Bugs, art and video games highlight weekend best bets

This weekend features several festivals and huge events in the Triangle that showcase everything from fashion to bugs, art to video games.

Raleigh's celebration of all things creative and cultural comes to downtown this Thursday for a four-day exhibition. More than 15 venues near Fayetteville Street will be hosting events throughout the weekend, including fashion shows, art galleries, dance performances, poetry readings and many other exhibitions. The different "sparks" of SPARKcon indicate which cultural or artistic element is featured: artSPARK, bazaarSPARK, circusSPARK, designSPARK, geekSPARK, ideaSPARK and poetrySPARK, just to name a few.

BugFest is the NC Museum of Natural Science's biggest one-day event of the year as well as the only event of its kind in the nation. The "bug du jour" is the praying mantis, although all bugs are welcomed and celebrated. Over 100 educational stations, booths and exhibits will be spread throughout the museum and the Nature Research Center. BugFest starts at 9 a.m. Saturday and lasts all day.

The Escapist magazine is hosting the very first Escapist Expo video game conference from Friday to Sunday at the Durham Convention Center. There will be events, booths, panel discussions, contests, moving screenings and more for gaming enthusiasts. One-day and weekend passes are available, and students receive a 20 percent discount. Video games may be the highlight, but the convention will also feature activities such as board games, laser tag, cornhole and ping pong.

This art festival will be downtown Durham's biggest event ever. CenterFest showcases the work of over 130 artists from 18 states, as well as 40 performances on five stages. There will be plenty of food from both local and international vendors and a new "Creative Community" art showcase. The fun starts at 10 a.m. Saturday and continues until 5 p.m. Sunday.