Hello, summer! We can hardly contain our excitement—there are so many fun ways to enjoy the longer days and extra sunshine we get during these warm-weather months. Here's all the fun stuff we're doing in July!
Browse handmade items, discover small businesses, enjoy live music and more at these upcoming market events:
July 4
Relax under the pines at Koka Booth Amphitheatre for the Town of Cary Independence Day Celebration. With doors opening at 3:30pm, the Cary Town Band will kick off the entertainment, followed by a patriotic performance by the North Carolina Symphony and fireworks over beautiful Symphony Lake to cap the evening. The concession stands will be open, but guests are welcome to bring a picnic (alcohol allowed; beer and wine only).
Related: Downtown Cary Park is hosting a July 3rd celebration, featuring a showing of "National Treasure" on the lawn, food trucks and other entertainment (note: no fireworks).
July 4
It's a return to beautiful Dorothea Dix Park for the City of Oaks' biggest July 4th event in 2024, where 40 food trucks, live music, arts activities, water slides and more await thousands of expected visitors. Parking will be off site for this event—on North Carolina State University Centennial Campus and at downtown Raleigh parking decks—with free shuttles running from Moore Square to Dix Park beginning at 5:30pm. Bring sunscreen, blankets, chairs and coolers (no alcohol allowed)!
See the City of Raleigh's FAQ page about this event here.
Thurs., July 4 through Sat., July 6
Three nights of baseball, peanuts and post-game fireworks? Count us in! The Carolina Mudcats—taking to the diamond at Five County Stadium in Zebulon—will take on the Down East Wood Ducks in this three-game homestand that is sure to be light up the scoreboard (and the sky!).
Note: The Mudcats have fireworks after each Friday night home game, including July 19, Aug. 2 and Aug. 23.
- Fuquay-Varina Independence Day Celebration, July 1
- Wendell Fireworks Show, July 2
- Apex Fireworks Frenzy and Olde Fashioned Fourth of July, July 3 and 4
- Garner July 3rd Independence Day Celebration, July 3
- Morrisville July 3rd Family Fun Festival, July 3
- Wake Forest Fireworks Spectacular and Independence Day Celebration, July 3 and 4
- Brier Creek Commons Star Spangled Block Party and Fireworks Show, July 4
- Rolesville 4th, July 4
- Holly Springs July 5th Celebration, July 5
Exhibit: To Take Shape and Meaning at the North Carolina Museum of Art
Through July 28
Featuring works from 75 Indigenous artists from more than 50 tribes across the U.S., To Take Shape and Meaning: Form and Design in Contemporary American Indian Art brings together a wide range of Indigenous world views, ideas, experiences and traditions. More than 90 works of art are on display, including jewelry, cars, ceramics, weaving, fashion ensembles and more.
Score tickets to see professional soccer at WakeMed Soccer Park in Cary!
July 7
How about an afternoon of beer, bacon and bluegrass music in Fuquay-Varina? This monthly series at Oaklyn Springs Brewery is back again this month, with live music provided by The Band Pamlico.
July 9
A rare chance to wander through the gardens at JC Raulston Arboretum at North Carolina State University after closing time, this evening event is free to the public and includes the chance to take part in a guided tour that begins at 5:30pm. Don't miss out on summer blooms!
Note: Raulston Arboretum always packs the calendar with workshops, lectures and virtual learning opportunities. See the full July calendar here.
A new way to travel—discover a curated collection of tours, hands-on workshops and experiences led by local experts in the Raleigh area (the July calendar is filled with new events!).
- HeART of Raleigh: First Friday Art Walk, July 5
- Stop and Taste the Flowers: Herbal Tea Workshop, July 9
- Brush the Skyline: Watercolors and Brews Workshop, July 11
- An Evening Picking Flowers: Garden Tour & Floral Arrangement Workshop, July 11
- Printed with Care: Letterpress Card Making Workshop, July 12
- Beer and Cider Stroll: Discovering Whitaker Mill's Watering Holes, July 13
- Downtown Cary Treasure Hunt, July 17
- An Evening Picking Flowers: Garden Tour & Floral Arrangement Workshop, July 20
- Fermenting for Life! Fermentation Workshop at Sweet Peas Urban Gardens, July 21
- Zen and Pen: Yoga and Poetry at Haven Farm, July 21
- Tapestry Weaving Workshop at Lucky Tree Cafe, July 23
- Adventure into Agave: Guided Mezcal Tasting, July 25
- Cookies and Crochet: Crochet Workshop and Dessert Sampling, July 25
- Brush the Skyline: Watercolors and Brews Workshop, July 25
- Borrowing Something Sweet: Honey Tasting & Hive Tour, July 27
- Natural Watercolor Painting Workshop, July 28
The ultimate summer outing at one of the Raleigh area's best music and movies venues:
July 12-14 and 19-21
One of America's most spectacular gardens is open to the public just eight weekends per year! Located 12 miles south of downtown Raleigh, Juniper Level Botanic Garden is a 28-acre campus showcasing more than 27,000 different kinds of native perennials, exotic plants, rare delights and unusual specimens of trees and shrubs not found many (or any) other places on earth. Full details here.
The racing is full speed ahead at Wake County Speedway, where the NASCAR-sanctioned, quarter-mile track's tight corners play home to Friday night rock 'em-sock 'em, door-bangin' stock car action on an almost weekly basis into September (and where racing legends have been made for more than 60 years now!).
Summer Festival
July 13
Backyard games, live music, a variety of foods and desserts, beer and wine samplings and more in downtown Raleigh for a super fun summer celebration.
A big summer of live music in the Raleigh area continues this month—save the dates for a few of the shows below!
- A Day To Remember, July 2
- The Lil Smokies, July 3
- Pepe Aguilar, July 3
- Barbie The Movie: In Concert, July 5
- Songs of the ‘70s with North Carolina Symphony, July 6
- I Prevail & Halestorm, July 9
- RAIN, July 10
- Tab Benoit and Anders Osborne, July 10
- Boney James, Maysa and Kenny Lattimore, July 11
- KIDZ BOP LIVE , July 12
- Totally Tubular Festival, July 13
- Alice Gerrard's 90th Birthday Celebration, July 13
- The Catalinas, July 13
- O.A.R., July 16
- The Flaming Lips, July 17
- El Gran Combo de Puerto Rico, Luciana Souza and Chico Pinheiro Duo, July 18
- Maggie Rose, July 18
- Black Joe Lewis & The Honeybears, July 18
- David Cook, July 19
- Connells, Dillon Fence, Love Tractor, July 19
- Two Door Cinema Club, July 20
- Jeffrey Osborne with The Whispers, July 20
- The Queens Of R&B: Xscape & SWV, July 20
- Phutureprimitive, July 20
- Third Eye Blind, July 21
- Switchfoot, Blue October and Matt Nathanson, July 25
- Dirty Heads & Slightly Stoopid, July 26
- PARTYNEXTDOOR, July 26
- Charles Wesley Godwin, July 27
- Lamb Of God & Mastodon, July 27
- BRIT FLOYD P-U-L-S-E, July 27
- Sam Hunt, July 27
- New Kids On The Block, July 28
- Atif Aslam, July 28
- blink-182, July 30
- The Doobie Brothers, July 31
Exhibition: Amazing Pollinators
Through Sept. 29
This upcoming exhibition at the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences dives into what makes pollinators—bats, bees, beetles, butterflies and more—so vital to life on Earth (and challenges both adults and young children to take on a series of playable games and mazes in the ultimate survival quest).
Note: The museum also recently opened an incredible new permanent exhibit—read about the Dueling Dinosaurs here!
July 17-28
Winner of the 2013 Tony Award for Best Play, Christopher Durang's comedy revolves around three middle-aged sisters each dealing with their own troubles (and not exactly seeing eye-to-eye).
July 19
Good eats, sweet treats and more will line downtown Garner's Main St. for this evening food truck rodeo.
GalaxyCon Raleigh
July 25-28
A four-day festival for fans of pop culture, superheroes, science fiction, anime and more, GalaxyCon Raleigh will be back and bigger than ever at the Raleigh Convention Center in July. Featuring celebrity guests, comic book creators, artists, cosplayers and other industry guests, GalaxyCon Raleigh is expected to bring an incredible 30,000 attendees together in downtown Raleigh to see and be seen, to meet celebrities, go head-to-head in video games and have a blast participating in all things geek!
Monster Jam
July 27-28
Monster Jam, the adrenaline-charged family entertainment circuit that has showcased gravity-defying feats and bone-crushing hits since 1992, is back this month with some of the most recognizable trucks in the world—Grave Digger, Max-D, El Toro Loco and more—to partake in freestyle and racing competitions that will leave fans on the edge of their seats!
A star-studded lineup of performers will take to the stage in Raleigh this month!
At Raleigh Improv:
- Guy Torry, July 5-7
- Affion Crockett, July 12-14
- Jess Hilarious, July 26-27
At Goodnights Comedy Club:
- Tony Roberts, July 6-7
- Kelsey Cook, July 11-13
- Justin Whitehead, July 14
- Pauly Shore, July 24-27
- Christian Johnson, July 28
- Modi, July 31
