Hop and frolic across the city, just like just you are dominating a hopscotch board. It’s Hopscotch week and you know what that means…downtown Raleigh is about to get boisterous. Hopscotch Music Festival, a Raleigh original now in its third year of existence, is stepping it up a notch in 2012 bringing 175 bands to 15 different venues throughout the city. Thursday through Saturday of this week music will be everywhere. Pretty much, it will be impossible to escape so you might as well go ahead and surrender.

The ultimate goal of the festival involves showcasing local talent alongside nationally and internationally recognized artists. Hopscotch is “the best of what the music world has to offer from a lot of different genres in downtown Raleigh for one weekend,” festival curator Grayson Currin explained. Whatever your musical forte may be, there’s no doubt Hopscotch has something for you. The weekend features an exceptional variety of artists and musical genres from big names like The Roots to a multitude of regional and local acts. Check out the killer lineup here.

Seriously, you need to cordon off your entire weekend for the musical explosion that is Hopscotch. Shows will be taking place at choice venues all over town, including Raleigh City Plaza on Fayetteville St., Memorial Auditorium, King’s Barcade and Lincoln Theater. Don’t think you’re going to get away with showing up only after dark. Hopscotch day parties promise to be as rad as their nighttime counterparts and will occur from noon-5pm Friday and Saturday at venues including Raleigh Times, the Contemporary Art Museum (CAM Raleigh) and the Hibernian.
Wristbands are available for the full three days, as well as single-day and single-show passes. So obviously, right now, you should get online and buy one.

This weekend’s First Friday celebration will occur simultaneously with the music fest downtown, so prepare for a proper dose of art as well as music. Rally your friends, it’s about to get loud in the 919.