What's on in Raleigh, United States through the year

Peak crowds — NC Chinese Lantern Festival, Christmas and New Year

• Hazard

  Ice storms

  1 Jan – 28 Feb · usuallyExtreme cold

  Snow is rare, but a few times most winters freezing rain glazes roads and trees. The Triangle has few ploughs and gritters, so schools close, traffic snarls and ice brings down power lines. Source ↗

Still on: NC Chinese Lantern Festival (21 Nov – 10 Jan), Christmas and New Year (24 Dec – 1 Jan)

Shoulder season — an ordinary month

Nothing new starts in February.

Still on: Ice storms (1 Jan – 28 Feb (usually))

Busy — Spring break in United States

• Season

  Pine pollen season

  15 Mar – 10 May · usuallyRisk

  Loblolly pine coats cars, porches and the surface of every pond in the city yellow for several weeks each spring. The grains are large enough that most people's noses ignore them; the oak and grass underneath is the problem.

• Nature

  Dogwood and azalea bloom

  20 Mar – 25 Apr · usuallyWildflowers & blooms

  The old neighbourhoods around Oakwood and Hayes Barton go white and pink for a few weeks, and the JC Raulston Arboretum times its open days to it. Colour arrives a week earlier here than in the mountains.

Busy — one of its best months for weather

Nothing new starts in April.

Still on: Pine pollen season (15 Mar – 10 May (usually)), Dogwood and azalea bloom (20 Mar – 25 Apr (usually))

Busy — one of its best months for weather

Nothing new starts in May.

Still on: Pine pollen season (15 Mar – 10 May (usually))

Busy — Summer break in United States, school holidays in 2 of the markets that fill it

• Hazard

  Heat and humidity

  15 Jun – 31 Aug · usuallyExtreme heat

  Midsummer brings muggy heat waves with heat advisories and late-day thunderstorms. Plan walks and greenway rides for the morning and the museums downtown for the afternoon. Source ↗

Peak crowds — Independence Day, Summer break in United States

• Holiday

  Independence Day

  3–5 JulNational holidayCrowdedClosures

  The Fourth of July is a federal holiday: banks and government offices close, fireworks draw large crowds to parks and waterfronts after dark, and roads and flights are busy over the long weekend. Claim a viewing spot early. Source ↗

Still on: Heat and humidity (15 Jun – 31 Aug (usually))

Busy — Summer break in United States, school holidays in 2 of the markets that fill it

• Hazard

  Tropical storm remnants

  15 Aug – 15 Oct · usuallyHurricane season

  Raleigh is far enough inland that Atlantic storms arrive as a day of wind and several inches of rain rather than a landfall, but that is enough to close Crabtree Creek and the greenway underpasses. Source ↗

Still on: Heat and humidity (15 Jun – 31 Aug (usually))

Busy — Summer break in United States

Nothing new starts in September.

Still on: Tropical storm remnants (15 Aug – 15 Oct (usually))

Busy — N.C. State Fair

• Festival

  N.C. State Fair

  12–26 Oct · usuallyMajor festivalCrowded

  Eleven days on the fairgrounds west of downtown, and close to a million people through the gates: livestock, deep-fried everything and a midway. Take the shuttle, because the parking is the worst part of it. Source ↗

Still on: Tropical storm remnants (15 Aug – 15 Oct (usually))

Peak crowds — Raleigh Christmas Parade, NC Chinese Lantern Festival

• Festival

  Raleigh Christmas Parade

  14–27 Nov · usuallyChristmas & New YearCrowdedClosures

  Held on the Saturday before Thanksgiving, the state's largest holiday parade takes floats and marching bands through downtown. Streets along the route close for the morning. Source ↗

• Festival

  NC Chinese Lantern Festival

  21 Nov – 10 JanLights & fireCrowded

  Giant illuminated lantern scenes fill Koka Booth Amphitheatre in neighbouring Cary each evening for about eight weeks, with nightly cultural performances. Weekends and the days around Christmas are the busiest. Source ↗

• Holiday

  Thanksgiving

  25–29 NovNational holidayCrowdedClosures

  Thanksgiving, the fourth Thursday of November, is the country's biggest travel holiday: airports and highways are at their busiest on the Wednesday before and the Sunday after, and on the day itself offices, banks and many shops close. Source ↗

Peak crowds — NC Chinese Lantern Festival, Christmas and New Year

• Holiday

  Christmas and New Year

  24 Dec – 1 JanChristmas & New YearClosuresCrowded

  Christmas Day and New Year's Day are federal holidays: on 25 December most shops, museums and many restaurants close, and airports stay busy through the week between as families travel. New Year's Eve fills bars and restaurants, many at set-menu prices. Source ↗

Still on: NC Chinese Lantern Festival (21 Nov – 10 Jan), Thanksgiving (25–29 Nov)