love Durham Challenge check-in opportunities. We will mark them with a 🫶 emoji.

How to Participate in the Challenges

Download the App to Join the Challenge

Noteworthy Events in Durham this Week

Country Night at ZincHouse Winery & Brewery

• Grab your boots, dust off that hat, and get ready to kick it up on the dance floor with DJ Sean Moore spinning your favorite country hits all night long. Line dancing, two-stepping, boot-scootin’.
• Must be 21+
• Tuesday, January 7
• 6:30 pm
• Free admission

Junhee: Into the Ocean Tour at Motorco Music Hall

• First-ever solo U.S. tour. Known for his rich vocals, soulful performance, and the emotional depth of his latest solo album, Junhee invites fans to step into a world built from sound, story, and heart.
• Admission: $65.67+
• Friday, January 9

Durham Princess Day at Durham Convention Center 🫶

• Once Upon a Time... The princesses planned a magical event for you! Join them for stories, songs, dances, crafts, photos and more! Make wishes, join the princess parade, and get autographs too! Each princess in attendance would love to meet you!
• Time Slots| 10:00AM, Noon, 2:30PM
• Event Details: Royal Entrance, Princess Vocal Performances, Princess Dance Performance, Meet&Greet, Crafts, Games, Portraits, Dance Lesson, Sing-A-Long, Autographs, and Coronation
• Saturday, January 10
• Admission: $25-$35

Multi-Day Events

Film Screening — Anaconda at Carolina Theatre

• Doug (Jack Black) and Griff (Paul Rudd) have been best friends since they were kids and have always dreamed of remaking their all-time favorite movie: the cinematic classic “Anaconda.” When a midlife crisis pushes them to finally go for it, they head deep into the Amazon to start filming. But things get real when an actual giant anaconda appears, turning their comically chaotic movie set into a deadly situation. The movie they’re dying to make? It might just get them killed…
• January 4-8
• Admission: $12.50+

Film Screening — Song Sung Blue at Carolina Theatre

• Lightning and Thunder, a Milwaukee husband and wife Neil Diamond tribute act, experience soaring success and devastating heartbreak in their musical journey together.
• January 4-8
• Admission: $12.50+

Film Screening — Marty Supreme at Carolina Theatre

• Marty Mauser, a young man with a dream no one respects, goes to hell and back in pursuit of greatness.
• January 4-8
• Admission: $12.50+

Best of MettleSketch at Mettlesome Theater 🫶

• MettleSketch is the sketch comedy team based out of Mettlesome Theater, and this is MettleSketch's greatest hits, all in one show!
• January 8-10
• Admission: $18

Beethoven Cubed — The Chamber Orchestra of the Triangle at Bay 7

• Beethoven Cubed embraces bold energy and brilliant contrasts that pairs two towering voices of the Classical Era. Vibrant and youthful, Franz Schubert’s Symphony No. 6 is brimming with charm, rhythmic vitality, and the spirit of his idol, Beethoven. This builds the atmosphere for the “big man” himself to take the stage (ironically, Beethoven was only 5’4” tall). The Triple Concerto is a rare and exhilarating showcase where violin, cello, and piano soloists join forces with the orchestra in a thrilling musical dialogue. From playful elegance to heroic grandeur, Beethoven Cubed delivers a powerful celebration of virtuosity and symphonic mastery.
  
• Sat, Jan 10 7:30 p.m.
• Sun, Jan 11 4 p.m.
• Admission: $250

Biotech Blast at Museum of Life and Science

• Celebrate biotechnology in our brand-new Lab space! Learn how biotechnology impacts every level of our lives- from gene therapy and nanotechnology to cooking, painting, and [getting from place to place]! Engage with activities, demonstrations, and conversations with scientists and organizations working in the field as you explore our campus.
• On Saturday, get hands-on in the Lab with deep-dive workshops, led by local scientists and experts. On Sunday (a Durham Community Day), dabble in many forms of biotech with drop-in programs throughout the Museum!
• Free with Museum admission or membership
• January 10-11

Harry Potter and the Cursed Child at DPAC, Durham Performing Arts Center

• Broadway’s spellbinding spectacular HARRY POTTER AND THE CURSED CHILD is coming to the Triangle. Join the next adventure and experience the wizarding world like never before at this record-breaking hit and winner of six Tony Awards including Best Play. “It’s one of the most defining pop culture events of the decade” (Forbes).
• When Harry Potter’s head-strong son Albus befriends the son of his fiercest rival, Draco Malfoy, it sparks an unbelievable new journey for them all—with the power to change the past and future forever. Prepare for a mind-blowing race through time, spectacular spells, and an epic battle, all brought to life with the most astonishing theatrical magic ever seen on stage. It’s a “marvel of imagination” (The New York Times) that will “leave you wondering ‘how’d they do that?’ for days to come” (People Magazine).
• December 28-January 11

Holiday Model Train Show at Durham Main Library Auditorium

• Watch as ten model trains travel through the State Fair, Winter Town, Spooky Town and more!
• December 16- January 5
• Free

Zero Proof January at The Durham

• Visit the Coffee Bar or the heated Roof this January and beyond for thoughtfully crafted zero-proof cocktails. What began as Dry January has grown into a wider shift toward mindful drinking and alcohol-free options that still feel social and considered.
• At The Durham, mocktails are built with the same intention as every drink on the menu, focusing on balance, texture, and a sense of occasion. Whether you’re participating in Dry January or simply curious, these drinks are designed to feel just as satisfying as their spirited counterparts.
• This year’s menu also highlights Jabin, a locally made beverage inspired by Sekanjabin, an ancient Persian drink made with vinegar and honey and enjoyed for its cooling, restorative qualities.
• January 4-31

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 chilled crab rangoon dip for the first course; ricotta gnocchi or shrimp roll for the second course; and for dessert, Mexican chocolate pot de crème or St. Angel Triple Crème Cheese. Price: $40. The menu and prices change based on season and ingredient availability.
• Through June 30th

$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.
• Through June 30th

Monday, January 5

5 p.m.

Arts & Drafts at Beer Study Durham

6 p.m.

Nic Cage Film Screening at Durham County Main Library

SIlent Reading Club at The Glass Jug Downtown

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.

FREE Fun da’MENTal Trivia! at Ment Beverage Co.

Monday Night Trivia at Aloft Durham Downtown

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, January 6

5 p.m.

Yaki Tuesday at Dashi

Free Wine Tasting at Wine Authorities

6 p.m.

Glue & Good Intentions - vision board night at Ment Beverage Co.

TBS 1st Tuesday Blues Jam at The Blue Note Grill

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.

Ernest Turner Trio at Sharp Nine Gallery

Monday Night Trivia at Aloft Durham Downtown

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

7:30 p.m.

BEERthoven: Balourdet Quartet at Atomic Clock Brewery Co.

8 p.m.

Queer Country Night at The Pinhook

Wednesday, January 7

11 a.m.

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

5 p.m.

Wine Wednesday! Free Wine Tasting at Beer Study Durham

6 p.m.
Carolina Filmmakers Happy Hour at Motorco/Parts & Labor

6:30 p.m.

Country Night at ZincHouse Winery & Brewery

Crank Arm DURHAM Wednesday Night Ride at Crank Arm Brewing Durham

Trivia Night at The Glass Jug Beer Lab - RTP

7 p.m.

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

8 p.m.

Air Hockey Tournament at Boxcar Arcade

Karaoke at Moon Dog Meadery

Thursday, January 8

12 p.m.

Parish Brewing Ghost DIPA Tap Spotlight at The Glass Jug Beer Lab - RTP

5:30 p.m.

Walking Club with Bull City Strollers at Glass Jug Downtown

6 p.m.

Date Night DIY at Nailed It DIY Studio Durham

Vinyl Night with DJ Deckades at Gizmo Brew Works

6:30 p.m.

Pony Run at Ponysaurus Brewing Co.

Decolonizing Yoga at Duke Park

Sapphic Happy Hour at Zeitgeist Gallery & Bar

Boulders & Brews Meetup at Triangle Rock Club - Durham

7 p.m.

Doodle & Drink at Ment Beverage Co.

Six More Miles at The Blue Note Grill

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.

Alex Welch Quartet at Sharp Nine Gallery

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, January 9

Events at Club Era

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

10 a.m.

Tasting at Counter Culture Coffee 🫶

11 a.m.

Workforce In Action Business Luncheon at E. Havery Estes Center

12 p.m.

Friday Co-Working Social at The Glass Jug Downtown

5 p.m.

Food Truck Friday at The Glass Jug Beer Lab - RTP

5:30 p.m.

Kids Night Out at Museum of Life and Science

6 p.m.

The Duke Street Dogs at The Blue Note Grill

7 p.m.

Jon Shain & FJ Ventre--Modern Folk Blues from North Carolina at Succotash Southern & Creole Kitchen

7:30 p.m.

Andy Kush Band at The Blue Note Grill

Junhee: Into the Ocean Tour at Motorco Music Hall

8 p.m.

Muscadine Bloodline at Carolina Theatre

Open Mic Comedy Night at Durty Bull Brewing Company

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, January 10

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.

South Durham Farmer's Market at Hub RTP

9:30 a.m.

Jazz Brunch at Lula & Sadie's 🫶

10 a.m.

Durham Princess Day at Durham Convention Center 🫶

Pauli Murray Center Open Saturday at Pauli Murray Center for History and Social Justice

Walk-In Saturday at Welcome Tattoo 🫶

11 a.m.

Sensory Friendly Film Series at The Carolina Theatre 🫶

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

12 p.m.

Crafternoons at Gizmo Brew Works

Free Wine Tasting at Wine Authorities

1 p.m.

Kids Build It! at Nailed It DIY Studio Durham

2 p.m.

Duke Men's Basketball v. SMU at Cameron Indoor Stadium

3 p.m.

Chill & Chili: Dry January Kickoff Cook-Off at Durham Beer Garden

7 p.m.

Les Trois Chats--Hot Club Jazz at Succotash Southern & Creole Kitchen

Adulting at Rubies on Five Points

7:30 p.m.

8-Track Minds at The Blue Note Grill

Crisis ! The Music of Ornette Coleman at Sharp Nine Gallery

8 p.m.
Moon Dog Comedy Night at Moon Dog Meadery

Durham Ghost Walk at Fate & Folklore

9 p.m.

WeTouchGrass Presents : Anime Rave at Motorco

9:30 p.m.

Saturday Night Dance Party at The Velvet Hippo

10 p.m.

Drink, Drag, Dance, Repeat! at Club ERA

Sunday, January 11

10 a.m.

Jazz Brunch at Lula & Sadie's 🫶

11:30 a.m.

Yoga @ The Winery at Zinc House Winery & Brewer

12 p.m.

Capricorn Birthday Party! at Ment Beverage Co.

Sunday Dollar Bin Sale for Charity at Rumors Durham

12:15 p.m.

Public Tour of Duke Chapel at Duke University Chapel

1 p.m.

Liberty Arts Presents: Iron Heroes Exhibition at Durham Food Hall

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

2 p.m.

Winter Cocktail Class at Mystic Farm and Distillery

Hammered Trivia at Durty Bull Brewing Company

3 p.m.

Craft Club & Supply Swap at Glass Jug Downtown

5 p.m.

Book Release: Loving My Enemies & Other Outlandish Pursuits at Night School Bar

6:30 p.m.

Open Mic at Moon Dog Meadery

8 p.m.

Beer Study Film Club: Featuring The Weird World Of Cult Cinema at Beer Study Durham

Running Art Exhibits

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 Exhibit — Dis/orient: Contemporary Art of the Asian Diaspora at Nasher Museum of Art at Duke University

• A focused exhibition that examines how artists of Asian descent confront long-standing stereotypes embedded in the word “Orient.” Rooted in Western imperialism, the term historically enforced a sense of distance and “otherness” that continues to shape cultural perceptions today. Dis/orient brings together artists who use humor, memory, tradition, and personal narrative to challenge this legacy and illuminate the richness and multiplicity of the Asian diaspora.
• “Dis/orient invites viewers to look beyond the flattened idea of a single ‘Orient’ and instead appreciate the complexity, humor, and emotional depth that define contemporary Asian diasporic art,” said Julianne Miao, curatorial associate at the Nasher Museum. “Each artist brings a distinct perspective, reminding us that identity is never monolithic. It is lived, questioned, and continually reshaped.”
• Tu-Sa 10 a.m.-5 p.m., Su 12-5 p.m.
  
• January 4- July 19

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