Events in Durham, NC | Find Festivals, Concerts & Sporting Events

Pictured:

CenterFest - Credit Samantha Everette

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 have any questions, please email eventcalendar@discoverdurham.com.

Featured Events

The Monti: Guilty Pleasures

Pleasure is what makes life worth living, but sometimes our greatest pleasures are our guiltiest. They can be harmless, like sneaking a late-night snack or binge-watching trash tv, but sometimes they can have big consequences—a friend overhearing your gossip sesh or a small vice spiraling into a major addiction.Join The Monti for an evening of storytelling where you listen to tales of indulgence, regret, and the sweet joy of breaking the rules—just a little...

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Holiday Cocktail Class

Participants get a tour of the distillery, free tastings, and learn hands-on how to make some of your favorite holiday cocktails.

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Handel’s Messiah

Since 1933, Handel’s Messiah has been the fulcrum of the Chapel’s concert life and a cherished Duke holiday tradition. Handel’s masterwork traces the history of humanity’s divine redemption through Christ’s birth, death, and resurrection, in music that is both treasured and timeless. This year Messiah will be performed with period instruments and Baroque-era tuning, as Handel himself would have heard it. Each performance will last approximately two hours and fifteen minutes with intermission. Seat cushions...

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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 Open House

Enjoy a look inside the historic McCown-Mangum House, Photography Museum, and Mill. While you’re there, try your hand at some crafts, listen to stories by the fireside, sing-along to live holiday music and treat yourself to yummy refreshments. No need to register—just drop in, rain or shine!

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Durham 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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African American Dance Ensemble Kwanzaafest

Join the African American Dance Ensemble for their 39th Kwanzaa celebration! The focus will be on the principle of Imani, which represents Faith. It’s a time to wholeheartedly believe in community and the justness of community struggles. Kwanzaa is a wonderful opportunity to celebrate African American culture and values, such as unity, self-determination, collective responsibility, cooperative economics, purpose, creativity, and faith. It’s also a moment for reflection and joy, featuring communal feasts and gatherings that...

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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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Biscuits & Banjos Festival

GRAMMY & Pulitzer Prize-winning artist Rhiannon Giddens’ new festival is dedicated to the celebration and exploration of Black music, art and culture in her home state of North Carolina. Biscuits & Banjos is a 3-day festival to exchange ideas, expand conversations, uplift traditions, and trace the musical and geographical connections of old time, country, Americana, folk, jazz and blues to highlight their complicated origins. The festival will champion Black artists and creators, offering robust musical...

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Cosmic Baseball Takeover Tour

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... Details

Art Exhibit — Inscrutable Objects

This installation brings together sculptures, drawings and photographs that might be hard for most of us to comprehend. They challenge... Details

Studio Ghibli Film Series

For decades, Studio Ghibli has created breathtakingly beautiful movies that have captivated and inspired audiences for generations through... Details

Art Exhibit — By Dawn’s Early Light

The years 2024 and 2025 mark the sixtieth anniversaries of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965. The two Acts... Details

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... Details

"Picking up the Pieces" by Barbara Lee Smith

"Picking up the Pieces" features 18 fiber-based works that focus on nature, the strength and fragility of land and sea, and the cycle of... Details

Art Exhibition — "Wild Harmony"

Deco, nouveau, and nature, by Matt Tomko and Maureen Dunlap. Details

Art Exhibition: “Visible Spectrum: Portraits from the World of Autism”

Mary Berridge’s award-winning series of photographs is paired with narratives written primarily by the subjects or their parents. The... Details

King Nobuyoshi Godwin: World Beyond Words

5 Points Gallery in downtown Durham is thrilled to announce an exhibit of works by King Nobuyoshi Godwin. King’s art is a vibrant... Details

Art Exhibit — Maya Freelon: Whippersnappers at Historic Stagville

Maya Freelon: Whippersnappers will premiere large-scale sculptures, archival photographs, paintings, and collages that transform the former... Details

Art Exhibition — Beverly McIver: Painters I Love

Featuring works by:Michael DixonRichard GarrisonClarence HeywardPedro LaschWilliam Paul ThomasLamar WhidbeeMonday–Friday 9:30 – 6, Saturday... Details

Maya Freelon Art Exhibition: Whippersnappers

Maya Freelon: Whippersnappers will premiere large-scale sculptures, archival photographs, paintings, and collages that transform a former... Details

Durham Events Calendar

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Featured Events