Durham Events Calendar
Inspiring FOMO since 1869
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.
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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.
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Featured Events
SplatterFlix Film Series
It’s exactly what you think it is: the goriest, scariest horror movies ever made, re-animated by Retro Film Series for screening over a three-day weekend.
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Blacktoberfest
Black Brew Culture's amazing celebration of beer, food, art and entertainment.
The festival will feature a range of activities and experiences that highlight the rich and diverse culture of Black-owned businesses. Attendees will have the opportunity to sample some of the best craft beers and BBQ in the country, while enjoying live music, engaging in interactive activities, and learning from industry experts.
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AfroSocaLove Festival
Music by DJ Maga Stories. Afrobeats | Soca | Reggaeton | Dancehall | Reggae | Hip Hop | RnB | More
Festival Features:Black-Owned Businesses ( Locally and Globally Renowned )Food Vendors ( African American , Caribbean , African and Afro-Latin Options )Live PerformancesThe Good Vibes Of The CommunityDJs For More Music and DancingEntertainmentGiveaways
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Chloe Klimes — Music on Main Concert
Music on Main features a wide selection of musical artists selected by Duke Arts every Saturday through October 12 from 5–8 p.m. Attendees of all ages are invited to bring chairs and blankets for seating and discover a new artist each week! Takeout is available from Streets at Southpoint restaurants, and you take advantage of the new social district, which allows visitors to enjoy alcoholic beverages purchased at on-site restaurants/bars while walking around the designated...
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Bull City Race Fest and Food Truck Rodeo
This festival has something for the fastest runners and families alike. Start and Finish at Diamond View Park at the American Tobacco Campus and choose from the Half Marathon, Five Miler or 1 Mile distances. Enjoy a fall morning of running through downtown Durham, Duke University and surrounding Historic Neighborhoods. After you cross the finish line, enjoy delicious eats from a variety of delicious food trucks! The Bull City Race Fest is the culmination of...
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The 7th 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...
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NC Comicon
New exhibits. New panels. New all-encompassing comic book pop culture overload experience! And of course the finest vendors in comic books, toys, and collectibles as well as a plethora of phenomenal comic book creators from the triangle area and around the world. All of this plus our massive fan-favorite Cosplay Contest! Attend the best one-of-a-kind panels by industry professionals and local talent. NC Comicon has everything that you’re looking for, from costume making and world...
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Air Supply
One of the Greatest Soft Rock Duos of All Time Air Supply has been the recipient of unprecedented, worldwide radio airplay for their countless love songs. The duo of Graham Russell and Russell Hitchcock began in 1975. Russell provided the words, Hitchcock the distinctive tenor vocals, and Air Supply was born. In a very short time, they found themselves with seven consecutive top-five hits such as "Lost In Love," "All Out Of Love," and "Even...
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Show Me Reptiles & Exotics Show
The Show Me Reptile & Exotics Show is one of the largest reptile and exotic pet shows in the region. This is a safe and family friendly event geared to educate and introduce people to reptiles and exotics.
The show is also a great place to go if you already have pets, with feeders and supplies from quality sources.
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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.
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Solstice: A Winter Circus Experience
Embark on an acrobatic journey with “Solstice: a Winter Circus Experience.” This captivating circus show unfolds the story of a character who has lost his inner light, plunging him into a wondrous and surreal world where memories come to life and the ordinary becomes ‘extra’ordinary. “Solstice” blends over 8 acrobatic acts with lighting, costumes, music, scenery, and snow to create a unique blend of poetry and circus in a 75-minute show! “Solstice” is an unforgettable...
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Art Exhibit — Art of the Andes
Art of the Andes features ceramics, textiles, metalwork, and carvings produced by cultures across the Andes region, a 4,500-mile-long...
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Art Exhibit — Inscrutable Objects
This installation brings together sculptures, drawings and photographs that might be hard for most of us to comprehend. They challenge...
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Studio Ghibli Film Series
For decades, Studio Ghibli has created breathtakingly beautiful movies that have captivated and inspired audiences for generations through...
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"Three Story Tellers" Pop-Up Art Gallery
Visual storytelling, one of humanity's oldest forms of communication, is brought to life by artists' unique perspectives. Whether telling...
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Art Exhibition — "Visions from Down East"
Works by North Carolina artist Mike Bennett.
James “Mike” Bennett, born in Robersonville, North Carolina in 1958, is an artist whose work...
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Art Exhibit — Second Nature: Photography in the Age of the Anthropocene
Just over twenty years ago, scientists introduced a term to denote a new geological epoch in which human activity has had a marked impact...
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Art Exhibition — Death Planted a Garden
Curated by Pop Box Gallery, The Art Chose Me, and Queen Street Magic Boat, 22 artists traverse seascapes, dreamscapes, space-scapes, and...
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The Nature of Things - Golden Belt Artists
The artworks of Golden Belt Art Studio artists fill The Great Hall. The show aims to display the diverse talents of the individual artists...
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Susan Woodson: Fish Gotta Swim, Birds Gotta Fly
5 Points Gallery in downtown Durham is pleased to announce an exhibit of new works by Susan Woodson. In Fish Gotta Swim, Birds Gotta Fly,...
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AB Contemporary Presents Quare Dance and Other Stories
Quare Dance: Black, Queer Aesthetic in Ballet is a multimedia installation that examines the intersections of race, gender, sexuality, and...
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Holder Hill Farm Pumpkin Patch
Pick your own pumpkin straight from the vine, see and feel other crops, take a hay ride around the farm, visit with farm animals, take a...
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$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...
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