Raleigh arts preview: 4 best things to do this fall

Fall is near, which also means the return of outdoor festivals which won't leave you sunburnt and sweating (hopefully).

Here's our fall arts preview guide.

1. Check out a festival

The International Bluegrass Music Association Festival returns to downtown Raleigh on Sept. 30 to Oct 1.

• For two days, the bluegrass festival takes over multiple parts of downtown, with free shows on multiple blocks, an exhibit hall for music retailers and blocks of food vendors.
• The festival includes shows at the Red Hat Amphitheater, with headlining acts The Jerry Douglas Band and The Infamous Stringdusters.

Zoom out: If blue grass isn't your thing, there are plenty of other festivals and events happening.

• Lazy Daze Arts and Crafts Festival, Aug. 27-28, Cary
• African American Cultural Festival of Raleigh and Wake County, Sept. 3-4, downtown Raleigh.
• Hopscotch Music Festival in downtown Raleigh from Sept. 8-10.
• Asia Fest 2022 at Koka Booth Amphitheater in Cary, Sept. 17.
• La Fiesta del Pueblo 2022 on Fayetteville Street in downtown Raleigh, Sept. 18.
• Shakori Hills Grassroots Festival in Pittsboro, Oct. 6-9.
• "Roy Lichtenstein: History in the Making, 1948 – 1960" exhibit at Nasher Museum in Durham, August through January 8.

2. Go classical

The North Carolina Symphony, one of our state’s great arts treasures, heads into 2022-23 with Carlos Miguel Prieto in his first year as music director designate.

• The symphony opens with three performances of “Pictures at an Exhibition,” Sept. 22-24. The first night is at Memorial Hall in Chapel Hill, followed by two nights at Meymandi Concert Hall in Raleigh. Tickets.

Some highlights from the rest of the season, all at Meymandi.

• Oct. 14-15: Beethoven Eroica
• Oct. 21-22: Rachmaninoff Piano Concerto No. 2
• Oct. 28-29: The Music of Harry Potter
• Nov. 4-5: Barber Violin Concerto, with conductor Grant Llewellyn and violinist Geneva Lewis
• Nov. 18-19: Kongold Violin Concerto, with conductor Johannes Debus and violinist Blake Pouliot
• Nov. 23: The Polar Express

3. Catch live music

Here are 10 concerts worth going to this fall.

• Chapel Hill-bred Mipso at the Cat’s Cradle in Carrboro, Sept. 4

• Nas and Wu-Tang Clan at Coastal Credit Union Music Park in Raleigh, Sept. 17.
• Raleigh indie legends The Connells at the Cat’s Cradle in Carrboro, Sept. 17.
• Farm Aid Festival — featuring Willie Nelson, John Mellencamp, Dave Matthews and Chris Stapleton, among others — at Coastal Credit Union Music Park in Raleigh, Sept. 24.
• Raleigh hip hop group Kooley High plays the Pour House in Raleigh on Oct. 1.
• North Carolina folk group Watchouse at the N.C. Museum of Art, Oct. 1.
• Father John Misty at the Durham Performing Arts Center, Oct. 8.
• Pusha T at the Ritz in Raleigh, Oct. 19.
• Turnpike Troubadours at Red Hat Amphitheater in Raleigh, Oct. 28.
• Plains, the duo composed of Waxahatchee’s Katie Crutchfield and Jess Williamson, at the Haw River Ballroom in Saxapahaw, Nov. 7.

4. Relax with yoga at the NC Museum of Art

Don't forget to take some time to slow down this season.

Details: Head to the NC Museum of Art's Lotus Pond on Oct. 20 for "Mindful Museum: Outdoor Yoga."

• The NCMA is hosting events throughout the fall meant to encourage mindfulness and engage with art using all of our senses. Other events include sensory journeys, slow art exhibits and tai chi.