Updated Monday, October 5, 2026. I refresh this page every Monday for the coming weekend, so bookmark it and check back any time during the week.
Looking for things to do in Raleigh this weekend? Here’s what I’d actually go to, from a Raleigh native who has already been to most of these at least once. Free stuff first, then the ticketed picks.
Things to Do in Raleigh This Weekend: October 9 to 11
Saturday is the big day, with a neighborhood street festival, the Triangle’s largest free Diwali celebration and a Greek food festival all going at once. Sunday is slower and tastier.
Free and cheap
- Fall for Five Points, Five Points (2000 Fairview Road), Saturday 11am to 6pm. Free. Live music, local artists, pop-up vendors, food trucks and a kids zone, with the neighborhood’s shops open too. Easy and family friendly.
- Hum Sub Diwali, Koka Booth Amphitheatre in Cary, Saturday 9am to 9pm. Free admission, parking is $10. Dance performances, an Indian food and handicraft bazaar, headliner Vidya Vox and a fireworks finale. Organizers call it the biggest free Diwali in the Southeast.
- A Taste of Greece, St. Barbara Greek Orthodox Church in Durham, Saturday and Sunday 11am to 7pm. Free entry and parking, food priced individually. Gyros, baklava and a church tour. Parking fills up fast, so consider a rideshare.
Ticketed picks
- Mighty Giveback: JJ Grey & Mofro with The 502s, Lincoln Theatre outdoor stage, Saturday 5 to 11pm. A benefit concert for Band Together’s 25th anniversary, with proceeds going to the Raleigh Music Collective, Oak City Cares and PORCH Communities. Good music for a good reason.
- Nightmare Weekend Raleigh, Raleigh Convention Center, Saturday and Sunday. A horror convention with celebrity guests, panels and cosplay. Hours vary, so check the official page.
- Harvest Dinner, Raleigh City Farm, Sunday 4:30 to 8pm. Tickets run $50 to $150. A farm dinner a few blocks from downtown, which is about as Raleigh as it gets.
Coming Up
On Thursday, October 15, a new downtown bar opens beneath Whiskey Kitchen, and I wrote up what to know about Low Bar. The same day, the NC State Fair kicks off and runs through October 25; the State Fair guide has dates, hours, tickets and parking. On Saturday, October 17, the International Wine and Beer Fest takes over City Plaza. For the whole stretch through Thanksgiving, the weekend by weekend fall festival guide is the one to bookmark.
South of town? I keep a separate page for things to do in Fuquay-Varina this weekend. I’ll have the next round of things to do in Raleigh this weekend up next Monday. Hosting something? Book an Event Spotlight.