Back Porch Music on the Lawn: The Old Ceremony – Thursday, 6pm – Hosted at the American Tobacco Campus in joint production with WUNC, each of these eight free concerts begin on Thursday evenings at 6 p.m. The lineup this season is full of all-stars, including The Old Ceremony to kick off the series tonight and Frank Solivan & Dirty Kitchen on June 2. Grab a picnic-style dinner from nearby restaurants, and enjoy the tunes.
The Media and the Black Man – Balancing Coverage and Culture – Thursday, 6pm – Join The Chain and veteran journalist Thomasi McDonald of the “News & Observer” for a discussion about balancing media coverage of the Black man with the competing interests of today’s media and the cultural realities of Black life at the Southwest Regional Library.
Benefit for the Southern Vision Alliance featuring The Mountain Goats – Thursday, 8pm – Local bands The Mountain Goats and Loamlands perform to raise funds for the organization – a grassroots intermediary organized for the charitable and educational purposes of providing infrastructure, capacity-building, and assistance to youth-centered organizations and programs – while simultaneously taking a stand against HB2.
Black Lips – Thursday, 8pm – Playing garage-flavored punk rock with a Southern accent, a messed-up and bluesy undertow, and the gleefully destructive impact of a 15-year-old with a bag of firecrackers, the Black Lips are an Atlanta-based combo who, after their debut in 2000, soon developed a reputation as one of Georgia’s wildest bands. They play Motorco with underground rock group Savoy Motel.
Graduation Weekend at Local 22 – Friday-Sunday – Attending a graduation ceremony this weekend? Choose to dine at this eatery for brunch, lunch or dinner for and enjoy a specially prepared three-course meal.
I Love Paris in the Springtime Cooking Class – Friday, 6pm – Durham Spirits Co. is hosting this French cuisine cooking class. Email katie@durhamspiritscompany.com to reserve space.
“Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea” Opening Reception – Friday, 6-9pm – Pulitzer Prize winning photographer Preston Gannaway presents a selection of images from her series, “Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea,” a documentary project on the changing character of a working-class neighborhood along the Chesapeake Bay in Virginia. The opening reception includes an artist talk and book signing.
Blues on the Plaza at Northgate Mall – Friday 6:30pm – Take in some blues and beer at this weekly event in May, complete with food trucks. This week you’ll hear the sounds of Reverend Dan and The Prophets. And Heavenly Smoke will be providing some great barbecue.
Community Campfire – Friday, 7pm – There may be nothing better than sitting next to a warm, crackling campfire. Durham Parks and Recreation Adventure Programs provides the fire and everything you need to make s’mores at Long Meadow Park. Come share the campfire experience with others in your community.
Spring Wild Foods Dinner at Piedmont Wildlife Center – Friday, 7pm – The center hosts an unforgettable gourmet meal, complete with world-class chef techniques in gastronomy and creative mixology – casually served in a cabin in the woods.
Fresh Docs Series Screens “Liberty Warehouse” – Friday, 7pm – The Center for Documentary Studies and the Southern Documentary Fund present a free screening of this film by Carol Thomson explores the history of an iconic tobacco auction warehouse in Durham. A question-and-answer session will be held afterwards.
Mo Jazz – Friday, 7-9pm – Brightleaf’s popular Summer Concert Series kicks off with the jazz band. Come have dinner and enjoy some tunes!
Starlight Friday – Friday, 7-10pm – Spend an evening with the stars, under the stars! Bring the family to Oval Drive Park to enjoy an evening as we show an outdoor movie. Starts at sunset!
MarchFourth! at Motorco with Guest Tea Cup Gin – Friday, 8pm – This SteamFunk Rock ‘n’ Roll Circus Party Band has been touring the country year-round, and now they’ve arrived in Durham and will team up with our own local band, Tea Cup Gin.
Eiko: A Body in the Farmers’ Market – Saturday, 8am and 11am – Eiko (who has danced for the past 40+ years with her husband and creative partner Koma as the duo Eiko & Koma) has expanded into the realm of solo artist in her latest work. She is returning this American Dance Festival season with her series A Body in Places in three new venues, including the Durham Farmers’ Market today.
Where the Wild Beers May Potentially Be, Again – Saturday-Sunday – This event is the brainchild of Sam’s Bottle Shop and The Glass Jug. Taste more than 25 wild and sour beers on tap from local breweries and from across the nation.
Mom’s and Grad’s Brunch – Saturday and Sunday, 10am-2pm – Chef Josh Munchel is serving up an à la carte brunch at Counting House at 21c Museum Hotel, featuring dishes like Carolina smoked trout benedict and lamb & eggs with spiced tomato gravy and grilled pita.
Bull City FIRST Tech Challenge Robotics Invitational – Saturday, 10am – FTC Team 8569 of Camelot Academy hosts the FIRST Tech Challenge Bull City Robotics Invitational, bringing together North Carolina students showcasing their robotic design and programming skills in Northgate’s Center Court. Each year US FIRST Robotics releases a “game” resulting in national student competition in the field of robotics. The Northgate event features a mock competition showcasing the students’ FIRST RES-Q challenge robotics concept designs to entertain the public, who can also drive the robots!
High Ropes Discovery Day – Saturday, 11am, 12:30pm and 2pm – Explore Durham Parks and Recreation’s high ropes course at Bethesda Park and navigate a variety of obstacles, some reaching 55 feet in the air! Pre-registration required.
Tobacco Town On Two Wheels – Saturday, 1-3pm – Bike Durham and the Museum of Durham History are teaming up to host a leisurely six-mile ride through downtown and the American Tobacco Campus. The family-friendly ride will be led by local historian Ernie Dollar, who will stop at various locations around town to tell the city’s more famous and lesser-known stories. Afterwards, there will be socializing and a Q-and-A at Bull McCabe’s, just across the street from the museum.
Russell Lacy School of Music Showcase – Sunday, 1:30-6pm – Highlighting students from the Durham-based music school, this showcase at The Pinhook will feature songs from the Yep Roc catalog by Nick Lowe, Tift Merritt and Jukebox the Ghost – as well as covers from favorite artists.
Botany Bar Crawl – Sunday, 2-4pm – Durham Parks and Recreation collaborates with Fullsteam Brewery to offer this botanist’s view of beer. Learn about the plants behind brewing, and taste the beer made with those plants.
Graduation Dinner at The Durham Hotel – Saturday and Sunday, 5:30-10pm – If you’ve got family in town, take them to The Durham for a prix-fixe meal with choice of appetizers, entree and dessert. Sunday brunch is also available from 10:30am-2pm.
Beer & Hymns – Sunday, 7:30pm – The first Sunday of the month calls for free flowing beer and spiritual choruses! Jesse James DeConto of The Pinkerton Raid leads the group of hymn singers at Fullsteam Brewery. The event will be raising money for INSIDEoUT to stand in solidarity with LGBTQ youth facing persecution under HB2.
