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Wide Open Bluegrass moves indoors thanks to rain-filled forecast

Ahead of what is expected to be a soaker of a weekend, officials with IBMA's World of Bluegrass announced Thursday that all events of the planned Wide Open Bluegrass festival will move indoors to the Raleigh Convention Center.

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RALEIGH, N.C. — Ahead of what is expected to be a soaker of a weekend, officials with IBMA's World of Bluegrass announced Thursday that all events of the planned Wide Open Bluegrass Street Festival will move indoors to the Raleigh Convention Center.

"This weekend, the Raleigh Convention Center will be the physical manifestation of the proverbial 'Big Tent,'" organizers said.

The convention center will be transformed with stages featuring 100 bands from around the world playing a variety of styles of bluegrass, and the vendors the Got to be NC, Arts Market and Shop Local Raleigh will set up shop indoors.

Ballroom B will house the NC Pork Council Barbecue Experience Dinners and serve as a food court. The pork council's Whole Hog Barbecue Championship has been postponed.

“The perfect storm of rain, cold and possible wind creates an unsafe and unviable situation for cooking pigs to perfection," said Ann Edmondson, director of communications and marketing, NCPC.

Dancers will perform in a tent on Salisbury Street in front of the convention center, shielded from wind and rain by a roof and walls.

On Wednesday, organizers announced the move of ticketed events, primarily those scheduled for the Red Hat Amphitheatre, into the convention center's exhibit halls A and B. All Red Hat Amphitheater tickets will be honored.

Friday's performances are sold out, but tickets are still available for Saturday.

"We are grateful for our strong partnership with the City of Raleigh. It allows us to move forward with the Wide Open Bluegrass main stage performances as planned," Paul Schiminger, Executive Director of the International Bluegrass Music Association said in a statement.

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