Lucky you. You just found RALtoday’s Plan Ahead, a list of some of the biggest events to plan for that are taking place throughout Raleigh each month.
Take out your calendar, grab your day planner, or text all your friends — these are the top events we recommend heading to this month. Psst: Don’t forget to bookmark this page and come back; we update our guide monthly.
(Don’t see anything you like? Check out our full events calendar.)
Festivals
First Friday — Indie Rewind | Friday, Sept. 5 | 6-9 p.m. | City of Raleigh Museum | Free | Head to the museum to celebrate 2010s independent music + 15 years of Hopscotch.
Cary Underground Market | Sunday, Sept. 7 | 12-4 p.m. | Bond Brothers, Cary | Free | MAKRS Society and Oak City Music Collective present this market and concert with 50+ local vendors and bumping live music.
Oktoberfest at Raleigh Brewing | Sunday, Sept. 7 | 1-6 p.m. | Raleigh Brewing Company | Free | Raise a stein at Raleigh Brewing’s annual Oktoberfest celebration — expect beer, brats, and more Bavarian fun.
Raleigh Food Truck Rodeo | Saturday, Sept. 13 | 12-6 p.m. | Fayetteville Street | Free | You’ll be able to find endless cuisines and flavors at this tasty rodeo.
Whiskey, Wine & Fire | Saturday, Sept. 13 | 4 p.m. | Booth Amphitheatre, Cary | $105 | Imbibe wine, whiskey, and fire-kissed barbecue at this fire festival
Raleigh Underground Market | Sunday, Sept. 14 | 11 a.m.-3 p.m. | North Hills, Midtown Park | Free | Shop from unique vendors, jam out to local music, and grab drinks and food with your friends and family.
10th Annual Asia Fest with Dragon Boat Racing | Saturday, Sept. 20 | 9 a.m. | Booth Amphitheatre, Cary | $12 | Celebrate a decade of this multicultural fest with dragon boats, games, performances, and foods from across the world.
The International Festival 2025- Food, Desserts, Vendors & Perromances -Free Admission | Saturday, Sept. 20 | 10 a.m.-7 p.m. | North Carolina State Fairgrounds | Free | Travel the world without leaving Raleigh with a diverse array of handcrafted goods, international flavors, and cultural artifacts.
Festa Italiana North Carolina | Saturday, Sept. 20 | 11 a.m.-7 p.m. | Hunter Street and Town of Apex Government Campus, | Free | Cheers to Italian culture at this beloved annual festival with a cannoli-eating contest, a culinary stage, and a bambini zone.
Clouds Brewing Oktoberfest ’25 | Saturday, Sept. 20 | 1-10 p.m. | Clouds Brewing | $17+ | Cheers to Oktoberfest with live performances and Cloudstoberfest, the brewery’s exclusive event beer.
Raleigh Nights | Saturday, Sept. 20 | 5:30-9:30 p.m. | Smoky Hollow | Free | The fun starts when the sun sets -- shop from local members, jam to a live DJ, and grab a drink.
End Paper 2025: NCMA Art Book Fair | Saturday, Sept. 20-Sunday, Sept. 21 | 10 a.m.-4 p.m. | North Carolina Museum of Art | Free | End Paper provides a venue for artists and booksellers to promote and sell artist books, prints, zines, broadsides, photo books, and more.
Raleigh Foodie Fare | Sunday, Sept. 21 | 11 a.m.-3 p.m. | Moore Square | Free | All foodies are welcome at this tasty market + food truck rodeo.
La Fiesta Del Pueblo | Sunday, Sept. 21 | 12-6 p.m. | Fayetteville Street | Free | Join the Triangle’s largest and most diverse festival of Latin American culture with live music, dance performances, and artisanal vendors.
14th Mama Afrika Festival | Sunday, Sept. 21 | 1-6 p.m. | Southeast Raleigh YMCA | Free | Come celebrate the rich heritage, music, food, fashion, and unity of African and Caribbean cultures at this vibrant outdoor community event.
4th Annual Raleigh Tattoo Arts Festival | Friday, Sept. 26-Sunday, Sept. 28 | Times vary | Raleigh Convention Center | $20+ | This convention will be filled with ink, unique designs, and tattoo artists from across the country.
Raleigh Tamale Festival | Saturday, Sept. 27 | 2-6 p.m. | Moore Square | Free | Decide the very best tamale in Raleigh at this lively festival.
Live music
blink-182: Missionary Impossible 2025 Tour | Wednesday, Sept. 3 | 7 p.m. | Coastal Credit Union Music Park at Walnut Creek | $67+ | You won’t want to miss “All the Small Things” as this punk rock concert takes the stage in Oak City.
Hopscotch Music Festival | Thursday, Sept. 4-Saturday, Sept. 6 | Times vary | Downtown Raleigh | $180+ | Celebrate 15 years of Hopscotch with headliners Earl Sweatshirt, My Morning Jacket, Sparks, and more indie rockers throughout downtown Raleigh.
James Taylor And His All-Star Band | Thursday, Sept. 4 | 7:30 p.m. | Coastal Credit Union Music Park at Walnut Creek | $50+ | Sway to “Carolina On My Mind” and “Fire and Rain.”
Nine Inch Nails - Peel It Back Tour 2025 | Friday, Sept. 5 | 7:30 p.m. | Lenovo Center | $45+ | Rock out to “Closer” and “The Hand That Feeds” when this acclaimed alternative band comes to Raleigh.
Benson Boone: American Heart World Tour | Sunday, Sept. 7 | 8 p.m. | Lenovo Center | $50+ | You know this back-flipping “American Idol” star from “Beautiful Things” and “Mystical Magical.”
Kali Uchis — The Sincerely, Tour | Monday, Sept. 8 | 7 p.m. | Lenovo Center | $50+ | Dance along to “Telepatía” and “See You Again” live in concert.
Sierra Ferrell — Shoot For The Moon Tour | Wednesday, Sept. 10 | 8 p.m. | Red Hat Amphitheater | $55+ | If you caught this country, jazz, and blues singer at Bluegrass Live! last year, you know just how unmissable this show is.
Maren Morris: The Dreamsicle Tour | Wednesday, Sept. 17 | 7:30 p.m. | Booth Amphitheatre, Cary | $40+ | “Baby, why don’t you just meet me in the middle?”... of the Maren Morris concert in Raleigh.
Bring Me The Horizon | Tuesday, Sept. 23 | 6 p.m. | Lenovo Center | $35+ | Rock out with this British metal + emo band.
The Marías — Submarine Tour | Tuesday, Sept. 23 | 7:30 p.m. | Red Hat Amphitheater | $40+ | This band was featured on NPR’s Tiny Desk series — don’t miss them in the 919.
Mt. Joy | Tuesday, Sept. 23 | 7:30 p.m. | Booth Amphitheatre, Cary | $75+ | Rock out to “Orange Blood” and “Johnson Song.”
Rilo Kiley | Wednesday, Sept. 24 | 7:30 p.m. | Red Hat Amphitheater | $40+ | You aren’t going to want to miss these indie rockers with songs like “Silver Lining” and “A Better Son/Daughter” with support from Durham’s own Mountain Goats.
Live entertainment
Monster Truck Wars | Saturday, Sept. 6-Sunday, Sept. 7 | Times vary | North Carolina State Fairgrounds | $15+ | Watch five-ton trucks face off at three shows here in RAL.
Beyond: The Cary Film Festival | Thursday, Sept. 11-Sunday, Sept. 14 | Times vary | Cary Theater | Price varies | This fan-favorite local film festival is back with movie screenings + workshops for those looking to make it big in the movie biz.
Special Event: Patton Oswalt | Friday, Sept. 12-Saturday, Sept. 13 | Times vary | Goodnights Comedy Club | $45+ | You know him from “Ratatouille,” “The King of Queens,” and an episode of “Seinfeld” sporting a Cup A Joe tee — see him live in Raleigh.
Preseason: Carolina Hurricanes vs. Tampa Bay Lightning | Monday, Sept. 22 | 7 p.m. | Lenovo Center | $35+ | See the Canes battle against the Lightning — this is the first of three preseason games before the NHL season kicks off.
WWE RAW | Monday, Sept. 29 | 6:30 p.m. | Lenovo Center | $60+ | Heavyweight champs from across the nation will come to Raleigh for “Monday Night Raw”
Have an event of your own you want to share with us? Follow these easy steps to add your events to our calendar:
- Go to our Events page.
- Click “Add Event” in the top right-hand corner.
- Make sure to include a link and fill out important information like the date, time, location, and price of your event.
- Click “Submit,” and you’ve just added an event to our website calendar.