Go Ask Mom

Weekend Plans: Festivals, dragon boats, Batman Day, maker faire, more

We have 18 events, plus links to lots of pumpkin patches, corn mazes and Take a Child Outside Week events. Here's what's happening this weekend!

Posted Updated
3rd Annual Dragon Boat Festival - Koka Booth, September 17, 2016
By
Sarah Lindenfeld Hall
Happy weekend! Here’s what’s happening on the family fun front. As always, check WRAL.com’s Out & About calendar for more weekend activities.
Also … be sure to peruse our fall fun database as more pumpkin patches and corn mazes are opening this weekend. And, Take a Child Outside Week starts on Sunday. Lots of related TACO activities are planned across the region.

Let’s start with the festivals:

Cary’s fourth annual Dragon Boat Festival starts at 9 a.m., Saturday. Tickets are $5 in advance and $8 at the door. Kids 12 and under are free. The day, which celebrates Asian culture, includes live stage performances, games for kids, food and, of course, dragon boat races.
It’s Mule Days in Benson through Sunday. You’ll find games, vendors, food, music, rides, a rodeo and much more, including the 68th annual Mule Days Parade at 10 a.m., Saturday.
The Durham Latino Fiesta and Soccer Challenge is 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., Saturday, at Rock Quarry Park, 701 Stadium Dr. It’s free and includes a soccer tournament, food trucks, a family fun zone and a chance to meet and greet Duke’s men’s soccer team.
The East Meets West Festival celebrates the cultural diversity of Morrisville with a day of food, culture and music from around the world. It’s 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., Saturday, at Town Hall Drive in Morrisville.
Roots Fest is noon to 9 p.m., Saturday, along Hillsborough Street in Raleigh, across from N.C. State. The free event includes a kids zone, chalk art, lots of arts and crafts for kids, animals from the N.C. Museum of Natural Sciences and more.
La Fiesta Del Pueblo is noon to 7 p.m., Sunday, on Fayetteville Street in downtown Raleigh. There will be Latinx food, music, art and culture.
Pepperfest is 3 p.m. to 6 p.m., Sunday, at Great Meadow Park at Briar Chapel in Chapel Hill. Tickets are free for kids 6 and under; $5 for kids ages 7 to 12; and $30 for everybody else.
And Ray Price Capital City BikeFest runs Friday through Sunday in downtown Raleigh, the Raleigh Convention Center and Ray Price Harley-Davidson and Triumph Dealership, just south of downtown. The free event is family friendly.
The Threads of Africa celebration is noon to 5 p.m., Saturday, at the N.C. Museum of Art in Raleigh. It celebrates the museum’s expanded African art gallery. Activities include drum making, collaborative collage, a station with African animals from the N.C. Zoo, storytelling, a parade through Museum Park and more. (Be sure to check out the great hands-on Threads of Experience exhibit in the gallery).
Carolina Ballet continues its performances of “The Ugly Duckling” at the Duke Energy Center for Performing Arts in Raleigh.
In Cary, the Kids Together Walk, Run & Roll for Inclusiveness is 10 a.m. to 11:30 a.m., Saturday, at Marla Dorrel Park, 111 Thurston Drive, Cary. Proceeds help add a Misting Garden at Kids Together Playground.
Saturday is National Hunting and Fishing Day. The N.C. Wildlife Commission has several events across the state, including three in the Triangle area.
The Raleigh Mini Maker Faire is 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., Saturday, at Wake Technical Community College’s main campus, 9101 Fayetteville Rd., Raleigh. The day features works from all kinds of makers. Many of them will be interactive or highlight the process of making things. Beth Harris, Go Ask Mom’s resident science educator, will be on site with free hands-on activities and more. Tickets are $5 plus fees.
And, Saturday is International Batman Day and Marbles Kids Museum in Raleigh is celebrating through Sunday with special activities, including costume creation and nonstop Batman movies on the IMAX giant screen all weekend. There are a couple of ticket options - a Family Bat Pass for $15 per person, which includes museum admission, unlimited access to Batman movies before 6 p.m. through Sunday and more. Or, there is a Bat Punch Pass, which gets you into any three Batman movies at Marbles through Sunday.

 Credits 

Copyright 2024 by Capitol Broadcasting Company. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.