RALEIGH, N.C. (WPTF) — One of the city’s most anticipated cultural events is making a major return this fall. The 2025 Raleigh Wide Open Music Festival will take over downtown on October 3rd and 4th, bringing live music, food, art and community spirit to the streets.
David Brower, Executive Director of PineCone, the Piedmont Council of Traditional Music, says the event has built such momentum, there was no slowing it down.
“The streets of downtown Raleigh are filled with fiddles and banjos and families all coming together downtown to enjoy the sheer cultural experience,” said Brower. “It’s just such fun that everyone didn’t really want it to stop.”
Festival-goers can expect multiple outdoor stages offering free performances across genres like bluegrass, gospel, folk, Americana and more. Though there will be beer for sale on nearly every corner, organizers emphasize that the festival is more than just a craft beer event—it’s a full cultural celebration.
Alongside the music and beer gardens, there will be food trucks, art vendors and other festivities that span downtown Raleigh.
“I think the beer, the food [and] the art market that’s going to be out on the street is really just part of the day that really celebrates people coming together downtown,” said Brower.
Brower says one of the things he loves about Americana music is that it focuses on authenticity.
“Whether it’s an authentic voice or an authentic story that’s being told through song or a traditional playing style… it’s something that’s played from the heart,” said Brower. “It’s something that’s rooted in community and family.”
This year’s event will also highlight musicians and craftspeople from the 26 North Carolina counties most impacted by Hurricane Helene, offering them a platform and support as recovery continues.
“[It’s about] paying homage to our friends from the west. It’s also just a way of getting some work for the artists that we love that happen to live in Western North Carolina,” said Brower.
The full performer lineup will be released in the coming weeks on the festival’s official website.