Start your fall season with heaps of fun! Choose from a wide selection of events for all ages to fill up your weekend in Durham.
Compiled by Meghan Johnson
Thriving Sunlit Perennial Garden – Thursday, 5-6pm – Sarah P. Duke Gardens hosts a live online presentation by Deborah Pilkington, retired owner of landscaping services The Mini Gardener. She’ll introduce participants to perennial plants that bring color and texture to your garden.
Durham Night Market – Thursday, 5-9pm – Shop from more than 50 local vendors during this monthly shopping experience featuring food trucks and live music at American Tobacco Campus.
Michigan Rattlers – Thursday, 5:30-8:30pm – Boxyard RTP partners with Raleigh-based That Station radio station to host this heavy-hearted folk-rock band live on the BeatBox stage as part of The Container Series.
Jazzoetry for Alice & John Coltrane – Thursday, 7-11:30pm – Celebrate the birthday of the legendary American jazz saxophonist and composer and his wife at GMMc Digital recording studio with live music by Brian Horton and Shaquim Muldrow and poetry by Darrell Stover.
Amy Grant Live in Concert – Thursday, 8pm – The Grammy-award winning Christian artist performs live at The Carolina Theatre. She has sold more than 30 million albums worldwide, including three multi-platinum, six platinum and four gold, over the course of her 30-plus year career.
Pumpkin Patch Opening – Friday-Saturday 9am-dusk, and Sunday, 10am-dusk – Holder Hill Farm opens its pumpkin patch to the public for the second year in a row this weekend. Pick pumpkins straight from the vine, take a hayride, and get lost in the corn maze.
Durham College Community Stories – Friday, noon-1pm – The City of Durham Neighborhood Improvement Services’ community engagement division presents this monthly history series dedicated to sharing histories from Durham’s marginalized and underrepresented communities. This month’s online event spotlights Durham College.
Jeff Foxworthy – Friday, 7 pm – Join the nationally beloved comedian for a night of laughter as he graces the stage at Durham Performing Arts Center during his The Good Old Days tour. Widely known for his redneck jokes, his act goes well beyond that to explore the humor in everyday family interactions and human nature, a style that has been compared to Mark Twain’s.
Opera Unmasked – Friday, 7pm and 9pm – Duke Department of Music presents a free concert complete with opera arias, duets and ensembles by Duke alumnus and members of Duke Opera Theater.
‘What is Left for Us to Write?’ – Friday, 7:30pm – The Verona Quartet opens The Chamber Orchestra of the Triangle’s 2021/22 season alongside OM grown dancers during this performance – a part of COT’s UpClose Chamber Music Series – that features works by Beethoven, Schubert and Lena-Frank at The Fruit.
‘Niblets’ – Friday, 8pm – Durham-based composer and seeming pan-instrumentalist Douglas Vuncannon presents his latest film about food aversion and growing up during an outdoor showing at Shadowbox Studio.
The Crystal Method – Friday, 9pm – Visit Motorco Music Hall for a concert from the band that helped pioneer the ‘90s electronica movement and dance music industry. The Sponges, a band blending classic disco with electronic beats, opens the show.
Barrel of Fun at Mystic Farm – Saturday, 9:30am-noon – Mystic Farm and Distillery offers a day full of all things… barrel: barrel rolling, flipping, pulling, staking and carrying. One big winner will be announced for a hand engraved Mystic Barrel barrel head with their name. This event is followed by Mystic’s Fall Fest (see below).
Seasonal Celebrities – Saturday, 10-11am – Sarah P. Duke Gardens presents Jan Little for an online presentation focused on “autumn plants for your North Carolina garden.”
An Afternoon in the Park – Saturday, 10am-3pm – Enjoy an afternoon of relaxation, field games and old-fashioned fishing at West Point on the Eno.
Zwanze Day – Saturday, noon-7pm – Beer Study celebrates this special beer holiday created by the world-famous lambic brewery, Cantillon. The bottle shop will be tapping multiple kegs of experimental nontraditional beers throughout the day and also have a special menu prepared by The Boot Room.
Pride: Durham, NC – Saturday, noon-9pm – The LGBTQ Center of Durham celebrates 40 years of Pride in Durham with an array of in-person and virtual events. The lineup includes COVID-19 testing and vaccinations at Duke’s East Campus, free food distributions, and an online drag show and concert.
The Streetery – Saturday, noon-9 pm – Downtown Durham Inc. closes off traffic at the Five Points intersection and opens the streets to pedestrians to shop, dine outdoors, and enjoy music from Bella Mead, David D’Angelo and Jason Bales.
Children’s Pop-Up Market – Saturday, 1-3pm – Young entrepreneurs sell their crafted goods and services at The Studio School of Durham.
Sketchbook/Artist’s Book Show – Saturday, 4-6pm – Horse & Buggy Press and Friends hosts this dual reception featuring books and personal sketches from various artists. It is also the final weekend to view Lisa Creed’s exhibit of new paintings called “Maps & Legend.”
The JLS Experience – Saturday, 7pm – Piano prodigy Justin Lee Schultz plays a mixture of jazz, blues and funk at GPAZZ Live Music Hall with his father, Julius Schultz, and sister, Jamie-Leigh Schultz.
Hail the Sun – Saturday, 7pm – Motorco Music Hall hosts the electric progressive rock band as well as three opening artists – singer/songwriter Kurt Travis, quintet Kaoniahi and post-rock band Body Thief – as part of Crank It Loud’s The New Age Filth Tour.
Theo Von Stand Up Comedian – Saturday, 7pm and 9pm, and Sunday, 7pm – The Carolina Theatre hosts the comedian, YouTuber and podcaster for three showings this weekend. Theo hosts the weekly podcasts, This Past Weekend and King and Sting, which each garner millions of listens/views every month.
Indigo Girls – Saturday, 8-10pm – Durham Performing Arts Center hosts the Grammy award-winning folk duo during their road tour promoting their newest album, “Look Long.”
Calidore String Quartet – Saturday, 8pm – The internationally acclaimed string quartet performs at Baldwin Auditorium with an intense program of classical pieces as a part of Duke Performances’ Chamber Art Series.
Ploycorchard + Film – Saturday, 8pm – The Shadowbox Studio hosts Laurent Estoppey and David Menestres as they perform “Angle of Immunity,” followed by an outdoor screening of the 1965 short film, ‘Film.’
Calichi Piano Trio – Sunday, 3-4pm – Duke Department of Music presents Leva Jakubaviciute, Hsiao-mei Ku and Caroline Stinson for a free performance at Baldwin Auditorium.
