Seasonal & Annual Events

Winters in Durham are often mild, and shouldn’t be overlooked for outdoor activities. If you’d rather stay cozy, there’s still plenty to do. Get the details on all the biggest events and our suggestions for the best things to do in Durham this season with our Winter Guide, updated annually.

Enjoy the spirit of the season with the annual Lucky Strike Tower Lighting at American Tobacco Campus, a tree lighting in CCB Plaza, the Durham Holiday Parade, Christmas by Candlelight at Duke Homestead, Handel’s Messiah at Duke Chapel and countless shows, markets, appearances by Santa and more. Find it all at our rundown of holiday events in Durham.

• The annual Kwanzaafest event each year on January 1 is a joyful way to end the holiday season and honor African American culture and values with heart-pounding performances by the African American Dance Ensemble.

• The Carolina Theatre's Nevermore Film Festival, named a “top 100 film festival” by FilmFreeway and one of the “best horror film festivals in the world” by Dread Central, held each February in downtown Durham. The festival programs brand-new feature and short films with an emphasis on horror, science fiction, dark fantasy, animation and mystery/thrillers from around the world.

• The Hayti Heritage Film Festival, taking place each year in March, is the home for Black Southern film, showcasing diverse works by and about people of African descent. It includes both short and feature-length films from an international cast of directors, as well as classic feature films.

Spring is a beautiful, and busy season in Durham as budding cherry blossoms and flowering tulips lure people outside and spring break, baseball season and numerous festivals have Durham’s venues and event spaces bursting into action. Start with our Spring Guide for event details and our best recommendations for things to do in Durham in the Spring.

Early Spring means opening day for the Durham Bulls and time to plan a trip around a homestand weekend. It’s also an ideal time to see peak blooms at Sarah P. Duke Gardens and dine outdoors on a patio.

• Taste and sip your way through the local restaurant scene, all under on roof at the Bull City Food and Beer Experience at DPAC, Durham Performing Arts Center. Your ticket includes food samples from 30 Durham restaurants and beer tastings from 50 breweries.
• The Full Frame Documentary Film Festival is a four-day international festival in early April featuring nearly 100 documentary films and the directors, producers, and subjects who make them.
• Durham Central Park comes to life in the spring with various festivals, including Durham Earth Day Festival, Bull City Beer Mile and Taste of Soul.
• Durham Night Market begins with art, music, food and drink on the lawn in American Tobacco Campus, one Thursday per month in the spring and fall.
• Bimbé Cultural Arts Festival is a free, day-long festival hosted by the City of Durham each year in Rock Quarry Park celebrating African American culture with food, arts and crafts, kids' activities, and music.
• For six weeks in June and July, celebrate local talent and witness the work of professional and pre-professional choreographers and dancers at the American Dance Festival at Duke University.
• The Beaver Queen Pageant is an annual Durham fundraiser taking place in early June that features sometimes locally well-known contestants dressed in elaborate beaver-themed costumes and family-friendly fun.
• The North Carolina Juneteenth Celebration takes place on Main Street in Durham each year. The weekend is filled with parades, cookouts, art markets, musical performances and more.

Durham slows down a bit in summer when the students leave town, reservations are easier to come by, and Eno River watering holes become the places to see and be seen. There’s no shortage of events to enjoy! Consult our Summer Guide to plan your summer weekend in Durham.

Each summer you can enjoy free outdoor concerts and picnics on the lawn at Durham Central Park's Playlist Series and Music in the Gardens at Sarah P. Duke Gardens.

• The Festival for the Eno features dozens of musical acts on multiple stages over three days every July Fourth weekend, plus art, hands-on crafts, food, beer and water activities. The Festival for the Eno is not the only way to celebrate the Fourth. Our blog outlines the weekend's events each year.

• OUTSOUTH Queer Film Festival celebrates LGBTQ+ life and helps bring the community together with entertaining and sophisticated films and filmmaking.

Fall is possibly the most energetic season in Durham. College students return to town and locals return from vacation eager to mingle at block parties, markets, spooky season events, Durham's own Pride events and more. Baseball season overlaps with college football season, and Homecoming brings in celebratory crowds. Our Fall Guide will give you all the details.

• Durham Arts Council’s CenterFest is the top fine arts festival in North Carolina, with artists and local performances across six stages in the streets of downtown Durham

• Join our queer community members and allies each September in our city’s biggest celebration of LGBTQ+ people, culture and heritage at Pride: Durham, NC.

• Celebrate Black beer culture, barbecue and community at Blacktoberfest.

• Barktoberfest each October is a celebration of our canine friends, costumes encouraged!

• The Ultimate Homecoming Experience is one of the most anticipated events on the North Carolina Central University Calendar each year. The weeklong celebration attracts alumni from across the country to join in step shows, musical performances, a stroll-off, drag show and more, culminating in a parade, homecoming football game and afterparty.

• Durham Art Walk Holiday Market kicks off a season of holiday makers' markets and provides patrons with the chance to buy one-of-a-kind pieces from local artists. 

• NC Comicon is a two-day comic festival with artists, panels, special guests and cosplay competitions headquartered at the Durham Convention Center.