The biggest events happening in the Triangle in 2025
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J. Cole's Dreamville Festival will return to Raleigh's Dorothea Dix Park for the fifth and final time April 5-6. Photo: Prince Williams/FilmMagic
The New Year is well underway, and Triangle residents have a lot to look forward to, including the debut of Raleigh Wide Open and the final Dreamville Festival.
We put together a list of some of this year's biggest local events, so you can get them on your calendars now and buy tickets for those that are coming up soon.
Jan. 1-20: Red Hat Amphitheater's outdoor ice skating rink The Rink
Jan. 18-19: NC Vintage Bazaar, the state's largest vintage clothing event
Jan. 25: The Annual African American Cultural Celebration at North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences
Jan. 27-Feb. 2: Triangle Restaurant Week
Feb. 1: Raleigh's Krispy Kreme Challenge
March 13-30: Carolina Ballet's Alice & Wonderland
March 15: Downtown Raleigh's St. Patrick's Day Parade
March 16: Tobacco Road Marathon and Half Marathon in Durham
March 19-23: The North Carolina Museum of Art's Art in Bloom, which showcases art in the form of flowers.
April 1: Durham Bulls opening night
April 12: Cary's Tacos 'n Taps Festival
April 3-6: Duke University's Full Frame documentary film festival
April 5-6: J. Cole's Dreamville Festival, held annually in Dorothea Dix Park, is back for its fifth and final year.
April 19: North Carolina Cuegrass Festival, held in downtown Raleigh
April 25-26: Craft beer festival Brewgaloo, also in downtown Raleigh
April 25-27: Rhiannon Giddens' inaugural Biscuits and Banjos music festival in Durham
April 26: Spring Daze Arts & Crafts Festival in Cary
May 1-4: Pittsboro's Shakori Hills GrassRoots Festival
May 3: Apex's 44th annual PeakFest
May 17: Bimbé Cultural Arts Festival, in Durham
May 23-25: Animazement at Raleigh Convention Center
May 24: Durham's Taste of Soul food festival
May 17-18: Downtown Raleigh's Arts Festival, Artsplosure
May 20-25: Broadway's Back to the Future the Musical at DPAC
May 29-June 1: UNC Health Golf Championship at Raleigh Country Club
June 4-9: The Soccer Tournament at WakeMed Soccer Park
June 6-29: Raleigh Little Theatre's The Color Purple
June 7: Raleigh's International Food Festival
June 14: Capital City Juneteenth Celebration at Dorothea Dix Park
July 4-5: Durham's Enofest, held by the Eno River Association
July 24-27: GalaxyCon, held at the Raleigh Convention Center
Aug. 1-2: Cary's Beer, Bourbon & BBQ Festival
Aug. 5-10: Broadway's The Wiz at DPAC
Aug. 16: CaribMask, Caribbean Carnival in downtown Raleigh
Aug. 23-24: Lazy Daze Arts and Craft Festival in Cary
Aug. 30: Bill Belichick's debut as UNC's head football coach as the Tar Heels take on TCU in Chapel Hill
Sept. 4-6: Hopscotch Music Festival, which takes place in downtown Raleigh's City Plaza and Moore Square
Oct. 3-4: Raleigh Wide Open debut will replace World of Bluegrass Festival
Oct. 6-12: SAS Golf Championship
Oct. 16-26: North Carolina State Fair
Other events held later in the year, but have yet to announce dates:
- Raleigh's Longleaf Film Festival is typically held in May.
- The annual Out! Raleigh Pride is typically held in June.
- NC Hops Festival
- Hurricanes home opening game of the regular season typically starts in early October.
- Boylan Heights Art Walk
- Raleigh's Illuminate Art Walk
- State Capitol Tree Lighting Ceremony
- Holiday Express at Pullen Park is typically held in December and tickets go on sale in mid July.
- Raleigh Christmas Parade typically happens the Saturday before Thanksgiving.
- Durham Holiday Parade typically happens the Saturday after Thanksgiving.
- North Carolina Chinese Lantern Festival at Koka Booth Ampitheatre typically November through January.
- First Night Raleigh's acorn drop typically happens Dec. 31.