Best Events In Raleigh In October 2026: Fair, Festivals & Halloween | This Is Raleigh

There’s a morning in early October where I walk out to the porch with my coffee and actually need a jacket. Not a real one. The kind you take off by ten. But it’s the first signal that the summer that’s been sitting on this city since May has finally let go. And then October does what October does here. It piles everything on at once.

The State Fair takes over Blue Ridge Road for 11 days. Downtown gets three days of live music for free. There’s Oktoberfest in Cary, Diwali at Koka Booth, harvest festivals in Wendell and Clayton, a wine festival on Fayetteville Street, and a Halloween week that ends with NC State’s Homecoming falling on October 31.

Two things worth knowing before you plan. October 1 is a Thursday this year, which shifts nearly every Saturday event back a date from where you remember it. And the State Fair moved a full week earlier than 2025. It runs October 15 to 25. Here’s the month, week by week.

Last updated Sept 30, 2026

What’s happening in Raleigh in October 2026?

The N.C. State Fair runs October 15 to 25 at the NC State Fairgrounds, a full week earlier than last year, and it’s the busiest stretch of the Raleigh calendar. The month opens with Raleigh Wide Open, three days of free live music across downtown from October 1 to 3, alongside Triangle Oktoberfest at Koka Booth Amphitheatre in Cary on October 2 and 3. Hum Sub Diwali fills Koka Booth on October 10, Raleigh’s International Wine & Beer Festival takes over City Plaza on October 17, and Halloween week closes with the Day of the Dead 5K, HollyFest in Holly Springs, and NC State’s Homecoming game all landing on Saturday, October 31.

October 1-4: opening weekend

The busiest four days of the month, and it’s the weekend most people underestimate.

Raleigh Wide Open, Oct 1-3

• When: Thursday Oct 1, 6pm to 10pm. Friday Oct 2, 3pm to 11pm. Saturday Oct 3, 12pm to 11pm.
• Where: Thursday kickoff at The Corner, NC State’s Centennial Campus. Friday and Saturday across downtown Raleigh, with a jam tent in front of the courthouse.
• Cost: Free.
• Website: Raleigh Wide Open

Three days of free live music across downtown, now run by PineCone. The 2026 lineup leans roots and Americana, with Jim Lauderdale, the Fairfield Four, Earl White, and Icelandic band Brek. There are artist interviews, book talks, free jam classes, open jam sessions and a Family Fun Zone alongside the stages.

This grew. It was two days in 2025 and it’s three now, with a proper Thursday kickoff. If you only go once, go Saturday afternoon when the street stages and the makers market are both running. Here is our complete guide to the Raleigh Wide Open event in Downtown Raleigh.

First Friday, Oct 2

• When: Friday Oct 2, from 5pm.
• Where: Downtown Raleigh, centered on Fayetteville Street, Martin Street and the Warehouse District.
• Cost: Free.

Galleries, studios and shops across downtown stay open into the evening. Free, and the easiest way to see a side of downtown you’d otherwise drive past. This months’ First Friday will have a special Halloween and Raleigh Wide Open theme to it. Read our full guide to First Friday in Raleigh here.

Triangle Oktoberfest, Oct 2-3

• When: Friday Oct 2 and Saturday Oct 3.
• Where: Koka Booth Amphitheatre, 8003 Regency Pkwy, Cary.
• Cost: Ticketed. Kids 15 and under free.
• Website: TriangleOktoberfest.org

The 12th year, run by the Apex Sunrise and Cary MacGregor Rotary clubs. More than 65 beers, Bavarian food, a live brass band, stein hoisting, the hammer competition, a costume contest, and wiener dog races that are worth the ticket on their own. All ticket proceeds go to charity. They raised more than $165,000 last year for the Miracle League and western NC disaster relief.

Ava Gardner Festival, Oct 2-4

• When: Friday Oct 2 to Sunday Oct 4.
• Where: Ava Gardner Museum and Smithfield Performing Arts Center, downtown Smithfield.
• Cost: Gala $30, film screening $10, other events vary.
• Website

Smithfield’s weekend for its most famous daughter, and the 2026 theme is her years in Spain. Flamenco, Spanish music and artifacts that haven’t been shown before.

The schedule: Friday 5pm to 8pm is the “A Night In Madrid” red carpet gala with flamenco and charcuterie. Saturday 10am is a screening of Pandora and the Flying Dutchman. Saturday 9am to 4pm the museum runs festivities with a Seven Jars wine tasting for over 21s. Sunday 10am to 2pm is “Breakfast at Ava’s” with The Angel Wore Red. Forty minutes from Raleigh and a lovely small-town day out.  You can read about our previous visit to the Ava Gardner Museum here (well worth a visit!)

Raleigh Film & Art Festival, Oct 2 – 4, 2026

• Where: Peace University
• Cost: Various
• Tickets

Get ready for a weekend celebrating film, art, creativity, and community. Enjoy a weekend filled with incredible films, art, performances, community events, and opportunities to connect with artists and fellow creatives.

Iron Chef Competition at Midtown Farmers Market, Oct 3

• When: Saturday Oct 3, 9am to 11:30am
• Where: North Hills Commons
• Cost: Free to attend.
• Website

Enjoy this exciting culinary showdown as four of North Hills’ favorite restaurants compete in an Iron Chef Challenge. Chefs from four North Hills restaurants will face off in a live cooking competition. This year it’s Tamasha, Leo’s Italian Kitchen, and Bartaco!

Each chef will receive two mystery ingredients revealed on competition day, then shop the Midtown Farmers Market to gather additional fresh, local ingredients to create their signature dish. With limited time and unlimited creativity, watch as these talented chefs transform market-fresh ingredients into culinary masterpieces. And exciting news, Craig will be helping to judge!

Falling for Local, Oct 3

• When: Saturday Oct 3, 11am to 6pm.
• Where: The Big Field, Dorothea Dix Park, 2105 Umstead Dr.
• Cost: Free to attend. Drink tickets for beer are extra.
• Website: ShopLocalRaleigh.org

Shop Local Raleigh’s fall festival on the Big Field at Dix Park. More than 150 local businesses, hayrides, a pumpkin patch, food trucks, local beer and live music, with the downtown skyline behind it all.

Park in the lots off Umstead Drive, reached from Hunt Drive or Lake Wheeler Road, or take the free shuttle. Parking fills by noon.

Wendell Harvest Festival, Oct 3

• When: Saturday Oct 3, 9am to 9pm.
• Where: Downtown Wendell.
• Cost: Free.
• Website: www.wendellchamber.com/wendell-harvest-festival

The 95th year. A parade, live music, a kids’ village and food trucks down the middle of a small town that does this properly. Here is our guide to Wendell if you want to find good coffee and food while you’re there!

Celebrate Fuquay-Varina, Oct 3

• When: Saturday Oct 3, 10am to 4pm.
• Where: Downtown Fuquay-Varina.
• Cost: Free.
• Website: www.celebratefv.com

This festival is all about celebrating the vibrant community of Fuquay-Varina. It includes live entertainment, craft beer, the Downtown Chili Cook-off, food trucks, arts & crafts, a free kid’s zone, and more Live music, kids’ rides and a beer garden across downtown Fuquay.

Oktoberfest at Lafayette Village, Oct 3

• When: Saturday Oct 3, 1pm to 4pm.
• Where: Lafayette Village, 8450 Honeycutt Rd, Raleigh.
• Cost: Free to attend. Dog racing registration is extra.
• Website

A smaller, shorter Oktoberfest in north Raleigh, which is the point. German food, fall beers, live music, and dachshund racing. If Cary’s Oktoberfest (at Koka Booth) is more than you want on a Saturday, this is three hours and free parking.

Triangle Parade of Homes, Oct 3-4, 9-11 and 16-18

• When: Oct 3-4, Oct 9-11 and Oct 16-18, 12pm to 5pm each day.
• Where: Across the Triangle. Map and builder list at the Parade site.
• Cost: Free.
• Website

Three weekends of new builds open across the Triangle. Free to walk through, and useful whether you’re actually buying or just want to see what’s being built and where.

We love the Triangle Parade of homes and attend every year. It’s an opportunity to tour new homes over the Triangle, to see what’s new in-home construction and get design ideas and inspirations for our own home upgrades. Budget Blinds is one local company we see in all the homes and love as we have their Lutron automated shades! #thebest

Thinking about a move to Raleigh? Walking the Parade is one of the better ways to work out which part of the Triangle actually suits you. If you’re at the stage where you want to talk to someone local, we can connect you with our trusted real estate partner, Insight Raleigh. No pressure, no obligation. [Grab our free Raleigh Relocation Guide]

October 5-11

A quieter week on the festival calendar, and the best concert week of the month.

North Hills Block Party, Oct 8

• When: Thursday Oct 8, 11:30am – 1:30pm
• Where: Midtown Park, 4011 Cardinal at North Hills Street Raleigh,
• Cost: Free.
• Website

Enjoy a vendor village, food tastings, giveaways, live music and more. Follow @VisitNorthHills on Instagram for updates! We’ll be there celebrating my birthday after enjoying a facial at Face Foundrie!

Serial Killer Speakeasy: Jack the Ripper, Oct 9 & 10

• Where: Wake County Shrine Club
• When: Oct 9 & 10
• Cost: $69
• Tickets

Serial Killer Speakeasy: Jack the Ripper invites you to step into Victorian London and immerse yourself in the world of history’s most infamous killer. ou’ll journey through four immersive chapters set within the infamous locations forever linked to the story of Jack the Ripper. Along the way, you’ll encounter the real people whose lives became intertwined with one of history’s greatest mysteries through immersive theatrical performances, each paired with a handcrafted cocktail inspired by Victorian London.

Hum Sub Diwali, Oct 10

• When: Saturday Oct 10, 9am to 9pm.
• Where: Koka Booth Amphitheatre, 8003 Regency Pkwy, Cary.
• Cost: Free. Parking $10.

Cary’s Festival of Lights, and one of the biggest Diwali celebrations in the southeast. Music and dance performances all day, a handicraft bazaar, Indian food, and fireworks to close.

Bring a blanket or low chair for the lawn. The evening dance program and the fireworks are the reason to stay late, and the lawn fills from about 6pm.

Read our full guide to Hum Sub Diwali 2026 at Koka Booth in Cary

Band Together’s Mighty Giveback: JJ Grey & Mofro with The 502s, Oct 10, 2026

• When: Oct 10; 5pm – 11pm
• Where: Lincoln Theatre
• Cost: $40+
• Website

This year’s Band Together milestone event marks 25 years of impact and a continued commitment to creating Infinite Good across the region. This annual event is held at at the Lincoln Theatre Outdoor Stage (a new experience for us!)

This year’s headliners are the Southern soul powerhouse JJ Grey & Mofro, and supported by high-energy indie folk favorites The 502s, and Boom Unit Brass Band.

Proceeds from the Mighty Giveback concert support Band Together’s 2026 Impact Partners across two key areas, Music and Community. Partners are The Raleigh Music Collective, Oak City Cares, and PORCH Communities! This is the Southeast’s largest annual benefit concert, let’s help them raise $1 Million for our community. We’ll see you there! Read More about Band Together’s Mighty Giveback Concert.

Fall for Five Points Festival, Oct 10, 2026

• Where: Five Points (Fairview Road)
• Time: 11am – 6pm
• Cost: Free
• Website: www.fallforfivepoints.com

Fall For Five Points is an annual community-driven fall festival that brings together local vendors, merchants, artists, performers, and neighbors to celebrate the neighborhoods which make up Five Points. There’ll be performances by cloggers, magicians, and local artists Kate Rhudy, Island Moons Franks Garage and Azul Here is our guide to the Five Points neighborhood.

A Taste of Greece, Oct 10-11

• When: Saturday Oct 10 and Sunday Oct 11, 11am to 7pm both days.
• Where: St. Barbara Greek Orthodox Church, 8306 NC Hwy 751, Durham.
• Cost: Free to enter, food is priced individually.
• Website

Greek food made by people who’ve been making it for decades, plus pastries, church tours and vendors.  The event will feature popular traditional food and dessert offerings, like mouth-watering gyro pita wraps and scrumptious baklavá.  All items will be available for take-out or to enjoy in the dining tents, surrounded by Greek music and the unmistakable “kefi” that ensues when good times are accompanied by great food.  Worth the drive to Durham.

Thad & Alice Eure Walk for Hope, Oct 11

• When: Sunday Oct 11, 8am – 2pm
• Where: Angus Barn, 9401 Glenwood Ave, Raleigh.
• Cost: Adults $70 early bird through Sept 21, $85 on the day. Youth 6-18 and full-time students $35, $40 on the day. Under 5 free.
• Tickets

The Angus Barn’s walk for mental illness research is in its 38th year. A 5K or a 2-mile route, then a festival on the grounds with breakfast, lunch, live entertainment and family activities. 100% of the money raised by the Walk for Hope participants directly funds local mental illness research at the UNC-Chapel Hill Department of Psychiatry.

Registration includes:

👟 5K Walk, 1-Mile Nature Loop, or just enjoy the festival
👕 2026 Walk for Hope T-shirt
🍔 Hot breakfast items & Angus Barn lunch
🍦 Two Roosters Ice Cream, Pepsi Beverages, and more
🎶 Live music from the Liquid Pleasure
🛝 Family festival with activities for all ages
🏅 Entry into prize drawings & giveaways
💙 The chance to fund life-changing mental illness research

Harvest Dinner: A seasonal multi-course dinner under the stars, Oct 11

• When: Sunday Oct 11, 4:30pm – 8pm
• Where: Raleigh City Farm, 800 North Blount StreetRaleigh
• Cost: $50 – $150
• Website

Harvest Dinner is our annual tradition of celebrating another season of growth and change at our nonprofit urban farm! The event features a multi-course dinner under the stars with locally sourced ingredients and wine and beer pairings. Enjoy live music, take photos at our Big Blooms mural, and bid on silent auction items.

You can also just attend a two-hour reception featuring passed hors d’oeuvres and beverages from Brewery Bhavana and Wine Authorities before the seated dinner.

October 12-18: the State Fair opens

The busiest stretch of the Raleigh year. Plan around it, or lean into it.

N.C. State Fair, Oct 15-25

• When: Thursday Oct 15 to Sunday Oct 25. Thursday Oct 15 (College Day): noon to 11pm. Fridays and Saturdays (Oct 16-17, Oct 23-24): 9am to 11:30pm. Sundays to Thursdays (Oct 18-22, Oct 25): 9am to 11pm.
• Where: NC State Fairgrounds, 1025 Blue Ridge Rd, Raleigh.
• Cost: Check ncstatefair.org for 2026 gate prices and special admission days.
• NCStateFair.org

The 174th fair and North Carolina’s biggest festival. Rides, livestock, competitions, deep-fried everything, free concerts on the grounds, and nearly a million people over 11 days.

The thing that catches people out: there’s no re-entry after 9:45pm, and ticket booths and exhibit halls close at 9:45pm too. The midway keeps running until 10:30 or 11:30 depending on the night. So if you’re planning a late arrival, you’re not.

Read More: The Ultimate Guide to the North Carolina State Fair and the new foods for 2025 at the North Carolina State Fair.

SAS Championship, Oct 16-18

• When: Tournament rounds Friday Oct 16 to Sunday Oct 18.
• Where: Prestonwood Country Club, 300 Prestonwood Pkwy, Cary.
• Cost: General admission from $30.
• Website: www.saschampionship.com and tickets

PGA Tour Champions comes to Prestonwood. Tournament rounds run Friday to Sunday, with the wider event week starting Oct 12. The week also has a Pro-Am, a Food Truck Friday and a Saturday 5K.

The Jury Experience – The Deadly Boat Ride, Oct 17

• When: Sat Oct 17; 4:30pm & 7pm
• Where: Meredith College Auditorium
• Cost: $48
• Tickets

What a fun new Raleigh event that you get to participate in.  You’ve been called for jury duty. Step into a thrilling courtroom drama where the audience is the jury. Listen to testimonies, analyze evidence, and ultimately decide… guilty or not guilty?

Raleigh’s International Wine & Beer Festival, Oct 17

• When: Saturday Oct 17, 12pm to 8pm.
• Where: City Plaza, 443 Fayetteville St, downtown Raleigh.
• Cost: Free to attend, RSVP requested. Tastings are extra.
• Website

Wine and beer from around 15 countries on City Plaza, with an Oktoberfest theme this year. International food, live music, a Passport Challenge with prizes, People’s Choice voting and a costume contest.

This wine festival will feature over 25 international wine suppliers from countries such as Chile, Portugal, Italy, France and Australia. There will also be food trucks and live music performances.

Halloween Boo Bash, Oct 17

• When: Saturday Oct 17, 10am to 1pm.
• Where: Downtown Wake Forest.
• Cost: Free. For kids 12 and under.

Wake Forest’s free morning for little ones. Inflatables, games, exhibits, a DJ and food trucks, with sensory accommodations available. Costumes optional, and the best ones end up on the town’s social media.

Trick or Treat on Hillsborough Street, Oct 18

• When: Sunday Oct 18, 2pm to 5pm.
• Where: Hillsborough Street, Raleigh.
• Cost: Free.
• https://www.eventbrite.com/e/1997514019203?aff=thisisraleigh

More than 50 candy stations along Hillsborough Street, plus a trunk-or-treat zone, crafts, games, photo ops and live entertainment. Activity zones at Horne Street, the Car Park lot, Norh Hall Lot, and Compiegne Park.

Don’t just take candy, use Hillsborough St’s Trunk or Treat to give back to local community. Feed the Pack will have accepting donations for their food pantry. Bring non-perishable items such as canned or boxed food, hygiene products, pantry staples, pet supplies, baby care and help meet the food needs of all members of the NC State community with dignity and respect

Free parallel parking on Hillsborough and the side streets, 2-hour limit. NC State’s Ferndell lot is usually free on weekends. The trick or treat on Hillsborough St is free but do register in advance so organizers can make sure there are enough treats to go around!!

October 19-25

Halloween starts properly, and the fair is still running through the 25th.

Clayton Harvest Festival, Oct 22-25

• When: Thursday Oct 22, 5pm to 10pm. Friday Oct 23, 5pm to 11pm. Saturday Oct 24, 10am to 11pm. Sunday Oct 25, 12pm to 9pm.
• Where: Downtown Clayton, around 301 E Main St.
• Cost: Free to attend. Carnival rides are priced separately.
• Website: www.claytonharvestfestival.com

Seventy-five years of this one. A midway, more than 30 vendors, a Latin American Festival, a car show, a Hometown Talent Showcase, food trucks, craft beer and pony rides. Family Night has a trunk-or-treat and a movie.

More than 30,000 people come through. Park free at The Church @ Clayton Crossings and take the shuttle, which runs every 15 minutes. Much easier than circling downtown.

Pumpkin Flotilla, Oct 23

• When: Friday Oct 23, 5pm to 7pm.
• Where: Bond Park Boathouse, 801 High House Rd, Cary.
• Cost: Free.
• Website: https://www.townofcary.org

Carved pumpkins floating across Bond Lake after dark, with live music, food vendors and boat rentals. One of the prettiest evenings in the Triangle and it costs nothing.

You need to drop your carved pumpkin off the day before, Thursday Oct 22 between 4pm and 6pm. They relight them the following evening if you miss the Friday.

Zombiepalooza, Oct 23

• When: Friday Oct 23, 6pm to 10pm.
• Where: Great Lawn, Downtown Cary Park, 327 S Academy St.
• Cost: Free.
• Website: www.thecarytheater.com/zombiepalooza

Short zombie films from local filmmakers, 1 to 5 minutes each, on the Great Lawn. The 2026 submission theme is “Sport,” so the main character has to be playing something. Costumes encouraged. Moves inside to The Cary Theater if the weather turns.

Ponder Days, Oct 24 – 25, 2026

• Where: Ponder Community Wendell
• Time: 12pm – 5pm
• Cost: Free
• Website

Celebrate the grand opening of the new Ponder Community in Wendell with their first annual Ponder Days. There’ll be live music and activities by their signature lake to enjoy with family and friends and other details yet to be announced. You can also tour their model homes by three builders. It’s a good way to get a feel for whether this community minded neighborhood is a good place for you to live. OR just visit for some fun. Here is our guide to Wendell!

Midtown Movies: Fall Edition, Oct 24

• When: Saturday Oct 24, 5-9pm
• Where: Midtown Park, 4011 Cardinal at North Hills Street Raleigh
• Cost: Free.
• Website

Celebrate spooky season with an evening of Halloween fun for the whole family, featuring a showing of Hocus Pocus under the stars. Before the movie, enjoy a short film showing of Transylvania, a fall-themed photo op, a costume contest with prizes and more festive activities. Food and treats will be available for purchase from local vendors. Grab your blankets and chairs, dress in your best Halloween costume and join us for a festive fall night at Midtown Park!

Spellbound at Mordecai, Oct 24

• When: Saturday Oct 24, 10am to 2pm.
• Where: Mordecai Historic Park, 1 Mimosa St, Raleigh.
• Cost: Free. Registration through the Paper and Stars Studio Eventbrite.
• Website

A Halloween market in the grounds of Raleigh’s oldest house. Pumpkin decorating, handmade goods, stage performances, inflatables, crafts and a costume contest with prizes for kids and groups. The Ghost Guild runs haunted tours of the historic site alongside it.

Five minutes from downtown and one of the better free family mornings of the month.

Barktoberfest, Oct 24

• When: Saturday Oct 24, 1pm to 4pm.
• Where: Boxyard RTP, 900 Park Offices Dr, Durham.
• Cost: Free.
• Website

This family friendly event is a favorite of so many with local vendors, costume contest, pumpkin patch prize hunt, and lots of opportunities to socialize and make new friends. This year will look a little different as we pivot to a new location, but all of the fun will still be there! This is a fundraiser for Beyond Fences.

Person Street Plaza Block Party, Oct 24

• When: Oct 24, 2026 11am to 4pm.
• Where: Person Street Plaza, at North Person Street and East Franklin Street, downtown Raleigh.
• Cost: Free.
• Website: raleighcityfarm.org

The Person Street Plaza Block Party is Raleigh City Farm’s autumn street party in the Person Street district, with vendors, food and music filling the plaza for an afternoon. It’s small, it’s walkable from downtown, and the Person Street businesses open out onto it.

October 26-31: Halloween week

Four things land on Halloween itself this year, including NC State’s Homecoming. Downtown and Hillsborough Street will be busy from mid-afternoon.

Day of the Dead 5K and Street Festival, Oct 31

• When: Saturday Oct 31, 9am to 12pm.
• Where: Downtown Raleigh.
• Cost: Registration required. $40+
• Website

Centro’s annual run and street festival through downtown, with the festival following the race. The race raises funds for the Brentwood Boy & Girls Club which provides after school activities for the Latin American community in Raleigh.

The race goes through Oakwood Cemetery and loops back to Wilmington St and includes prizes, a costume contest, face painting and children’s arts and crafts. Thre will be one altar during the event on Wilmington Street where people will be able to do offerings of flowers and written messages in memory of their loved ones that have passed away.

HollyFest, Oct 31

• When: Saturday Oct 31, 10am to 4pm.
• Where: Jefferson L. Sugg Farm at Bass Lake, 2401 Grigsby Ave, Holly Springs.
• Cost: Free.
• Website: www.hollyspringsnc.us/356/HollyFest

Holly Springs’ big community day at Bass Lake. Entertainment, food vendors, local businesses and children’s activities. This moved to Halloween day. It was Oct 25 in 2025.

Boos & Brews at the Midtown Farmers’ Market, Oct 31

• When: Saturday Oct 31. Confirm the time with the market, it ran 8am to 12pm in 2025.
• Where: Midtown Farmers’ Market, The Commons, North Hills.
• Cost: Free.
• Website

The market’s Halloween edition. More than 30 vendors, craft beer tastings and costumes, right in North Hills.  It’s also the market’s final Saturday of the outdoor season.

Read more ideas on how to enjoy North Hills in the Fall and more ways to celebrate Halloween in Raleigh

Happening all month

Carolina Ballet’s Dracula

• Where: Martin Marietta Center
• When: Oct 15 – Nov 1, 2026
• Cost: $60+
• Tickets

n search of newfound devotion, this world premiere blends gothic with a deeply human depiction of adoration, piety, and deception. Dracula will feature both the power and nuance of our full company alongside a novel score.

Curtain Call from Beyond: theatre haunts and history tours

• When: Sept 27 through Oct 29. Check the calendar for tour dates and times.
• Where: Raleigh Memorial Auditorium, Martin Marietta Center for the Performing Arts.
• Cost: $42
• Tickets

On this 50-minute guided walking tour, guests will wander through backstage corridors and performance spaces while hearing behind-the-scenes theatre stories, local ghost lore, and fascinating history connected to the building. 

Each ticket also includes access to The Lounge, Martin Marietta Center’s hospitality space featuring gothic-inspired décor, candlelight, and moody touches, along with one signature alcoholic or non-alcoholic drink per person. Recommended for ages 12+ We will be previewing this, so stay tuned for our thoughts in our email newsletter (first) and then our Instagram & Facebook.

Día de Muertos ofrenda at Duke Chapel

• When: Oct 2 to Nov 5, 10am to 8pm daily.
• Where: Duke University Chapel, 401 Chapel Hill Dr, Durham.
• Cost: Free.
• Website

Honor the dead with Día de los Muertos Ofrenda, a Day of the Dead altar piece, at Duke Chapel.  A newly commissioned installation by Texas artist Ricky Armendariz, on the blending of Mexican, American and Indigenous cultures along the border. Visitors are invited to participate in this cherished Mexican tradition by contributing photographs, mementos, written tributes, or links to a communal paper chain honoring departed loved ones.

Pumpkin patches, corn mazes and haunted houses

The full list of farms, mazes, ghost tours and haunted attractions lives in its own guide. Here is our guide to pumpkin patches near Raleigh and our Raleigh Halloween events guide.

Sports in Raleigh this October

The Canes are defending a Stanley Cup this season, so tickets have been going faster than usual.

• Oct 2: Carolina Hurricanes vs Washington Capitals, Lenovo Center (7pm)
• Oct 3: NC State vs Louisville, Carter-Finley Stadium (Parents & Families Weekend)
• Oct 8: Carolina Hurricanes vs Vancouver Canucks, Lenovo Center (7pm)
• Oct 10: NC State vs Wake Forest, Carter-Finley Stadium (Educator Appreciation)
• Oct 13: Carolina Hurricanes vs Washington Capitals, Lenovo Center (6:45pm, NHL Frozen Frenzy)
• Oct 16-18: SAS Championship, Prestonwood Country Club, Cary
• Oct 17: NC Courage vs San Diego Wave FC, WakeMed Soccer Park, Cary
• Oct 27: Carolina Hurricanes vs Boston Bruins, Lenovo Center (8pm)
• Oct 29: Carolina Hurricanes vs Columbus Blue Jackets, Lenovo Center (7pm)
• Oct 31: NC State vs Golden Bears California, Carter-Finley Stadium (Homecoming)

The Canes are on the road from Oct 17 to Oct 24, five straight out west, so there’s a two-week gap at Lenovo Center in the middle of the month. But a few concerts are filling it!

Concerts and live music in Raleigh this October

Dates and lineups move. Check with the venue before you buy.

Lenovo Center

• Oct 1: Jonas Brothers
• Oct 4: Weezer
• Oct 11: Beabadoobee
• Oct 21: Johnny Blue Skies

Red Hat Amphitheater

• Oct 1: Dylan Gossett
• Oct 4: Dermot Kennedy, with Jonah Kagen
• Oct 5: Amyl and The Sniffers
• Oct 6: Bleachers
• Oct 10: Turnpike Troubadours
• Oct 23: Steve Lacy
• OCt 27: Victoria Monét: Frequency Of Love Tour

Martin Marietta Center for the Performing Arts

• Oct 1: Serial Killers with Dr. Scott Bonn, Fletcher Opera Theater
• Oct 2: Heroes Off Duty Comedy Tour, Fletcher Opera Theater
• Oct 2: Jaane Pehchane Anjane: Anupam Kher and Swaroop Sampat Live
• Oct 2 & 3: NC Symphony, The Music of Pink Floyd with The Machine, Meymandi Concert Hall (8pm)
• Oct 3: Indigo Girls
• Oct 9: LOL Raleigh
• Oct 10: Edith Marquez- ETERNA E INOLVIDADLE
• Oct 9 – 10: NC Symphony, Friday Favorites: Mendelssohn Violin Concerto, Meymandi Concert Hall (12pm)
• Oct 16 & 18: North Carolina Opera Presents CARMEN
• Oct 16 & 17: NC Symphony, Rhapsody in Blue, Meymandi Concert Hall (8pm)
• Oct 18: MICHAEL BLAUSTEIN: THE TASTE ME TOUR
• OCt 19: Nurse Blake: But Did You Die? Comedy Tour
• Oct 21: JOSH THOMAS: JIGGLE, JIGGLE
• OCt 23 & 24: North Carolina Symphony – The Music of John Williams: Star Wars & More
• OCt 31: North Carolina Symphony – Halloween At Hogwarts

The Ritz

• Oct 2: The Midnight
• Oct 3: Alicia Villarreal
• Oct 4: Duelo
• Oct 5: Amyl and The Sniffers
• Oct 9: Dax
• Oct 10: Bingo Loco (3:30pm & 8: 30pm)
• Oct 14: Thundercat
• Oct 16: Avery Anna
• Oct 18: Waylon Wyatt
• Oct 22: Arch Enemy
• Oct 23: Dying Fetus
• Oct 24: Delta Rae
• Oct 25: Vince Staples
• Oct 27: EsDeeKid
• Oct 30: Earl Sweatshirt, with MIKE and Surf Gang
• Oct 31: Clara La San

DPAC, Durham

• Oct 3: Fortune Feimster (5pm and 8pm)
• Oct 6: Tom Jones
• Oct 8: Sylvan Esso
• Oct 9: Tyler Childers
• Oct 10: Sylvan Esso
• Oct 11: Adrián Uribe
• Oct 13 – 18: Maybe Happy Ending (Touring)
• Oct 20: Dan and Phil
• Oct 21: Jacob Collier
• Oct 22: Elmo’s Got The Moves
• Oct 23: Clint Black & Midland
• Oct 24: UNDERTALE: The Determination Symphony
• Oct 27: Beck
• Oct 31 – Nov 1: Mrs. Doubtfire (Touring)

Bowstring Brewyard

• Oct 1: Redferrin
• Oct 4: Steely Dead
• Oct 8: Sister Hazel
• Oct 9: Morgan Wade
• Oct 11 Dizgo
• Oct 17: Mr Fahrenheit: a tribute to Queen
• Oct 24: Same as it Ever Was with Mom’s in Mexico
• Oct 31: On the Border – Ultimate Eagles Tribute

Get tickets to Bowstring’s live music events here.

Common questions about October in Raleigh

Every week in Raleigh

The things that run all month, so you can drop them into any weekend.

• Midtown Farmers’ Market, North Hills. Saturday mornings.
• State Farmers Market, 1201 Agriculture St. Open daily.
• Dix Park, open daily. Best skyline view in the city and it’s free. Enjoy it with coffee at the new Flowers Cottage

Coming to Raleigh for an event? The following may help

If you’re visiting Raleigh from out of town for any events, here are our recommendations for accommodation in downtown Raleigh.

• If you’re visit Raleigh from out of town for any weekly events, here are our recommendations for accommodation in downtown Raleigh.
• Residence inn Downtown Raleigh – fantastic location and big suites
• StateView Hotel – hidden away in a forest on NC State’s Campus
• Casso Hotel – for its uniquely Raleigh boutique feel and AMAZING restaurant (hidden gem!)
• Check out 10 of our short-term rental favorites
• Here are more Airbnb rentals in Raleigh

If you are visiting from out of town and have a few extra days, here are some itinerary guides to help you plan out your days exploring Raleigh:

• Why visit Raleigh NC
• 24 hour itinerary guide for Raleigh
• Getting around Raleigh

Comment below: Tell me what October event are you most excited for? Are there any other great ones I left off the list?