Free concerts every Thursday evening during the summer smack-dab in downtown Raleigh? Sign me up!…read moreCity Plaza has some great festivals, concerts, entertainment and activities that pass through all year round, Oak City 7 is definitely one of them. With a beer garden area, VIP tent, food trucks [including dessert trucks!] and all sorts of vendors, the evening makes for a great summer time activity. I recommend coming later in the summer, once the hype has died down a bit. Bring a lawn chair but don't worry about arriving early, the evening is long and the crowd comes and goes. Whether you're in the mood for a tribute band or something new, #OC7 has got something for everyone. Be sure to follow their line up, which is pushed early every year, and plan at least one Thursday night downtown for the festivities. It's well organized with staff wondering around to help people, family [or just adult] friendly and the crowds won't be enough to drive you away. Plus, it's easy to come and go throughout the night. Walk up the street or even sit out the patio of another establishment up Fayetteville Street and you can still hear the music. OC7 should definitely be on your summer bucket list.

Oak City 7 is a pretty good time. Food trucks, beer and live music. On a beautiful night it doesn't…read moreget much better than that! We went down this past Thursday for a few hours and had a good time. There was a good selection of breweries, Star Hill, LoneRider, Raleigh Brewing, Big Boss and Aviator. Also a good show of food trucks including American Meltdown, Chirba Chirba, Sarges The Humble Pig, BaguettaboutIt and the Tarheel Creamery. Come out, have a beer, enjoy some dinner and listen to music from a variety of different bands. A great summer evening (weather pending).

I have been attending the film festival for a few years now and each year has its unique…read moreexperience. Very well organized event with live orchestra music, food and drinks, an awards ceremony for local, national and international films, including drama, comedy, documentary, music videos, and foreign films. Something for everyone and family friendly. Even though it is an international film festival, it is also a very warm and welcoming atmosphere with lots of local talent attending the event. A fun-packed weekend of the Red Carpet event with filmmakers escorted to the cultural center in a parade of classic cars. The mayor attends every year and the speeches during the ceremony are often heart-warming and inspirational. The next day is more casual and includes a showing of all the winning films, ending with a live concert. Highly recommend that you attend this festival!

Held annually, on the second or third weekend of March, the Cary Kite Festival is a must see event…read morefor those that live nearby. The festival is ideal for mature audiences and individuals with small children, as both groups are easily entertained by flying objects in close proximity. The festival organizers to do a great job of: 1. Attracting attendees from a broad age group, including adults interested in testing their latest custom made kite and families with small children looking for cheap entertainment. 2. Providing simple entertainment at a great price. The festival is free, and held near Bond Lake. I usually bike to the festival, watch for about 20 minutes, and continue another hour or so of biking utilizing Cary's numerous and convenient bike trails into Bond Park. 3. Scheduling the event during the perfect time of year. March in the Carolina's isn't good for much other than unpredictable weather which includes mostly rainy, overcast days. The Kite Festival provides a great alternative activity for those hoping to break free from the Ides of March to have an easy day of fun. If I were a rich girl, I'd improve the festival by: 1. Publicizing the festival more...I stumbled across the kite festival on the Town of Cary website. Cary serves as a hodge-podge of international flair. I'd like to see festival organizers encourage participants to display some personification and multi-cultural pride on their kites. 2. Inviting some food trucks. A captive audience for three hours provides the perfect audience for a food truck or two!

The Carrboro Music Festival takes place one day every September. The have several 'venues' (parking…read morelots, lawns, and more traditional stages like the Cradle) set up around downtown Carrboro. There's a festival map that indicates where each of the soundstages are and gives playing times of the scheduled performances. They really do a great job of representing the many varieties of music that thrive in our local scene -- rock, blues, jazz, folk, celtic, bluegrass, :new:grass, indie power pop, etc. As street fairs go, this one seems a little less organized (could definitely do with some food and drink vendors). Bring blankets or tote-able chairs if you plan on spending the day, so you have some comfortable seating!

The Carrboro Music Festival makes maximum use of so many great venues in Carrboro like Cat's…read moreCradle, Open Eye, The Station, and Southern Rail and Armadillo Grill just to name a few.....During the festival, a host of great musical groups come out and perform and they cover a wide range of styles of music ranging from Jazz to Blues to Latin to Rock and all kinds of styles in between......This year, they didn't even let a little rain stop it from being a great party and I always enjoy MCing it.....Definitely worth putting on your calendar every year during the month of September...

This is always a great event in downtown Raleigh at the First of the Month...There is great art…read morethroughout the city, and of course there is music and other fun events......It covers quite a large area so saying that don't limit yourself just to the shops in the Downtown area...There are also some good spots on Glenwood, Hillsborough, and other parts of Raleigh that are also part of the First Friday activities...I think you will Truly Enjoy yourself!!!

I have been going to Raleigh's First Friday since I moved to North Carolina and they never…read moredisappoint. It took me a while to get the layout and come to the realization that it's impossible to hit all the vendors in one night, but I still try! As of late I usually start in the Depot and grab a beer at Tasty Beverage (they don't have "specials" but they're always great!) or go to Jose and Sons for 1/2 price appetizers from 5-7pm, then head over to CAM. From there you can walk down Martin Street and hit four galleries (including Design Box, Visual Art Exchange, 311 Gallery and Tipping Paint Gallery). You might want to sign up (ahead of time) for a free cocktail class at ABV or venture downtown from here. It's easy to pick up the R-Line and take it to R-15. From there walk down E. Cabarrus and visit Flander's Gallery and Lump Gallery (located directly next to one another). From there you can walk down S. Blount and visit Artspace, from there you can swing through City Market which sometimes has live bands playing on the cobblestone streets. Walk up Blount and turn left on Hargett stopping at Adam Cave Fine Art Gallery. Keep walking down Hargett and you'll soon find yourself in an outdoor market (they set it up when the weather's nice outside Raleigh Times Bar). You'll have bands, drinks and see all different media from local artists. That's usually all I can get to in one night, but there are lots more galleries to check out. I have yet to visit the galleries on Glenwood, but it's on my list! First Friday has an AMAZING website that lists all the art galleries, exhibits AND the food and drink specials on a map: http://www.godowntownraleigh.com/first-friday-raleigh/map. It's super convenient and easy to use. If you haven't visited First Friday yet, now's your chance, you won't be disappointed!

Wow, what a blast Hopscotch was this year! I had no clue what I was getting myself into but talk…read moreabout an impressive showing for Raleigh and the Triangle! Got a 3-day wristband and over the course of the long weekend got to see great indy acts like Lower Dens, King Mez, Driveby Truckers, Flaming Lips and Yelawolf. Talk about a range of music styles and energy, each venue was pretty well set up for the crowds and security was decent without being a hassle. There was plenty of beer stands, crowds were enthusiastic but not obnoxious, a winner all around! Toss in the great weather and you really should not miss out on Hopscotch if you enjoy live music. Next year though, VIP wristband! Once a venue reaches capacity it's one out, one in. Loved to see how Raleigh is getting all growed up on both the music and food fronts. Raleigh rocked it out last month, thanks to Hopscotch...

This was my first time coming to Hopscotch and I'd just purchased tickets for the Friday night…read moreheadliner, Jenny Lewis. I was pleased at the plentiful bathroom situation, and the fact that so many Hopscotch workers picked up trash between acts- it was a very nice touch. The City Plaza venue was clean and pleasant. My only complaint: There was an obnoxious video screen cycling through the same set of advertisements during Orville Peck's act, but thankfully they turned it off by the time Jenny Lewis took the stage. I guess they were sponsors of the festival but it was awful. In general, Hopscotch seems like a great festival. There were lots of different venues and some of the acts were even free! Downtown Raleigh is a great location that easily accommodates the crowds and offers plenty of parking spread out throughout the city.

the people working are incredibly rude. I am waiting on my license to come in so I tried to use my…read moretemporary license to get in and the lady in the front says I can't use my temporary so I pull out my old license and then she says "oh I can't take it because it's expired" like what?? I already paid for this event how am I going to get in if I can't use my temporary id nor my old id not to mention the lady was incredibly rude about it! seems like she loved taking out her frustration on all the people coming into the event not just me.

The bathroom situation is the worst iv'e ever been in. Midtown seems very underprepared with the…read moreamount of traction they get. I waited in the line for the bathrooms for an hour and the next time I had to go I tried the portapotties because the line was shorter... still waited 30 minutes... and there was no toilet paper. Ladies had to "drip and dry" because no one comes to maintain them. Next is the lines for drinks: They are about as long as the bathroom lines. You might as well get 2 drinks for yourself and hop back in line to get 2 more and you would finish the 2 you previously got while waiting. The music and atmosphere is fun overall but when you add drinks into the mix.. people got to go. We spend more time in lines than actually enjoying the music with our friends. Overall, midtown needs to add more bathrooms and porta potties overall.. it would be more enjoyable for everyone.

I am so glad that after a long hiatus, The Full Frame Film Festival is back downtown..It is great…read moreseeing these great documentaries in the downtown area and of course they continue to find some of the best films from around the world...Definitely need to add it to your annual list of things to do in Durham, NC.. I think you will thoroughly enjoy yourself at this annual event.....I have no doubt that is one of the premiere film festivals in the country and the staff has always been tremendous.......

I'm so glad I planned time to get to Full Frame this year. Wow what a festival and it just gets…read morebetter year after year. Get your tickets early because they will sell out. If you are a film buff just buy a pass for the entire festival that way you can go see as many movies as you want! The do have last minute lines too and if folks don't show up or show up on time you have a good chance to still get in. I had the opportunity to see two films this year and I was not disappointed. I was given a couple free vouchers to turn in for tickets to the films. The box office runs so smoothly, they use a lot of volunteers to make this festival possible and everyone works really hard to make sure it's a success. I worked as a volunteer coordinator many many years ago for Full Frame and it was so much fun. I graduated from UNCW with a film degree and pursued documentary film and TV for ten years, having a festival like this in my home town is just unbelievable. People come from all over the world to Full Frame and once you see a film or two you will understand why. There are some talented documentary filmmakers out there and to have the chance to view so many films in just one weekend is incredible. I get overwhelmed this time of year with the many festivals going on all over the Triangle but I'm making sure to not miss Full Frame ever again. Just seeing those two films this weekend gave me my passion back for film and reminded me why I started filmmaking in the first place.