Hello, May! A busy spring continues in the Raleigh area this month—longer days and lots of sunshine mean it's time to get outdoors and explore. Temperatures have hit a sweet spot, patios are open, picnics are in full swing, the calendar is packed with major events and there's never been a better time to visit the City of Oaks (so save these dates and make those plans!)
North Carolina Symphony presents Star Wars: Return of the Jedi
May 2-4
May the Fourth be with you, indeed! This special event puts one of the most popular films of all time on the big screen, paired in tandem with the North Carolina Symphony performing John Williams’ legendary score live in concert.
May 3
Come dressed as your favorite "Star Wars" character, bring a blanket or chair to relax on the lawn for the movie, grab a bite from the food trucks and explore the market!
May 3
Back for a third year, visitors are invited to taste, learn and unite at the Holly Springs International Food Festival, celebrating a variety of food, beverages and entertainment representing more than a dozen countries. Bring blankets and chairs for lawn seating outside the Holly Springs Cultural Center to enjoy live entertainment—polka, jazz, Bollywood dancing and more!
Market and Movie Night at Halifax Mall: "Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith" [2005]
May 3
Feast on food truck delights, snag artisan treasures, groove to live tunes and settle in for a free showing of a beloved "Star Wars" movie!
May 3-4
En Plein Air is a, free outdoor event in Fuquay-Varina that acts as a way to support local artists and bring public art to the town's streets. On Friday and Saturday afternoons of this special event, a skills contest will challenge each artist to create an original oil or acrylic masterpiece of a Fuquay-Varina landscape—all available for the public to watch come to life.
HerbFest
May 3-5
Those who love to cook will love HerbFest! Stroll through downtown Wake Forest's charming White St. and shop organic, non-GMO herbs and vegetables, plus heirloom tomatoes and peppers and beautiful perennials native to the area.
May 3-5 and May 10-12
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.
Browse handmade items, discover small businesses, enjoy live music and more at these upcoming market events:
Raleigh Little Theatre presents Looking for Roberto Clemente
May 4-12
In this rock musical, the year is 1972. The place is Pittsburgh, where legendary baseball player Roberto Clemente is at the top of his game. Sam Kowalski and the neighborhood baseball-playing kids are in an intense competition to win a chance to meet Clemente in person. But when their hero helps natural disaster victims in Nicaragua, his fateful off-field actions teach the kids about what is more important than winning.
43rd Annual Apex PeakFest
May 4
Salem St. in historic downtown Apex comes alive with more than 20,000 visitors during PeakFest. For more than 40 years now, the arts and crafts festival has brought families together for a day of fun, food and fellowship. The town of Apex's largest annual event, PeakFest has all-day live music, all the arts and crafts you can imagine, entertainment for kids and food vendors that bring their best State Fair-style goodies.
2nd Annual Ma & Pa Festival
May 4
In celebration of—who else?—mom and dad, this 100-plus vendor festival on downtown Raleigh's Fayetteville St. will feature a DJ, food trucks, a putt-putt station, cigar rolling, corn hole and more activities.
Meet in the Street Festival
May 4
A day filled with food, fun and entertainment in historic downtown Wake Forest for more than 40 years running, Meet in the Street pulls together all-day live music plus an additional stage of entertainment with dancers, martial arts, magicians and more.
At Five County Stadium in Zebulon—where the Carolina Mudcats have been a staple for more than 30 years—the 2024 Minor League Baseball season is officially underway (be on the lookout for Taco Tuesdays, Dog Day Wednesdays, Three Dollar Thursdays, Friday Night Fireworks and more promotions all season long!). This month the Mudcats home schedule breaks down like this:
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.
Note that this is a ticketed exhibit, but the following community days are free and open to the public: May 18 and June 8.
- Queens Of The Stone Age, May 2
- Blackwater Band, May 2
- Jim Quick & The Coastline Band, May 2
- Red Clay Ramblers 50th Anniversary, May 3
- The Breakfast Club, May 3
- My Cousin Skinny, May 3
- Priscilla Block, May 4
- Foo Fighters, May 7
- The Embers, May 8
- Madison Beer, May 8
- Sum 41, May 9
- The Tams, May 9
- Band of Oz, May 9
- Music on the Lawn: Brett Harris, May 9
- Friday Night on White: Irresistible Groove, May 10
- Chase Rice, May 10
- Rissi Palmer, May 10
- Live at the Springs with Sister Hazel, May 11
- Sierra Ferrell, May 11
- Spare Change, May 16
- Miss Mini & The Sandman Band, May 16
- Hank Williams Jr., May 17
- Tar Heel Troubadours: Paige King Johnson, May 18
- The Soul Psychedelique, May 22
- NF, May 22
- The Chairmen of the Board, May 23
- The Magnificents, May 23
- Jazz at the NCMA : Gregory Porter, The Baylor Project, May 23
- Music on the Lawn: Peter Lamb and the Wolves, May 23
- REIK, May 24
- Summerfest Opening Night: Tchaikovsky Spectacular, May 25
- Marisela, May 25
- SunQueen Kelcey & The Solar Flares with 22 Strings Band, May 29
- Trampled By Turtles, May 30
- Too Much Sylvia, May 30
- Jazz at the NCMA: Brian Culbertson, May 30
- Orville Peck, May 30
- Melanie Martinez, May 31
- Salute to John Williams with North Carolina Symphony, May 31
- Elle King, May 31
May 5
Reuniting everyone’s favorite gals, RuPaul’s Drag Race alum and multi-talented queen Ginger Minj is back with a hilarious, brand-new parody show paying homage to The Golden Girls. Don't miss it!
May 5
A full day of delicious food, desserts, beer and wine—plus cultural performances, music and craft vendors—should make for a perfect spring day at downtown Raleigh's Moore Square.
10th Annual Longleaf Film Festival
May 10-11
A free-to-attend film festival that highlights the best short- and feature-length documentary and narrative films, the Longleaf Film Festival is held annually at the North Carolina Museum of History in downtown Raleigh, where 1,000 attendees enjoy nearly 70 films, panels and free popcorn (you can't beat that!).
Carolina Ballet presents Cinderella
May 16-19
Closing out their 26th anniversary season in spectacular fashion, Carolina Ballet with perform a longtime favorite—with new sets and costumes and a live orchestra for the very first time—in this production of Cinderella.
Got to Be NC Festival
May 17-19
Putting the best of N.C. food and beverage on display, the Got to Be NC Festival offers tons of eating opportunities, live music, a huge collection of antique tractors, a carnival for children and more activities (plus free parking and admission) at the North Carolina State Fairgrounds.
May 18
Celebrating the legacy and culture of the state's Indigenous communities, everyone is invited to Dorothea Dix Park to experience a day of competition dancing, music, food trucks and vendors showcasing the legacy and culture of these communities living in the Tar Heel State today. Free admission, but an RSVP is encouraged.
May 18-19
One of the Southeast's premier arts festivals, Artsplosure - The Raleigh Arts Festival attracts more than 80,000 people to downtown Raleigh during the third weekend of May each year. Celebrating fine visual art and live music since 1980, the festival puts more than 180 artists' work, using countless mediums, on display for all to see and enjoy during the free festival.
Gettin' Piggy With It
May 19
A collaboration hosted by Trohpy Brewing Company and Lawrence Barbecue—taking place at Maywood Hall & Garden in Raleigh—this event will feature an all-star crew of heavy-hitting barbecue pit masters slinging 'cue and brews for a good cause.
A star-studded lineup of performers will take to the stage in Raleigh this month!
At Raleigh Improv:
At Goodnights Comedy Club:
May 24 and 26
The Town of Cary and WakeMed Soccer Park will host the NCAA Women's Lacrosse Championship for the second year in row.
Animazement
May 24-26
Get in on the action at Animazement, a three-day Japanese animation and culture celebration over Memorial Day weekend that draws 15,000 attendees to the Raleigh Convention Center. Cosplay is a huge draw: guests are encouraged to dress up as their favorite characters simply for fun, or to participate in contests showcasing their talents!
NC Sugar Rush
May 26
One of the sweetest events of the year, NC Sugar Rush is an all-dessert food truck rodeo held in downtown Raleigh's City Plaza. More than 20 vendors—offering a range of goodies from cotton candy to cupcakes to cherry pies—will be on hand, along with face painters, balloon artists and more to keep the kids entertained.
UNC Health Championship
May 30-June 2
Part of the Korn Ferry Tour—the playing field where future golf stars compete to earn their PGA Tour cards—the second annual UNC Health Championship presented by Stitch will tee off at the Raleigh Country Club. Tickets can be purchased 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 May calendar is filled with new events!).
- Adventure into Agave: Guided Mezcal Tasting at Gallo Pelon, May 2
- Printed with Care: Letterpress Card Making Workshop, May 10
- Sip and Paint Ceramic Planter Workshop with Sawdust and Clay, May 10
- Beer and Cider Stroll: Discovering Whitaker Mill's Watering Holes, May 11
- Stop and Taste the Flowers: Herbal Tea Workshop, May 14
- Adventure into Agave: Guided Mezcal Tasting at Gallo Pelon, May 16
- Brush the Skyline: Watercolors and Brews Workshop, May 16
- Borrowing Something Sweet: Honey Tasting and Hive Tour, May 18
- Caribbean Island Cuisine: 6-Course Dinner with Local Chef, May 19
- Tapestry Weaving Workshop at Lucky Tree Cafe, May 21
- Cookies and Crochet: Crochet Workshop and Dessert Sampling, May 30
Permanent exhibit opened April 27
Something epic was just unveiled in Raleigh. The Dueling Dinosaurs—a 31,000-pound behemoth of a fossil that contains a complete tryrannosaur AND a Triceratops—is widely considered one of the great fossils ever discovered.
Found on a Montana hillside in 2006 and now permanently residing in Raleigh, the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences just opened the world's first paleontology lab that includes a behind-the-scenes experience where the public can watch as scientists carefully work to reveal answers to 67-million-year-old secrets.
Did these dinosaurs die in a duel? Were they both caught in a natural disaster? Scientists in Raleigh will answer those questions and more over the next five-plus years as work takes place in the new SECU DinoLab.
This exhibit is free to visit but requires a timed-entry ticket. The museum is open Tues.-Sun., 10am-5pm. Get your tickets here.
- Wake County Speedway: Accent Imaging 165, May 3
- North Carolina FC vs. Rhode Island, May 4
- Bike Rodeo at Marbles, May 4
- Spring Works presented by Cary Ballet Company, May 4
- Derby in the Den, May 4
- Cocktails & Cuisine Class, May 4 and 18
- Unicorn World at Raleigh Convention Center, May 4-5
- North Carolina Indian & South East Asian Film Festival, May 5
- Wake County Speedway: Simpkins Garage 150, May 10
- Mother’s Day Rooftop Jazz Brunch, May 12
- North Carolina FC vs. Loudoun United, May 14
- Evening Garden Stroll at JC Raulston Arboretum, May 14
- Holly Springs Salamanders baseball games, various dates
- NC Courage vs. Utah Royals, May 17
- Wake County Speedway: Lizard Lick 155, May 17
- Compass Rose 9th Anniversary Party, May 18
- Kristin Chenoweth, May 18
- Brier Creek Spring Food Truck Festival, May 19
- Memorial Day Observance, May 27
Header photo by Garrett Poulos
