Weekend Plans: Bugfest, festivals, dragon boats, farm tours, more

Happy weekend! Here’s what’s happening on the family fun front. And, as always, check WRAL.com’s Out & About calendar for more weekend ideas for the kids and adults in your life. And check our fall fun and Halloween database for details on pumpkin patches, corn mazes and other fall-related events. Many pumpkin patches begin opening this weekend.

Bugfest! For the 20th year, the N.C. Museum of Natural Sciences will host this festival that celebrates all things bug. The theme is ants this year, but you’ll learn about all sorts of creepy crawlies. The free event is 9 a.m. to 7 p.m., Saturday, in downtown Raleigh.

Sparkcon runs in downtown Raleigh through Sunday and celebrates all sorts of art forms - from music and dance to circus, design and comedy. There’s also a street painting festival which is a lot of fun to check out. The event’s website has a handy listing of all of the kid-friendly features, including giant coloring books, artist demos and an aerial demonstration. Free.

The 42nd annual CenterFest Arts Festival is in downtown Durham on Saturday and Sunday. Free. You’ll find visual artists, music and lots of activities for kids - including crafts, performances and games.

The Clayton Harvest and Music Festival runs through Sunday in downtown Clayton. There are carnival rides, music, a classic car show, games and much more.

The 3rd Annual Dragon Boat Festival is 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., Saturday, at Koka Booth Amphitheatre and Symphony Lake. Watch dragon boat racing from club and community teams. There’s also food, performances and other cultural experiences. It’s free. Parking is $5.

Carnaval Latino is at the Garner Performing Arts Center from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m., Sunday. The free event features food, music and more.

Wake County’s Historic Yates Mill County Park holds its 11th annual Fall Harvest Celebration from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., Saturday. The free event will feature harvest-related demonstrations including corn grinding and soap making workshops. There will be hands-on activities for the entire family, plus a variety of community displays, storytellers, games and more. Visitors also can tour Historic Yates Mill, Wake County’s last operable water-powered gristmill. Tours are $5 per adult, $4 for seniors (60+) and $3 for students (7-16). Children age six years old and under are free.

And Crabtree Valley Mall will host its Street Fest from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m., Saturday, on the lower level outside of Belk. There will be a kid play area and food vendors. It will benefit the new Sassafras All Children’s Playground.

We have six consignment sales across the region including in Morrisville, Cary and Raleigh.

AKC Responsible Dog Ownership Day is 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., Saturday, at the NC State Fairgrounds’ Holshouser building. It’s free and includes goodie bags for the first 500 families; games for kids; face painting; the opportunity to meet rare breeds you’ve never seen before; and lots of action-packed dog demonstrations and games.

Marbles Kids Museum will host its Lights Up Sound Down movie with “Island of Lemurs: Madagascar 2D.” This sensory-sensitive screening is designed for movie goers with special needs or families with young children. Tickets are $2. It’s 10 a.m., Saturday.

Knightdale will host a free screening of “Epic” at dusk, Friday, at its Knightdale Station Park. And the N.C. Museum of Art will screen “The Jungle Book,” at 8 p.m., Friday, as part of its outdoor movie series.

Northgate Mall in Durham will host award-winning storyteller and author Willa Brigham at 12:30 p.m., Saturday. She’ll read from her book, “The Pizza Tree,” and then lead a pizza-making craft activity. It’s free.

The Walk, Run & Roll for Inclusiveness is 10 a.m. to 11:30 a.m., Saturday, at Kids Together Playground at Marla Dorrel Park, 111 Thurston Dr., Cary. Decorate your wheels, hat or shoes at a special decorating station then join in a 1.4 mile round trip journey to celebrate this great park. There also will be refreshments, games and prizes, along with a raffle. Proceeds will go toward building a Misting Garden at the park.

Tour farms across the region during the Eastern Triangle Farm Tour. It’s Saturday and Sunday. Tickets are $30 per car for the whole weekend. The tour features 25 farms and is a great way to get an up close view of what it takes to put food on our tables.

Finally, Maple View Farm Customer Appreciation Day is 1 p.m. to 8 p.m., Sunday. (There was a fire at Maple View this week, but it did not impact the spot where you get ice cream. It’s up and running!). There will be live music, lawn games, face painting, ice cream specials, inflatables and more. Can’t think of a better way to end the weekend than eating some Maple View ice cream on the porch and watching the kids wear themselves out!