Downtown Raleigh Events & the COVID-19 Pandemic
February 2019: 20 FREE Things To Do in Downtown Raleigh
February 1…First Friday
February 1…Teen Science Cafe: “Science for All” – Nature Research Center – 6:00
February 1…Fridays at the Museum -Movie: “Bringing up Baby” (1938) – N.C. Museum of History – 6:30
February 2…Groundhog Day – N.C. Museum of Natural Sciences – 9:00-4:00
February 6…Dix Park Master Plan – Final Community Meeting – Raleigh Convention Center – 6:00
February 7…Science Trivia! – Nature Research Center – 7:00
February 9…Black History Month Read-In – Capitol – 1:00-4:00
February 9…African American History Highlights Tour – N.C. Museum of History – 1:30
February 10…Music of the Carolinas: Donna Washington – N.C. Museum of History – 3:00
February 13…History a la Carte: “Running for Freedom: Enslaved Runaways in North Carolina, 1775-1840” – N.C. Museum of History – 12:00
February 15…Great Backyard Bird Count – Dix Park – 9:00-11:00
February 14…NATURE: “Super Hummingbirds” Screening – N.C. Museum of Natural Sciences – 7:00 **FREE, but make a reservation**
February 18…Manning Chamber Music Series – William Peace University – 7:30 **FREE, but make a reservation**
February 21…Science Cafe: “Everyday Chemical Exposures: Impacts on Prenatal Development” – Nature Research Center – 7:00
February 23…African American History Highlights Tour – N.C. Museum of History – 1:30
February 24…Teen Volunteer Fair – Nature Research Center – 2:00-3:30
February 24…Music of the Carolinas: Triangle Shape Note Singers – N.C. Museum of History – 3:00
February 28…Science Cafe: “Challenges to Conserving the Congo Basin Rainforest” – Nature Research Center – 7:00
January 2019: 20 FREE Things To Do in Downtown Raleigh
January 3…Science Trivia! – Nature Research Center – 7:00
January 4…First Friday
January 4…Teen Science Cafe: “Ask an Astronomer” – Nature Research Center – 6:00
January 5…Indoor Block Party and Free Family Saturday – CAM Raleigh – 12:00-3:00
January 9…History a la Carte: “Photos and Stories from the Museum Collection” – N.C. Museum of History – 12:00
January 12…Science Olympiad Showcase – N.C. Museum of Natural Sciences – 9:00-4:00
January 13…Music of the Carolinas: Freddy Greene – N.C. Museum of History – 3:00
January 17…Science Cafe: “Exploration of Exoplanets” – Nature Research Center – 7:00
January 18…Mordecai Free Friday – Mordecai Historic Park – 10:00-4:00
January 21…Martin Luther King, Jr., Memorial March – Capitol – 10:00
January 23…Director’s Tour featuring Freehand Profit – CAM Raleigh – 6:00
January 24…Science Cafe: “Research from Rubbish: The Early History of Paleontology” – Nature Research Center – 7:00
January 26…Astronomy Days – N.C. Museum of Natural Sciences – 9:00-5:00
January 26…18th Annual African American Cultural Celebration – N.C. Museum of History – 10:30-4:30
January 27…Astronomy Days – N.C. Museum of Natural Sciences – 12:00-5:00
January 27…Master Plan Vision Tour – Dix Park – 1:00 **Preregister**
January 30…Master Plan Vision Tour – Dix Park – 1:00 **Preregister**
January 31…Lecture: “Never Home Alone” – N.C. Museum of Natural Sciences – 7:00
December 2018: 20 FREE Things To Do in Downtown Raleigh
December 1…Colonial Christmas Open House – Joel Lane Museum House – 11:00-4:00
December 1…Holidays with the Popes – Pope Museum House – 12:00-4:00
December 1…Science Saturday: “Antibiotic Resistance” – Nature Research Center – 1:00
December 1…“Who Were Those Mordecais?” – Mordecai Historic Park – 1:00
December 2…Boylan Heights ArtWalk – 1:00-5:00
December 6…State Tree Lighting Ceremony and Holiday Open House – Capitol – 5:00
December 6…Executive Mansion Holiday Open House – 6:00-8:00
December 6…Science Trivia! – Nature Research Center – 7:00
December 7…Executive Mansion Holiday Open House – 10:00-5:00
December 7…First Friday
December 7…Teen Science Cafe: “Microbes on the Menu” – Nature Research Center – 6:00
December 7…Family Fun Night – Roberts Park – 6:00-9:00
December 7…Film: “Super Mario Brothers” – N.C. Museum of History – 6:30
December 8…Executive Mansion Holiday Open House – 10:00-5:00
December 8…Free Family Saturday – CAM Raleigh – 12:00-3:00
December 9…Executive Mansion Holiday Open House – 1:00-4:00
December 9…Music of the Carolinas: Shape Note Singers – N.C. Museum of History – 3:00
December 12…History a la Carte: “A Most Wonderful Time of the Year” – N.C. Museum of History – 12:00
December 13…Science Cafe: “Tigers in Trouble” – Nature Research Center – 7:00
December 15…Mordecai Holidays Open House – Mordecai Historic Park – 10:00-4:00
December 15…Wreaths Across America – Historic Oakwood Cemetery – 12:00
December 16…Mordecai Holidays Open House – Mordecai Historic Park – 1:00-4:00
December 19…UDC Talks: “The Promises and Reality of Gentrification: The Case of Northcity” – City of Raleigh Museum – 12:00 (Canceled 12/19)
December 20…Science Cafe: “Lies Your Fitbit Told You” – Nature Research Center – 7:00
December 27…New Year’s Science Celebration! – Nature Research Center – 7:00
December 31…First Night Raleigh
Celebrating the New Year in Raleigh
Looking for family-friendly ways to celebrate the changing of the calendar?
Look no further! First Night Raleigh packs Downtown Raleigh with activities for the whole family on New Year’s Eve. It’s an alcohol-free celebration with an incredible array of activities from ferris wheel rides, horse-drawn carriage rides, live music on multiple stages, performances of every type…you get the idea. Join in the parade down Fayetteville Street, make an art project, and watch the acorn drop at 7:00 and/or midnight. There’s even an app!
Then start 2015 off right with a First Day Hike at one of the ten state parks within a 90-minute drive of Raleigh. The hikes start at various times and are various lengths, but what a wonderful way to begin a fresh year. Getting some exercise in the cold, fresh air with other like-minded folks could be the perfect way to get a jump start on those resolutions.
I’m ready for 2015 and I’ll be out and about celebrating life and celebrating life in Raleigh. Cheers!
SPARKcon 2013
When SPARKcon takes over the streets of Downtown Raleigh, the atmosphere is charged with infectious energy and enthusiasm for all types of creative SPARKS. Street painting, circus performances, fashion, dance, visual art, food, theater, thought-provoking exhibits, music…SPARKcon has it all. Free and fun for the whole family, plus always even a few bridal parties in the street, what more can you ask for out of a weekend?
