New Events Calendar? Yup. We Have It All! - May. 2nd

Plus, it's Derby weekend, Star Wars time, & the First Friday of May! Keep updated on all of it by reading further or checking out the new calendar.

Happy Friday Raleigh! We have exciting news… you asked and we listened!

Starting today (yes, like right now) you can add every single event listed in each newsletter to your own calendar! This works with any calendar that can take Google Calendar or iCal events.

The calendar already has the events mentioned since Monday and more will be added each week, so stay tuned!

To gain access, just follow these easy steps:

  1. Click the link below to get your unique referral link.

  2. Simply share with 3 friends!

  3. Once all 3 confirm you will get an email granting access to the calendar!

This access lasts FOREVER once you send to 3 friends, so you only have to do it once. Pretty cool right? Anyway, on to today’s events!

Psst, there will be more referral rewards very soon, and any 3 that you get now will count for future rewards as well.

If you know, you know.

• First Friday is tonight! We prepped you for it on Wednesday but see more here if you are planning on heading out tonight — DRA First Friday Itinerary.

• It’s (almost) Derby Day! The 151st Kentucky Derby is this Saturday and nearly everyone is hosting some sort of event for it. Check out the list below for a few we found:

• Not in the mood for the Derby? Well it is Cinco de Mayo weekend as well so naturally there is Taco & Margs Bar Crawl starting over at The Avenue on Glenwood.

• The Ma & Pa Festival in Downtown Raleigh will be here for all of your Mother’s & Father’s Day Needs (both coming up soon)! Check out the event below:

• Making an appearance with a familiar name, the “Beyond C. Grace” Jazz Series is taking place at SEVEN in Seaboard Station downtown. Tickets start at $47 but the event is limited seating and the attire is dressy — see more about the event here.

• The Endless Grind got you down? Well check out this FREE one night skateboarding photography exhibit at COR Museum that showcases the rich and complex background of the sport and lifestyle in Raleigh — RSVP at the link here to learn more.

• Raleigh City Farm has announced a new First Saturday series! You can either signup to volunteer or simply enjoy a walk around the garden, see below or here at the link.

• And just a reminder, Adult Recess at Fletcher Park just north of the Glenwood South area, is tomorrow from 2-8PM — info here.

• Did you know that you can see the INSIDE of the Yates Mill Pond Mill House? Every Friday and Saturday this month, from 1-4PM join 20 other people in viewing the house and asking questions — more here.

• It’s still a few weeks out but Artsplosure is almost here! Coming May 17-18th, this event features large exhibitions, recording studio confession booths, live music, and so much more — check out the full details here (it’s already on our calendar as well).

• Think you’re gonna go a little too hard this weekend? Consider Sunday Brunch Fest! Starting at 10am in North Hills grab donuts, coffee, and brunch cocktails (if you’re up for it) — more details on the Raleigh magazine site here.

Free events first, then organized by time, for each day.

May. 2nd - Friday

• Ben Youngblood [songwriter] @ Birdie’s Backyard | 5PM - FREE

• Root Down Collective [jazz] @ Moon Room | 8PM - FREE

• Club XCX: Spring Breakers [dj dance party] @ The Pour House | 8PM - $15+

• ZOSO - The Ultimate Led Zeppelin Experience [cover] @ Lincoln Theatre | 8PM - $17+

May. 3rd - Saturday

• Free Whenever [space rock] @ Incendiary Brewing Co (downtown) | 2PM - FREE

• Ricky Bugel Quartet [jazz] @ Moon Room | 8PM - FREE

• David Rawlings, Gillian Welch [americana] @ Martin Marietta Center | 7:30PM - $37+

May. 4th - Sunday

• The Guilty Pleasures [bluegrass] @ East Bower Cider Company | 2PM - FREE

• Comedy Night [stand-up] @ Neptunes | 7PM - Possible Cover

Local sports teams scores and updates.

Hurricanes: The Canes match-up is confirmed for Round 2! They will square off against the Washington Capitals, dates for the games to be announced still. The Capitals with the better regular season record, will have home ice advantage for the 7 game series. Official announcement on the NHL site here — link to page.

NC Courage: The Courage take on the Utah Royals away this weekend, at 10PM. They return home again on May 10th to play the Orlando Pride.

NC FC: The FC play away this weekend as well, at 7PM against the Riverhounds before a rematch with Charlotte FC in the U.S. Open Cup, Tuesday at 7. Check out what the crowd energy is like at home if you’re going to a game:

Raleigh is cool but so are our neighbors.

• Just south of Raleigh, the Ham And Yam Festival in Smithfield is taking place with Car Shows, Live Music, & plenty of food to eat — check out the event schedule here.

• Another MAKRS event, the Cary Underground Market, is happening this Sunday from 12-4PM over near the Bond Brothers location downtown — more at the link.

If you’re near Cary or just like to go often, check out another great local newsletter over at the Cary Digest, linked down below:

Cary DigestGet updates on Cary news, events, restaurants and more every Tuesday and Friday. Join 8,000+ other Cary citizens!

Business focused, occasionally sponsored.

• You might have heard there is new bus station downtown but have you seen what it looks like? Check out this video to see — bus service begins in August!

• Raleigh based ag-tech startup has secured $15M funding aimed at reducing methane from emissions from cattle. The startup was founded by NC State Ph.D. graduates and operates out of the Plant Sciences Building. — more here (possible paywall).

• In need of a photo experience for your next corporate event? Check out Taco Photo Booth for another great addition to your party (tell em we sent ya!) — link here.

• Downtown Raleigh Alliance (DRA) has released their Q1 2025 report on the Raleigh market — the highlights being 23 new downtown storefronts, new apartments (over 10,000 downtown now), and 4.6 million visitors to downtown — full report here.

Weather, moon phases, and thing’s that don’t fit elsewhere.

May. 2nd - Friday - Partly Cloudy , High 83°F, Low 64°F

• Sunrise: 06:21 AM, Sunset: 08:03 PM - Moon: Waxing Crescent 🌒

May. 3rd - Saturday - Overcast , High 80°F, Low 66°F

• Sunrise: 06:20 AM, Sunset: 08:03 PM - Moon: Waxing Crescent 🌒

Comments and posts from around Raleigh, just a bit more personal.

• Well, it’s a sad day folks. The Lake Crabtree multi-use trails will close officially on June 1st to lease to make way for, let me check… the RDU airport authority. Sigh. This has been something people have been fighting but it seems to have fallen on deaf ears — check out the conversation at the official announcement over on Facebook.

Map of affected area pictured here.

• Rumor has it that SAS is cutting people to prep for a possible IPO. Recently lots of folks left for a voluntary retirement package that was offered and the SAS CFO recently retired after 40 years.

📬 3 emails a week, every week. If that’s worth a coffee each month, consider joining. Your support keeps us remain free, local, and ad-light.

Mason @ The Raleighwood Inbox

The ramblings of your author, apologies in advance.

We all have our thoughts on Star Wars these days but you can’t deny the magic of the original series and even the prequels.

With that said, May the Fourth be with you and I hope you have an exciting Revenge of the Fifth (Monday and Tuesday).

— Mason at The Raleighwood Inbox

Psst, if you’re into that nerdy stuff (no shame, I am myself) check out NERD Gate Southeast, a local newsletter celebrating all things nerdy in the triangle.

NERD GATE SoutheastA newsletter on nerd culture, people, gatherings, and entertainment in central North Carolina.

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