We’re excited to announce that the RALtoday Holiday Gift Guide will return this November. Want first dibs on a feature? Lock in your spot now + get 20% off with code EARLYBIRD20. Hurry — this offer ends Wednesday, Oct. 1.
Plan Ahead
🎡 We found your October plans
What is your favorite part of this Raleigh tradition? | Photo by Justin Kase Conder via NC State Fair
October’s nearly here, and that means state fair anticipation, Halloween decorations, and hockey season. Don’t know where to start? We’ve done the hard part — here are 25 events for October that you won’t want to miss.
Seasonal
Day of the Dead 5K | Saturday, Oct. 25 | Raise money for the Boys & Girls Club while celebrating Dia de los Muertos.
Morrisville Diwali Celebration | Saturday, Oct. 25 | Paint diyas, watch a cultural fashion performance, and enjoy fireworks at this Diwali fest.
Halloween
Pumpkin Flotilla | Friday, Oct. 24 | Set your pumpkins afloat with this beloved local tradition.
Adult Nights: Zombie Prom | Friday, Oct. 24 | Calling all ghosts and ghouls — everyone’s dying for an invite to this special adults-only night at the museum with spooky activities + cocktails.
Curtain Call From Beyond: Theatre Haunts + History | Monday, Oct. 6-Monday, Oct. 27 | Times vary | Martin Marietta Center for the Performing Arts | Take a guided walking tour through backstage corridors and velvet-draped performance halls to hear theatre secrets and local ghost lore.*
Attendees enjoy music and community at past Smoky Mountains Bluegrass Festival events. | Photos by Tom Lotshaw for HCAC
Voted the top festival in Haywood County, the Smoky Mountains Bluegrass Festival returns to beautiful Maggie Valley, NC on Saturday, Oct. 25, 11 a.m.-6 p.m. — just in time for leaf season.
After Hurricane Helene forced the nonprofit Haywood County Arts Council to cancel 2024’s festival fundraiser, they’re thrilled to announce an unmissable lineup for 2025:
The invasive spotted lanternfly has made its way to NC, and environmentalists are encouraging North Carolinians to kill the insect as soon as possible if they find one. Lanternflies suck sap from stem, bark, and leaves, and even pose a risk to plants instrumental in the beer-making process. (The News & Observer)
Sports
The Canes will sport a new name on their helmets at home games this season. First Citizens Bank will sponsor home game helmets all season, while Lenovo retains away game helmets. Although the numbers haven’t been released, helmet sponsorships can cost up to $5 million. (Triangle Business Journal)
Older Adults
The City of Raleigh is organizing a one-day trip to Wilson for the annual Whirligig Festival, a celebration of Wilson county artist Vollis Simpson and his scrap metal creations on Saturday, Nov. 1. If you haven’t seen them in person before, you can spot one of Simpson’s whirligigs at NC State’s Gregg Museum.
Coming Soon
Preeti Waas’s upscale bodega Nanny Goat is expanding into a second Durham space. After opening the first location in Hub RTP over the summer, the new location will be part of GeerHouse, where local chef Oscar Diaz has already opened a new taco concept. Expect an opening as early as next month. (The News & Observer)
Read
Meet Ben Griffin, a Chapel Hill native set to make his Ryder Cup debut after an unlikely story. Griffin hadn’t won a golf event until this year, and the Tar Heel played for UNC from 2014 to 2018. Learn more about how he got here. (ABC 11)
Open
Fujifilm’s new Holly Springs facility is now open, and the $3.2 billion bio-pharmaceutical manufacturing facility is expected to employ 1,400 North Carolinians by 2031. The facility will manufacture specialty medications — check out job openings, and keep scrolling for more in today’s newsletter.
Edu
Discover your creative potential with Inward & Artward School of Creativity’s online classes this fall. Engage in courses like Creativity & Personal Mythology and Writers Accountability Groups to build resilience and sustain inspiration. Plus, apply for the 2026 hybrid Creative Facilitator Training for a unique learning journey. Enroll.*
These new-build townhomes in South Raleigh hit the market earlier this month. We love the private porches + gourmet kitchens, but our fave part has to be the stellar location: less than 10 minutes from downtown. Take a peek inside.*
Wellness
Wellness
Skincare that works, backed by science
Presented by Timeline
Backed by research, this skincare restores skin vitality. | Photo by Timeline
As we age, skin loses the firmness and elasticity that gives it a youthful appearance. A key reason? Skin cells lose energy, hindering essential functions like collagen production.
Enter: Mito-Biotic™ Skincare from Timeline, clinically proven to energize skin cells and reduce the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles by up to 15%.‡
See benefits in as little as 15 days and save 20%while supplies last.
A HEPA air purifier that’s 60% off for a limited time. We love that style is not compromised for function — it features a sleek exterior + eliminates 99.97% of air particles so you can have an odor and dust-free environment.
The fun doesn’t have to end here. After reading the newsletter, head over to our games page. Games refresh with new challenges every day at 6 a.m. from crossword puzzle to Sudoku to themed word search.
CLTtoday‘s Newsletter Editor Maria paid me and Cat a visit while she was in town, and we had such a fun time sippin’ lattes at Fount in Morrisville and catching up. I loved their pumpkin spice latte.
Photo by RALtoday
‡Mito-Biotic™ Skincare from Timeline disclaimer: Based on an 8-week randomized controlled clinical trial of 36 healthy women aged 40 to 65 years.
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