Friday, April 26, to Sunday, April 28
Friday, April 26
6 p.m. to 9 p.m.
Downtown Hillsborough
The last Friday of every month, rain or shine, Downtown Hillsborough showcases its art scene with the Last Fridays Art Walk from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. Explore art galleries, artist studios, fine jewelers, boutique shops and award-winning restaurants. The activity takes place mostly on and around Churton Street, between West Margaret Lane and West Queen Street. You can find a map and information on each participating venue on Hillsborough Arts Council’s website. There will also be a free concert in downtown Hillsborough, by the Mighty Messengers of Soul
Friday, April 26
6 p.m. to 9 p.m.
Downtown Cary
Once a month on the last Friday, Cary showcases its artists and musicians at the Final Friday Cary Art Crawl. Art galleries stay open later, and there are live performances at the entertainment hubs. Visit the website for a map.
Saturday, April 27
10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Pullen Park, 408 Ashe Avenue, Raleigh
Families of small children love this event. Pullen Park will be transformed into Letterland for one day. Letterland brings letters to life by turning them into colorful characters, each with its own personality and stories that go along with their sounds.
All weekend
Durham
This celebration of the synthesis of art, music and technology features ticketed events but also a lot of free events, taking place at American Tobacco Campus and Quarter Horse Arcade in Durham. One big highlight is a free set by Questlove on Saturday at 4 p.m., at American Tobacco Campus Cage.
Many area bookstores
Saturday, April 27
Celebrate independent bookstores at a number of bookstores in the triangle. Each celebrates in its own way, but many will have free food or drink, special author visits, giveaways and more. Visit Triangle on the Cheap for a list of participating bookstores.