Look ahead with this monthly feature of Cary, Apex, Morrisville, and Western Wake County events. Events are selected for a mix of geography, price points, and interests with a focus on community.
Editor’s note: This post is occasionally updated with events and details, but organizer websites are linked for the most up-t0-date information.
🍲 Holly Springs International Food Festival (May 1): Sample flavors from all over the world with this Friday night food festival from 5 to 8 p.m. May 1. Bring your lawn chair or picnic blanket to Holly Springs Cultural Center, 300 West Ballentine Street. Free to attend, food for purchase.
🚣♀️ Bands Bites Boats (May 1): The monthly Friday night series at Cary’s Bond Park Boathouse continues in May with live music, after-hours boat rentals, and food trucks. Enjoy it from Bond Lake or bring your own lawn chair, 5:30-7:30 p.m. May 1. May’s band is Phil & Tim Duo, food trucks are Bare Baked Pizza and Virgil’s Jamaica, and the beer vendor is Bond Brothers Beer Company. Free to attend.
🎶 Morrisville Music in the Park (May 1): Enjoy live music from local artist Story Charlamagne at Morrisville’s Indian Creek Trailhead, 101 Town Hall Drive, on a Friday night. The event is 6-8:30 p.m. May 1, and Ty’s All Natural food truck will be on site with food for purchase.
⛰️ PeakFest (May 2): The Apex festival, pictured above, may have started as a pop-up in a church parking lot, but now it draws a reported 45,000 people to celebrate the “Peak of Good Living” with free entertainment, more than 90 artist booths, a kids zone, and nonprofit booths. While PeakFest is planned by the Apex Festival Commission, town staff and elected officials will be on hand to answer your questions. Note that this year it will be on the Apex Town Hall Campus, a change from prior years. The festival is 9 a.m.-4 p.m.May 2.
🛍️ Mother’s Day Market at The Mayton (May 3): Get your shopping done one week before Mother’s Day at The Mayton from 3 to 6 p.m. May 3. Vendors selling gifts will be throughout the Downtown Cary hotel, and beverages will be for sale at the Peck & Plume bar, and live music will be indoors and on the terrace.
✍️ Anime and Manga Drawing Workshop (May 4): Learn skills to create the “bold, expressive illustrations inspired by Japanese art” at Downtown Cary Park’s Academy Pavilion. Registration is required. 6:30-8:30 p.m. May 4.
🍣 Sushi and Sumo (May 7): A nonprofit, recreational sports club, Raijin Sumo, will perform live demonstrations of the art of Japanese Sumo Wrestling at Apex Community Park Volleyball Courts, 6-8 p.m. May 7. Tombachi, a hibachi and sushi food truck, will serve up the “sushi” portion of the night for interested eaters.
🧑🏽🍳 The Creative Kitchen Kids Food Fest (May 9-10): Cooking workshops, James Beard Foundation Future Foodies classes, and the “Balanced Plate Scavenger Hunt” will teach kids about balanced food choices while they have fun at Downtown Cary Park. 10 a.m.-4 p.m. both Saturday and Sunday (May 9-10). Free to attend. Future Foodies classes will have a fee.
🎉 Ritmo Latino Festival (May 9): The music, food, dance, and art festival celebrating Latino culture will be held 11 a.m.-6 p.m. May 9 on North Academy Street (near Cary Town Hall) with two stages of entertainment and a kids zone.
💐 Mother’s Day at Fenton (May 10): On Mother’s Day, take the mother figures in your life to Fenton for a fresh flower bar, sweet treats, Poetry Fox poems, and more in Cary. 11 a.m.-4 p.m. May 10 at Fenton Square.
🥂 Girls Night Out at Home For Entertaining (May 13): The Downtown Cary shop opens its back patio for a ladies’ night out, including free s’mores, wine for purchase, and pop-ups. From 6 to 8 p.m. May 13, Face Foundrie and IMX Pilates will also be on site. This month (if you register), you can play a game of mahjong with Cary Mahjong Club, too.
🐢 Wild About Nature (May 16): This family-focused event combines live animals, games and activities, and local nature and conservation organizations. Free to attend, 1-4 p.m. May 16 at Sugg Farm Park, 2401 Grigsby Avenue, Holly Springs.
🛍️ Painted Tree Relief Market and Block Party (May 17): Painted Tree Boutiques abruptly closed all their locations in mid-April, without advance notice to the small business owners in their storefront. Other local businesses are stepping up in support.
The Refreshery, a cold-pressed juice shop and market owned by Downtown Cary residents, and The Meridian East Chatham, a new apartment complex, both located at 201 East Chatham Street in Cary, will host the Painted Tree Relief Market and Block Party.
From 1-5 p.m. May 17, more than 20 local vendors affected by the Painted Tree closure will set up inside The Meridian East Chatham clubhouse and along adjacent Hunter Street.
Expect “handmade goods, boutique apparel, jewelry, candles, baked goods, artwork, stationery, vintage items, gifts, accessories, custom décor, and more,” according to a release. The family-friendly event will include music, food trucks, and activities.
📘 Adventures in Bloom Book Club (May 19): The Downtown Apex shop will host its monthly book club on “The Correspondent,” the best-selling book by North Carolina author Virginia Evans, 6:30-8 p.m. May 19. Registration is capped at 16 people, and the $5 may be credited toward a purchase at the shop the night of book club.
📽️ Downtown Cary Park: “Wicked: For Good” (May 22): A free showing of the second “Wicked” movie will be at the Great Lawn at the Downtown Cary Park. Lawn seating setup (BYO blankets and chairs) starts at 5:00 p.m. sharp.The movie will begin at sunset. Food trucks will be on site.
🍽️ Gather: A Seasonal Supper (May 24): The Gathering House at Downtown Cary Park will be the setting for a dinner showcasing regional food and drink purveyors. Three courses will use “fresh, seasonal ingredients from local vendors.” The night will start with hors d’oeuvres and cocktails from Flour & Barrel and Side Door Cocktail Bar, followed by a main course from Jake Wood of Lawrence Barbecue, and ending with breads and desserts by Christopher McLaurin of Lutra Bakery. Registration is required in advance for the 6-9 p.m. May 24 event, and it could sell out quickly. Make a note that registration opens at 10 a.m., two weeks in advance (that’s May 10 by my math).
🇺🇸 Memorial Day (May 25): Towns including Apex and Cary will host events to remember and honor members of the military who died in service. Details will be updated as the date gets closer.
⚽ TST: The Soccer Tournament (May 27-June 1): This multi-day festival at Cary‘s WakeMed Stadium includes youth soccer clinics, fast-paced 7v7 matches, and non-traditional play, including a Home Run Derby, a collaboration with USA Baseball that promises to “blends the iconic format of baseball’s Home Run Derby with the creativity and skill of world-class soccer players.”
The competition includes a men’s division, a women’s division, and a new mixed division. Notable clubs participating include EFL Championship’s Wrexham AFC, LaLiga’s Villarreal CF, Serie A’s Cagliari Calcio, LigaMX’s Club America, South African Premiership’s Orlando Pirates, and Cary-based North Carolina Courage. Celebrity-led teams include Dreamville FC, organized by rapper J.Cole’s Dreamville Records.
💃🏾 Discover Dance: Bharatanatyam Session (May 29): Ramya S. Kapadia, an award-winning artist and educator specializing in Bharatanatyam dance and Carnatic music, will guide participants through movement and rhythm in a free and interactive event at Downtown Cary Park on the Great Lawn, 7:30-9:30 p.m. May 29.
🎶 CaryLive with Fancy Gap (May 30): Singer/songwriter Stuart McLamb, formerly of The Love Language, and songwriter/producer Charles Crossingham will perform at Downtown Cary Park’s free concert series, 7:30-9:30 p.m. May 30 at the Great Lawn.
What types of events do you want to see? Email line@theassemblync.com to share your thoughts.
