While music is the main event at the 2025 Raleigh Wide Open Music Festival, presented by PNC Bank, there are lots of other reasons to spend time on Fayetteville Street in downtown Raleigh on Oct. 3-4, too.
But first, the music: In addition to all the bluegrass you’ve come to expect from this festival, a continuation of the festival that the International Bluegrass Music Association (IBMA) brought to Raleigh in 2013, we’ve expanded our sound to include Americana, folk, gospel, and more. You can find the full schedule at raleighwideopen.com. All of the music on several stages along Fayetteville Street is free. A ticketed show with Greensky Bluegrass and JJ Grey & Mofro will take place in Red Hat Amphitheater, also downtown, on Friday, Oct. 3.
When you’ve got time in between sets of music, here are 10 other things to do while you’re with us at Raleigh Wide Open:
1. Browse the Art Market, Local Vendors and Food Trucks: Between music stages, the streets will be lined with more than 75 friendly vendors offering tantalizing food and drinks and one-of-a-kind handmade items. Fuel up with a meal or snack, and get a jump on your holiday shopping as you browse delightful crafts curated by our friends at Artsplosure.
2. Learn About N.C.’s Gospel Heritage: Spend time listening to our gospel performers — Chris Johnson and Freedom, the Gospel Jubilators, Jalessa Cade, Jared Payton and the Legacy Chorale, and Kingdom Voices United — and learn more about this vibrant musical form via a series of talks at the City of Raleigh Museum (220 Fayetteville St.) during the festival. The performances and talks are presented by the North Carolina Folklife Institute in partnership with PineCone with support from the National Endowment for the Arts and the North Carolina Arts Council, with additional support from the City of Raleigh Museum.
3. Pick and Grin: There will be lots of jamming at Raleigh Wide Open. Bring your instrument and take a seat under our Jam Tent, right outside the Musicians Marketplace on Exchange Plaza (next to the YMCA). Late-night jamming will likely break out at the Sheraton Downtown Raleigh, which designated a jamming floor where folks can pick all night.
4. Go Big: If you’d like to add a big concert experience to your Raleigh Wide Open weekend, snag a ticket to see Greensky Bluegrass and JJ Grey & Mofro on Friday, Oct. 3, at Red Hat Amphitheater. Tickets are available here. There’s plenty of time to enjoy the free music along Fayetteville Street before and after showtime.
5. Make It Fashion: Love Raleigh Wide Open’s banjo-playing squirrel mascot? You can rock the squirrel on T-shirts, hoodies, koozies and more at our Merch Tent located on City Plaza. Pick up a PineCone shirt, now in fresh colors, to show some love for the Raleigh nonprofit that produced Raleigh Wide Open and its predecessor festival.
6. Swing Your Partner: Square dancing is a great way to enjoy traditional music! We’ll have dances both evenings of the festival at the Martin Street Stage with music from local artists and calling by Phil Jamison and Nancy Mamlin. Whether you’re a seasoned square dancer or brand new, there’s room for you!
7. Get Inspired in Our Musicians Marketplace: Step inside our space at 219 Fayetteville Street to check out musical instruments, gear and accessories and chat with the folks who make and sell them. You can test-drive your next guitar, buy your first banjo or pick up straps, strings, picks and other equipment that makes you feel and sound great while you’re playing music.
8. Drink Responsibly: Beer and wine will be sold in four different spots in the festival area. Festival attendees can take drinks purchased from festival vendors with them as they enjoy music and everything else the festival has to offer.
9. Sit a Spell: Grab an instrument, rest in a rocking chair and take some fun photos on the PNC Porch located near the entrance of the PNC Bank building at the intersection of Fayetteville and Martin streets. It doesn’t matter what you sound like; you’ll look like a pro! PNC Bank is proud to be the presenting sponsor of Raleigh Wide Open and its predecessor festival.
10. Try an Instrument: Our Instrument Petting Zoo offers banjos, fiddles, guitars and more for music lovers of all ages to get their hands on. Pick a note or two or pick a tune — just picking up an instrument at all is a powerful experience we love sharing with everyone.
No matter how you choose to spend your time at this year’s Raleigh Wide Open Music Festival, presented by PNC Bank, you’ll be glad you came. Find the full lineup, schedule, festival map and more at raleighwideopen.com.