Raleigh, late October 2026: Halloween trunk-or-treats Oct. 29-31, the City of Oaks Marathon Nov. 1, the Christmas Parade Nov. 21 and Messiah Dec. 4-5.

Last checked Oct. 27, 2026. This page covers the next six weeks and is retitled each month; dates and times are as each organizer publishes them. For this weekend, see things to do this weekend; for galleries, theater and concerts, the arts and exhibitions page.

Halloween falls on a Saturday, the same day as NC State’s noon homecoming kickoff, and the city’s free park trunk-or-treats run Oct. 29-31. Clocks fall back the next morning, Sunday, Nov. 1, when the City of Oaks Marathon closes Glenwood Avenue and much of downtown. November brings the Raleigh Christmas Parade on Saturday, Nov. 21, and early December the NC Symphony’s Messiah. The N.C. State Fair closed Oct. 25; the 2027 fair is Oct. 14-24.

Before you go

This week

  • Monster Mash Dance and Craft Night, 5 to 7 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 27, Pullen Community Center. Ages 4 and up, $5 a person or $20 a family (city fall events).
  • Carolina Hurricanes, home at Lenovo Center against Boston at 8 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 27, and Columbus at 7 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 29 (Hurricanes schedule).
  • Art in the Park, 6 to 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 28, the Chapel at Dix Park. A free sketching, watercolor and fresco workshop; registration required (Dix Park).
  • Thursday, Oct. 29, trunk-or-treats, all free: Transportation and Treats, 4 to 7:30 p.m., Marsh Creek Community Center, 3050 N. New Hope Road; Lions Park, 4:30 to 7:30 p.m.; Lake Lynn Park, 6 to 7:30 p.m. (city fall events).
  • Craft Night at the Museum: Mask Making, 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 29, North Carolina Museum of Art. Listed as sold out (NCMA).
  • City of Oaks Marathon packet pickup, 3 to 6 p.m. Friday, Oct. 30, and 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 31, Coastal Credit Union Music Park at Walnut Creek. No race-day pickup (organizer).
  • Pumpkin Palooza, 10:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Oct. 30 to Nov. 1, Pullen Park, 520 Ashe Ave. $14 with a train ride and a small pumpkin; book a time slot (city page).
  • Carolina Ballet’s “Dracula,” last weekend, Oct. 30 to Nov. 1, Fletcher Opera Theater (show times).
  • “Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead,” Raleigh Little Theatre, 301 Pogue St., through Nov. 8. Adults $33 (show page).
  • Biltmore Hills Trunk-Or-Treat, 5 to 7 p.m. Friday, Oct. 30, Biltmore Hills Park. Ages 3 to 13, free (city page).
  • Skate Night, 5 to 10 p.m. Friday, Oct. 30, the Chapel at Dix Park (Dix Park).
  • The Haunted at the Pines, 8 to 10 p.m. Friday, Oct. 30, Carolina Pines Park, 2305 Lake Wheeler Road. Ages 10 and up, $5 (city page).
  • Halloween, Saturday, Oct. 31:
  • Boos & Brews at the Midtown Farmers’ Market, The Commons at North Hills (market).
  • Halloween at Hogwarts, NC Symphony family concert, 11 a.m. and 2 p.m., Meymandi Concert Hall (concert page).
  • NC State vs. California, homecoming, noon, Carter-Finley Stadium, on ACC Network (Wolfpack schedule).
  • Trunk-or-Treat and Pumpkin Parlor, 3 to 6 p.m., John P. “Top” Greene African American Cultural Center, 401 Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. Free (city page).
  • Fear Fest: Teens After Dark, 6 to 9 p.m., St. Monica Teen Center. Free, ages 12 to 18 (city fall events).
  • City of Oaks Marathon, half marathon, 10K and 5K, from 7 a.m. Sunday, Nov. 1, starting at 400 Glenwood Ave. Glenwood Avenue is closed from 3 a.m. to 1 p.m.; our City of Oaks Marathon page has every closure (organizer).
  • Hurricanes vs. Winnipeg, 1 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 1, Lenovo Center (Hurricanes schedule).

November

  • Acorn Affair, 3:30 to 5:30 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 5, Optimist Community Center. Ages 10 and under, $8 (city fall events).
  • NCMA After Hours, 5:30 to 9 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 5, North Carolina Museum of Art. Free, with Nancy Baker Cahill’s videos projected on the West Building (NCMA).
  • Indigo Girls, 7 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 5, Raleigh Memorial Auditorium (event page).
  • Tchaikovsky Symphony No. 5, NC Symphony, 8 p.m. Friday, Nov. 6, and Saturday, Nov. 7, Meymandi Concert Hall (concert page).
  • Fall Arts Fair, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 7, Fred Fletcher Park. Free (city fall events).
  • “Common Ground” opening, 3 to 5 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 7, North Carolina Museum of Art. Free (NCMA).
  • NC State vs. Duke, military appreciation game, 12:30 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 7, Carter-Finley Stadium, on The CW, according to NC State’s schedule; NC State vs. Syracuse, senior day, Saturday, Nov. 14, kickoff not yet set (Wolfpack schedule).
  • Hurricanes vs. Chicago, 8 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 7, Lenovo Center (Hurricanes schedule).
  • Carolina Youth Ballet’s “The Nutcracker,” 6 p.m. Friday, Nov. 13, and noon and 3:30 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 14, Fletcher Opera Theater. Carolina Ballet’s own run is Dec. 10-24; see our Nutcracker page (event page).
  • Fall Family Fun Day, 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 14, City of Raleigh Museum, 220 Fayetteville St. Free (city fall events).
  • “Knock Knock,” a show for the very young, Raleigh Little Theatre, Nov. 18 to Dec. 4 (show page).
  • Hurricanes vs. Montreal, 7 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 19, Lenovo Center (Hurricanes schedule).
  • Carolina Ballet’s “Jewels,” Raleigh Memorial Auditorium, Nov. 19-22 (show times).
  • Downtown tree lighting and holiday market, 5:30 to 8 p.m. Friday, Nov. 20, Moore Square, 201 S. Blount St., run by the Downtown Raleigh Alliance.
  • 82nd Raleigh Christmas Parade, 9:30 a.m. Saturday, Nov. 21. The route runs from Hillsborough Street at St. Mary’s Street to Fayetteville Street, ending at Davie Street. Our parade page has road closures and where to watch (parade route).
  • Also Saturday, Nov. 21: the Midtown Farmers’ Market’s holiday market at North Hills (hours not yet posted); Music at the Market, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. at Dix Park; the Hurricanes against Edmonton at 1 p.m. (schedule); and the North Hills Christmas tree lighting, 4 to 7 p.m., with Santa’s arrival (North Hills).
  • Cirque Holiday Pops, NC Symphony, Nov. 25-28, Meymandi Concert Hall (show times).
  • Trophy Trot 5K, Thanksgiving morning, Thursday, Nov. 26, Dix Park. Kids’ race 8:45 a.m., 5K at 9 a.m.; race road closures stay in place until 10:30 a.m. (Dix Park). Other turkey trots, meals and closings are on our Thanksgiving page.
  • Hurricanes vs. Ottawa, 7 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 28, Lenovo Center (Hurricanes schedule).

Early December

  • Holiday Express, Pullen Park, 5 to 9:30 p.m. nightly Dec. 1-17. Sold out; resale is at face value on Ticketmaster only. See our Holiday Express page (city page).
  • Hurricanes vs. Columbus, 7 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 3; vs. Toronto, 7 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 5; vs. the New York Rangers, 7 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 8, Lenovo Center (Hurricanes schedule).
  • “The Seafarer,” Burning Coal Theatre Company, Murphey School Auditorium, 224 Polk St., Dec. 3-20 (Burning Coal).
  • Handel’s Messiah, NC Symphony, 7:30 p.m. Friday, Dec. 4, and 3 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 5, Meymandi Concert Hall (concert page).
  • Jolly Raleigh Holiday Market, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 5, The Exchange Raleigh, 1000 Social St. (Shop Local Raleigh).

Fieldstream Farm’s drive-through light show opens Nov. 27, and Carolina Ballet’s Nutcracker runs Dec. 10-24; see our holiday lights page and Nutcracker page.

Regular events

  • Dix Park: Yoga in the Park, 5:30 p.m. Mondays on Harvey Hill; Pilates in the Park, 5:30 p.m. Tuesdays on Flowers Field. Full list on the Dix Park calendar.
  • Midtown Farmers’ Market: Saturdays at The Commons at North Hills; Oct. 31 is its Boos & Brews market and Nov. 21 its holiday market (market).
  • State Farmers Market: 1201 Agriculture St., open every day; see our farmers markets guide.
  • NCMA: 50-minute public tours, and Art on the Dot talks at 2:30 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays (NCMA events).

What this means for you

  • Halloween Saturday stacks a noon home football game, Pumpkin Palooza and trick-or-treating.
  • Sunday, Nov. 1, Glenwood Avenue is closed until 1 p.m. for the marathon.
  • The Christmas Parade fills Hillsborough, Salisbury, Morgan and Fayetteville streets on the morning of Nov. 21.

Send us your event

Running something in Raleigh before mid-December? Email hello@raleighnewsdaily.com with the date, time, venue, price and a photo. Listings are free, and they go on this page and in our diary.

Frequently asked questions

What roads close for the City of Oaks Marathon on Nov. 1?

Glenwood Avenue from Peace Street to Hillsborough Street closes from 3 a.m. to 1 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 1. Most other downtown and west Raleigh closures run between 7 and 9:45 a.m., according to the organizer.

Where are the free trunk-or-treats in Raleigh this year?

Raleigh Parks lists free trunk-or-treats at Marsh Creek Community Center, Lions Park and Lake Lynn Park on Oct. 29, at Biltmore Hills Park on Oct. 30 and at the Top Greene cultural center on Oct. 31.

When is the Raleigh Christmas Parade in 2026?

The 82nd Raleigh Christmas Parade starts at 9:30 a.m. Saturday, Nov. 21, on Hillsborough Street at St. Mary’s Street and ends at Fayetteville and Davie streets. Downtown’s tree lighting is 5:30 to 8 p.m. the night before at Moore Square.

When do the Carolina Hurricanes play at home in November?

At Lenovo Center against Winnipeg Nov. 1, Chicago Nov. 7, Montreal Nov. 19, Edmonton Nov. 21 and Ottawa Nov. 28, then Columbus Dec. 3, Toronto Dec. 5 and the Rangers Dec. 8, according to the NHL schedule.

What free things are there to do in Raleigh this fall?

The city’s trunk-or-treats, NCMA After Hours on Nov. 5, the Fall Arts Fair on Nov. 7, Fall Family Fun Day on Nov. 14 and the Christmas Parade on Nov. 21 are free.