Warm weather and live music are a recipe for a great time, and Raleigh knows this as well as anyone. The area’s outdoor concert venues are bringing in fantastic performers this summer and providing plenty of chances to catch some tunes in the open air. Below is your guide to 100 outdoor music events for Music Maniacs this concert season.
Raleigh Amphitheater – The outdoor amphitheater in downtown Raleigh holds 5,500 people and draws major performers. This summer’s lineup includes Gavin DeGraw, Train, My Morning Jacket and Florence + The Machine.
Time Warner Cable Music Pavilion at Walnut Creek – Big crowds and big acts. Take advantage of the weather, and do some tailgating before the show. This summer take in Drake, Toby Keith, Jason Aldean, Jason Mraz and more.
Koka Booth Amphitheatre – Koka Booth in Cary has more than 15 jazz, symphony and bluegrass shows lined up for you, including a free July 4th show that includes fireworks.
Midtown Beach Music – Season 5 of the Midtown Beach Music Series at North Hills brings weekly free concerts on Thursday nights to the popular shopping and entertainment area.
Oak City 7 – A new, free concert series in City Plaza in downtown Raleigh with seven great acts on the schedule. Bring your friends—including pets—and grab some beer and food from the local vendors on site.
Music on the Porch – 12 family-oriented live music events—every 2nd and 4th Friday through mid-October at Mordecai Historic Park in Raleigh. Just a $5 donation, BYOB.
Music off Main – Downtown Garner’s free concert series on the lawn of the Garner Performing Arts Center. Bring your blankets and chairs for these rock, beach music, Southern funk bands.
Art in the Museum Park – An annual tradition at the North Carolina Museum of Art’s Joseph M. Bryan Jr. Theater, which is a work of art itself, and the largest concert venue of any art museum in the country. Make sure to check out the consistently excellent and eclectic lineup here.
First Friday – A fun-filled introduction to Raleigh’s arts and music scene on the first Friday of each month in downtown. You’ll find live music and entertainment in various venues and streets, mostly free.
Sertoma Amphitheatre – Programmed by the Town of Cary and providing free concerts for the public, Sertoma has more than a handful of acts on tap this summer including Red June, the Triangle Wind Ensemble and Cool John Ferguson.
Music in the Valley – Free weekly concerts on Wednesdays at Crabtree Valley Mall. Lawn chairs welcome and happy hour specials provided by the restaurants on site.
For a complete list of Greater Raleigh’s concert schedule (indoors and out), visit http://www.visitRaleigh.com/visitors/concerts/
We hope you have had a chance by now to visit the new wing at the N.C. Museum of Natural Sciences. The media have had quite a lot to say about the museum and its expansion. Here are just a few examples:
The day has finally arrived–the opening of the new wing at the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences is tonight! Opening ceremonies are at 5pm on the front steps of the museum, and as we have been telling you for the last few weeks, the museum will remain open for a full 24-hours until 5pm on Saturday, April 21.
We have been counting the days, but now we’re down to hours. It’s less than 36 hours until the 24-hour opening of the new wing at the N.C. Museum of Natural Sciences, beginning tomorrow night, April 20, at 5pm.
It’s less than a week to the 24-hour opening of the new wing at the N.C. Museum of Natural Sciences! The museum will open its doors for the first time on Friday, April 20, 2012, at 5pm and stay open until 5pm on Saturday, April 21.
