Oh hey, warm weather. It's been way too long. We're gearing up for you to get here with events, festivals and celebrations all around the Triangle. So keep them coming... there's so much to do... and so little time... before summer is upon us! Here are our "April picks" in no particular order. 

Last Band Standing at Lincoln Theatre
Tickets are on sale for this year's Last Band Standing. In its sixth year, LBS promises to bring more great music and fun than ever before. And they're switching things up... They're putting only three bands head-to-head for the title of the Last Band Standing, and later, they have a late-night music set from their very talented friends, Yarn, who headlined the Big Cahoot in 2014 and 2015.

This year's competing bands hail from Boone and Benson, NC, as well as Dayton, VA. Bryan Elijah Smith & The Wild Hearts has an Alternative-Americana sound, Rebekah Todd & The Odyssey is a folk & blues band, and Dr. Bacon bill themselves as an "Appalachian Funk-Grass" band. It's a diverse, fun and upbeat lineup that will make for a great show. Get your tickets now! Yarn 2016Event proceeds benefit the Band Together - Kidznotes partnership

Last Band Standing - April 16 at Lincoln Theatre
Ticket prices: $14/General Admission in Advance; $17 Day of Show, $75 VIP - Includes dinner from Bella Monica, drinks and premier viewing. Click Here for tickets and info.

Glenwood Faire at Babylon
The Downtown Raleigh Alliance is proud to partner with the Glenwood South Neighborhood Collaborative (GSNC) to promote the inaugural Glenwood Faire on Sunday, April 17 at Babylon.
Glenwood Faire is a block party that gives attendees a chance to meet new neighbors or catch up with some familiar faces, while tasting some of the best that downtown Raleigh has to offer.
 
Tickets cost $10 in advance ($15 at the door) and include a small plate and a drink from 10 downtown Raleigh eateries, including: Al Forno; Babylon; C.Grace; Empress Room; Dos Taquitos; Hibernian Pub; Pho Pho Pho; Plates Kitchen; Raleigh Beer Garden; The Raleigh Wine Shop; and Sushi Blues Café. Extra fare can be purchased for just $3 each.
 
In addition to having some of the best food and drinks downtown, Glenwood Faire offers the opportunity to get involved in the neighborhood. Nine special interests groups will be on site, including: The Wine Club; Glenwood South Little Free Library; Biking Group; Duncan-Parnell Habitat for Humanity Project; Glenwood Gatherings; Hillyer Memorial Church; Music Resources; Saint Saviour's Center; and Theme Nights. Click Here for tickets.

Fridays On the Front Porch at The Carolina Inn
The Carolina Inn begins the 14th season of its popular end-of-the-workweek celebration called "Fridays on the Front Porch" starting April 29 from 5-8pm.
 
Live music creates the perfect atmosphere for kicking back, relaxing and getting a jump on the weekend. Grab a bite to eat while enjoying crafted cocktails and hand-dipped Maple View ice cream. There is no cover charge or reservations for the event.
 
Returning by popular demand are a variety of favorite food trucks available to entertain palates with two different options most weeks. The 11 participants are Bam Pow Chow, Barone Meatballs, Bulkogi, Chicken Q, Chirba Chirba, CockAdoodle Moo, Cousins Maine Lobster, D'Burritos, Heavenly Smoke, Porchetta and Stuffit.
 
Fridays on the Front Porch features the music of some of North Carolina's best bands for 24 consecutive Fridays through early October. One of the area's most popular musical groups, Big Fat Gap, starts things off on Friday, April 29.
 
2016 Band Schedule and Food Truck Vendors (for April & May)
April 29 - Big Fat Gap (Bulkogi and Porchetta)
May 6 - Mick Mixon & The Franklin Street Band (Bam Pow Chow and Chicken Q)
May 13 - Counter Clockwise (CockAdoodle Moo and D'Burritos)
May 20 - Acoustic Manner (Porchetta and Stuffit)  
May 27 - The Holland Brothers (Bam Pow Chow and Heavenly Smoke)
Click Here for complete schedule.

Brewgaloo at City Plaza, 400 block Fayetteville St. Downtown Raleigh
Friday, Apr 22 from 6 to 10pm and Saturday, Apr 23 from 2 to 10pm at City Plaza Brewgaloo, the largest North Carolina craft beer festival featuring NC Beer,  local food trucks, live music and the best of local bands. Beer is sampled by the pint or the pour. Features something for everyone and purchases every keg tapped in an effort to support all NC brewers.
Friday night, 6-10pm $45 per person. Tasting event.
Saturday, 2-10pm By the pint or by the taste of over 85 local breweries and food from over 50 local food trucks. Open to the public. Click Here for details.

Hook & Vine: A Seafood and Wine Festival at The Wine Feed
Sunday, April 24 from 12pm to 4pm The Wine Feed is partnering with the United Arts Council and Locals Seafood to bring you Hook & Vine: A Seafood & Wine Festival.

Five restaurant partners, The Boiler Room, Capital Club 16, Centro, Provenance, and Plates Neighborhood Kitchen, will be preparing their seafood-inspired dishes for you to enjoy. All of the seafood is provided by Locals Seafood, a Raleigh-based company with a focus on sustainable NC seafood. Each restaurant's small plate will be paired with a sample of wine that is chosen by The Wine Feed. Click Here for tickets and info.

Raleigh Times Third Sunday Children's Carnival
Sunday, April 17 The Raleigh Times Third Sunday Kids Carnival will be rocking on Hargett Street in front of the Times. Bring the kids for fun and games, sidewalk chalk, bouncy castles and more. 11am-3pm. Click Here for more info.

Jill McCorkle Guest Speaker at the NC Musuem of History
Tuesday, April 19, The Raleigh Fine Arts Society will celebrate talented young Wake County High School winners of the Annual Literary Contest, a short story contest for high school students in grades 10-12. The awards ceremony will take place at the NC Museum of History at 7pm.

Guest speaker will be NC author, Jill McCorkle. McCorkle made literary history in 1984 when her first two novels, The Cheer Leader and July 7th, were published on the same day. She was only twenty-six years old at the time. Since then, she has published four additional novels and four collections of short stories, and five of her books have been named New York Times notable books. A native of Lumberton, NC, Jill earned a BA with highest honors in creative writing from UNC Chapel Hill where she received UNC's most prestigious writing award, the Jesse Rehder Prize. An essay, "Cuss Time" originally published in The American Scholar was selected for Best American Essays. Other essays and reviews by Jill have appeared in The New York Times Book Review.

Come enjoy this vibrant and entertaining speaker. Celebrate with these young high school writers receiving awards for their outstanding short stories. This Awards Ceremony is free and open to the public. Click Here for more info.

Oak City Comic Show at Raleigh Convention Center
Here comes the greatest comic book show in the triangle! Oak City Comicon is Raleigh's Premier One-day Super-Con and will be held at the Raleigh Convention Center on April 16th. That's 42,000 square feet of fun waiting for all you comic fans.

What's new? New exhibits. New panels. New workshops. New all-encompassing comic book pop culture overload experience.

What's the same? Once again they welcome the finest comic book, toy and collectible vendors in the multiverse and a plethora of fantastic comic book creators from the triangle area and far beyond. All of this plus a fan-favorite, massive cosplay contest. Join them for the best one-on-one workshops and one-of-a-kind panels by industry professionals and local talent. There's everything that you're looking for, from costume making and world building, to toy collecting and the Walking Dead! It's all in one place, and all panels and classes are free with admission.

Saturday, April 16 10am - 6pm, Raleigh Convention Center - 500 S Salisbury St. Raleigh, 27601. Cost: General Admission $9.95 + $1.24 fee; Kids 8 and under are free. Click Here for tickets and more info. 

Southern-Style Oyster Roast at Faire in Cameron Village
On Saturday, April 30th from 2pm to 6pm, meet your neighbors at Faire's Southern-Style Oyster Roast and enjoy bluegrass music by the Dry Bread Road duo. Southern Pines Brewing has partnered with Faire for an afternoon patio party. Every ticket includes two drinks for craft brews and wine offerings and a whole lot of tasty goodness.

This Oyster Roast will raise funds and awareness for Band Together. A portion of all bar sales  will be donated to this partnered nonprofit.

The Menu - Grilled Oysters, Cold Shucked Oysters, Shrimp & Grits, Corn, Potatoes, and Sausage, Cream Spinach, Fresh Baked Bread (to soak it all up!)
The ticket for this event will be $48 total cost and includes: all food, two drink tickets, tax and gratuity. Click Here for more info.

The "Brewer and The Farmer" Dinner at the Washington Duke Inn
Washington Duke Inn & Golf Club, located on the campus of Duke University in Durham, will host featuring Hillsborough's Mystery Brewing Company and Rougemont's Prodigal Farm, on Wednesday, April 13 at 6:45pm.

Beer and cheese enthusiasts alike are invited to join Executive Chef Jason Cunningham for a masterfully created multi-course menu incorporating decadent Prodigal cheeses paired with flavorful Mystery beers. Mystery Brewing Company will feature limited-time celebratory birthday brews, including Sancho (Belgian Singel), Orpheus (Belgian Dubbel), Mousqueton (Belgian Tripel) and Eurydice (Belgian Quad). Mystery Founder and CEO Erik Lars Myers will join with Prodigal Co-Owner Kathryn Spann to guide guests through this extravaganza and share their expertise along the way.

The Brewer and the Farmer Dinner costs $65 per person, or $54 for Executive Club members. The event will take place on the Fairview Patio, weather permitting. To make reservations, please call the Fairview Dining Room at (919) 493-6699 or visit the event registration page. Click Here for tickets and more info.

The Shakespeare Marathon: 38 Plays in 5 Days at the NC Museum of History
In recognition of the 400th anniversary of William Shakespeare's death,The Shakespeare Marathon: 38 Plays in 5 Days, a round-the-clock reading of all 38 plays by William Shakespeare is presented by the NC Museum of History, Burning Coal Theatre Company and 37 other theatrical groups from across North Carolina. The event takes place from Saturday, April 23, at noon through Thursday, April 28, at 6am, in Daniels Auditorium at the NC Museum of History. Admission is free.   

The 38 theatrical groups - professional, college and amateur - will perform stage readings of the Bard's plays, from his first to his last, with minimal costumes and props. The groups range from PlayMakers in Chapel Hill to Flat Rock Playhouse in Flat Rock and Chickspeare™ in Charlotte. The Shakespeare Marathon is produced by Burning Coal Theatre Company (BCTC). For a list of groups involved, play titles and performances times Click Here. At the evening performances, enter to win prizes!

French Market & Seafood Festival at Lafayette Village
On Saturday, April 16th from 11am to 4pm come for a total immersion of New Orleans. Enjoy  the jazzy sounds as you stroll through the Village for a French Quarter inspired experience and enjoy shopping in the Village shops. Get a glimpse of the artists in action as they paint, draw, and design masterpieces in the corridors of the Village. Of course it wouldn't be New Orleans without tasty seafood, from craw-fish to shrimp the food will be plentiful and the beer will be flowing. So come for a fun-filled day of music, art, food and shopping!

Driftwood Southern Kitchen will host A Crawfish Boil from11am to 4pm in the courtyard during this year's French Market and Seafood Festival. (See below more on Driftwood Southern Kitchen)
French Market and Seafood Festival - Lafayette Village, 8430 Honeycutt Rd. Raleigh 27615. Click Here for more info.

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