Cheers to Beer Month!

Are you ready, beer fans? There's something brewing in Raleigh, N.C.! April is Beer Month in Raleigh, and the area's 22 breweries (plus bottle shops and craft brew restaurants) invite you to join in on the month-long celebration with festivals, events, special beer releases, beer dinners, brewery tours and more—all in celebration of the fourth annual N.C. Beer Month. Driven by off-the-charts demand for quality, handcrafted beer, Raleigh's passionate entrepreneurs have answered the bell and built one of the most hopping beer scenes around, perfect for visitors and residents to come together and cheers to one of our favorite months of the year.

Getting right into it, the third annual Casks on Fools (4/1 at Crank Arm Brewing) is a day-long N.C. Beer Month kick-off party featuring unique casks from more than 20 breweries across the state. Beer Month momentum keeps up as the next day we welcome a brand new brewery to the scene in downtown Cary! Bond Brothers Beer Company Grand Opening (4/2) will feature special beer releases and collaborations, local food trucks and live music from the likes of Chatham County Line and more. A busy beer weekend also includes the Lonerider Showdown (4/2 at City Limits Saloon), plus a chance to sample beers from around the world (and don't miss the N.C. Beer Garden!) at World Beer Festival Raleigh (4/2 at the North Carolina State Fairgrounds). Later in the month, Beer and Bacon Fest (4/9 at Koka Booth Amphitheatre) gives you the chance to sample more than 75 international beers and wines, plus 10 types of bacon from across the country. The ever-popular Brewgaloo (4/22-23) returns to City Plaza in the heart of downtown Raleigh featuring N.C. breweries, food trucks and bands. 

Need more beer events? Bookmark our Beer Month page to keep up to date with our complete beer calendar, blogs, deals, InstaGallery and more! And also check out our recent chat with Mark Doble, CEO and brew boss at Aviator Brewing Company in Fuquay-Varina.

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Looking for your doses of live music? Raleigh, with the most live music in N.C., is heating up in April with outdoor venues ready to rock and welcome back jazzed up music fans. Gavin DeGraw (4/8) kicks off the Rock 'n' Roll Raleigh Marathon and 1/2 Marathon presented by WRAL race weekend with a show at Red Hat Amphitheater, and you won't want to miss the (free!) Rock 'n' Roll Marathon Post-Race Party featuring St. Lucia (4/10), also at Red Hat Amphitheater.

More chances to get outside and enjoy live music in the beautiful Raleigh spring weather: Live and Local: Earth Day on Hillsborough St. (4/9) will have an all-day music lineup headlined by The Love Language, plus plenty of vendors (including local beers) on hand; the North Carolina 'Cuegrass Festival (4/16) pairs all of our favorite things—great barbecue, local brews and toe-tappin' bluegrass music—for a day of fun in downtown Raleigh's streets; Midtown Music Fest (4/30 at Midtown Park) is a family-friendly, free day of music by artists from the Carolinas; and concert season swings into action at Walnut Creek Amphitheater with Jimmy Buffett (4/21) and Widespread Panic (4/30). 

See the complete calendar of live music events here.

More April Picks

Baseball season is back! The Carolina Mudcats open the season against the Myrtle Beach Pelicans (4/14-17) at Five County Stadium, then face off versus the Salem Red Sox (4/18-20) and the Wilmington Bluerocks (4/26-28). 

Floral designers from across N.C. and beyond bring springtime inside the North Carolina Museum of Art with Art in Bloom (4/7-10), an interpretation of masterworks from the museum's permanent collection with breathtaking flower displays. 

Carolina Ballet gears up for a highly-anticipated performance of Shakespeare's Macbeth (4/14-17) at Duke Energy Center for the Performing Arts.

The Carolina RailHawks jump feet-first into the spring portion of the North American Soccer League season with home games in April versus Minnesota United FC (4/2) and Ottawa Fury FC (4/16) at WakeMed Soccer Park in Cary. Check out our guide to taking in games here.

Kids can get hands-on at the BrickUniverse LEGO Fan Expo (4/2-3 at the Raleigh Convention Center), including a building zone to unleash your creative energy. 

North Carolina Symphony presents Beethoven's Violin Concerto (4/29-30) at Duke Energy Center for the Performing Arts.

Food trucks, plus a beer and wine garden and live music, will line the streets of downtown Cary at the Chatham Street Chowdown (4/17).

And Cary's Spring Daze Arts and Crafts Festival (4/30 at Fred G. Bond Metro Park) features 180 N.C. artists, entertainment on five stages and festival food, and also includes Cary's annual Earth Day celebration.

Click here to see all events in Raleigh, N.C. Snapping photos while you're out and about? Tag them with #visitRaleigh for a chance to be featured on our Twitter, Instagram and Facebook accounts!