Coronavirus cancellations are piling up. Here’s the status of top Triangle events.
Concerns over the coronavirus spreading locally are affecting events planned for the Triangle.
North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper and the N.C. Department of Health and Human Services encourages organizers cancel or postpone gatherings that draw more than 100 people.
People who are sick or those who are at high-risk should stay at home to the extent possible, according to state recommendations.
Event organizers are encouraged to have “lenient” refund policies in place for high-risk people, to find ways to give people more physical space, to encourage attendees to wash their hands and to clean surfaces with cleaners, according to the state.
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On Wednesday, DPAC and PNC Arena, two of the Triangle’s largest and most popular venues, announced there were no plans to cancel specific events, but that it would increase cleanings and offer sanitation stations.
As organizers make the call to cancel, postpone or go on with their events, we’ll update our list here.
Town of Cary
As of March 13, the town of Cary is postponing or canceling all events expected to draw in more than 100 people. Some of those events include the Nazim Hikemt Poetry Festival (originally scheduled for March 29) and the Asian American Pacific Islander Celebration (originally scheduled for April 25) To check if an event is canceled, visit townofcary.org/closures.
Duke Energy Center for the Performing Arts and Raleigh Convention Center
All large events at city of Raleigh venues are being canceled through April 15. That includes large conventions at the Raleigh Convention Center and shows at the Duke Energy Center for the Performing Arts. The latter houses Memorial Auditorium, Fletcher Opera Theater and Meymandi Concert Hall.
The city of Raleigh has posted all of the events canceled at raleighnc.gov/news/covid-19-information
ACC Men’s Basketball Tournament
Date: March 10-14
Is it happening? No
After two days, the ACC Tournament has been called off. Games were played Tuesday and Wednesday, but the rest of the tournament was canceled Thursday afternoon as the quarterfinals were set to begin.
IEEE SoutheastCon
Date: March 12-15
Is it happening? No
The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers has canceled its third annual conference at the Raleigh Convention Center.
The Museum of Life and Science
Date: March 14 for a minimum of two weeks
Is it open? No
The museum will be closed starting March 14 for at least two weeks. All public and private events during this period are canceled.
“We don’t take this decision lightly. But as an organization dedicated to a fundamental belief in science and science education, we are following the recommendations of public health experts who advise that social distancing is critical to reducing the spread of the coronavirus.”
Chapel Hill Library
Date: March 13
Is it happening? No
After business hours Friday, March 13, the Chapel Hill Library will be closed indefinitely.
State Farmers Market Spring Craft Fair
Date: March 13-15
Is it happening? No
The annual Spring Craft Fair at the State Farmers Market has been called off. The farmers market itself will remain open as usual.
Raleigh Convention Center Boat Show
Date: March 13-15
Is it happening? No
The three-day boat show in downtown Raleigh has been called off.
Durham Arts Council
Date: March 13-28
Is it happening? No
The Durham Arts Council will be closed for two weeks, from March 13 to March 28.
Bull City Lip Sync Battle
Date: March 14
Is it happening? No
The second annual Bull City Lip Sync Battle has been postponed, organizers announced in an email. The event was to be held at Durham music venue Motorco Music Hall. A rescheduled date for the event has not yet been determined.
Reptile and Amphibian Day
Date: March 14
Is it happening? No
The Museum of Natural Sciences has postponed the day dedicated to reptiles and amphibians for the “health and safety” of the museum visitors, volunteers and staff. The museum will be open for regular hours of operation.
Lebanese Festival of Raleigh
Date: March 14-15
Is it happening? No
Organizers of the Lebanese Festival of Raleigh announced March 10 that the festival was canceled. The festival would have been held at the NC State Fairgrounds. This would have been the 22nd year for the event, organized by the Triangle Lebanese-American Center.
“This decision was not taken lightly but it is the right one for the sake and well being of our community and the responsible thing to do to help prevent the spread of the infection,” the center said in a tweet posted by the N.C. State Fair.
Organizers pointed to the increase in Wake County coronavirus cases — six as of March 10 — in its decision to cancel the festival. Plans to reschedule the event have not been announced.
Nuv Yug India Fest
Date: March 14-15
Is it happening? No
The 17th annual Nuv Yug India Fest has been postponed to June 6 and 7 in the Jim Graham Building at the N.C. State Fairgrounds. Vendor and attendee registrations will be honored on the new date and refunds are being offered.
Raleigh St. Patrick’s Day Parade
Date: March 14
Is it happening: No
Update: The city’s annual St. Patrick’s Day Parade and Festival has been canceled. Festival organizers made the decision to call off the event Wednesday afternoon.
“In the light of a global pandemic, we the organizers of the parade have made the heart wrenching decision to cancel this year,” festival organizers said in a statement posted to the event’s website. “We want to keep everyone as safe as possible, participants and spectators. We worked really hard but we feel it is the best decision to keep our community safe. We hope to see you in 2021!”
Vivian Howard’s ‘Somewhere South’ premiere
Date: March 15
Is it happening? No
The Carolina Theatre in Durham was set to screen the premiere episode of Vivian Howard’s Somewhere South show, but organizers have canceled the screening. The new six-part PBS series will debut on PBS March 27 at 9 p.m.
“The decision to cancel the screening party has been a hard one,” Howard said in a release. “But we trust that in this moment, our big, in-person event is not the right thing to do. My hope is that we continue to live our lives while we do our best to keep our loved ones who are at particular risk as safe as we can. I also hope we emerge from this experience more mindful of the privilege to engage with one another.”
Harlem Globetrotters
Date: March 15
Is it happening? No
The Harlem Globetrotters are suspending their tour, starting on March 13 and looking to resume March 19. This cancels their March 15 stop at Raleigh’s PNC Arena.
NCMA events
Date: March 15
Is it happening? No
The North Carolina Museum of Art has called off two events for Sunday, March 15. The Duke Energy Family Day has been postponed, but no makeup date has been announced. A screening of the Buster Keaton silent film “Steamboat Bill, Jr.” has been canceled. Ticket holders can call the museum ticket office at 919-715-5923 for a refund.
The museum is also suspending public tours for 30 days and canceling all Friday night exhibitions through April 12.
See below for Art in Bloom, which also is canceled.
Tobacco Road Marathon & Half Marathon
Date: March 15
Is it happening? No
Organizers of the Tobacco Road Marathon called off the race planned for this Sunday in Cary. Runners will be notified in the next 24 hours on the details moving forward, organizers said on social media.
“It seems by the minute this thing gets bigger and bigger and we just looked at ourselves,” race director Mark Dill told The News & Observer. “We just don’t want to take a risk with our runners’ health. The reality is runners are just so dedicated, a lot of them still want to do it and would do it if you had the trees on fire out there. We just thought this was the right thing to do.”
Nasher Museum of Art at Duke University
Date: March 13
Is it happening? No
The Nasher Museum of Art on the campus of Duke University is closed indefinitely.
‘Haunting of Night Vale’
Date: March 16
Is it on? No
The live version of the acclaimed podcast “Welcome to Night Vale,” scheduled for the Carolina Theatre, will be postponed.
NCMA Art in Bloom
Date: March 19-22
Is it happening: No
The North Carolina Museum of Art has postponed its annual Art in Bloom exhibition. The museum said rescheduled dates are being considered and will be announced later.
“While we will greatly miss seeing our incredible community come together to celebrate spring, marvel at the work of participating floral designers, and meditate on our Museum collection in new ways, the safety of our visitors, volunteers, and staff is a top priority,” said museum director Valerie Hillings.
The museum and its parks remain open, though patrons considered high risk are encouraged to postpone any visit to the NCMA. Officials said hand sanitizer will be readily available throughout the museum and that cleanings will be increased.
Michael Bublé
Date: March 20
Is it happening? No
Soulful crooner Michael Bublé has postponed his upcoming tour, which means calling off his March 20 stop in Raleigh’s PNC Arena. This is the first major cancellation for PNC Arena, arguably the Triangle’s concert stage. Tour organizers said tickets will be honored for resheduled dates, whenever those are announced.
The Jungle Book at Raleigh Little Theatre
Date: March 20-April 5
Is it happening? No
Raleigh Little Theatre is postponing its production of The Jungle Book. Theatre officials said they are currently working to find new dates for the show.
NC Toy Con
Date: March 21
Is it happening? No
The toy convention was scheduled for March 21 at Marbles Kids Museum. But organizers are postponing the event until Sept. 12, 2020. Refunds will be offered to vendors and attendees, but organizers shared on Facebook that most of the scheduled guests will be at the September show.
Playthrough Gaming Convention
Date: March 21-22
Is it happening? No
Playthrough Gaming Convention notified vendors Tuesday that it planned to postpone the video and board game convention until next year. Featuring dozens of tournaments, the convention is “one of the most interactive conventions out there, with people playing video games, board games, arcades and computers all weekend.” Tentative dates show the convention would be scheduled for three days in 2021.
Bentonville Battlefield Reenatment
Date: March 21-22
Is it happening? No
The reenactment commemorating 155 years after the Battle of Bentonville has been postponed to next year. Ticket holders can get a refund by mailing ticket back to 5466 Harper House Rd. Four Oaks, NC 27524, or their tickets can be honored next year, or considered donations to the Friends of the Bentonville Battlefield.
Winter Jam
Dates: March 22
Is it happening? No
The annual concert of Christian music acts at PNC Arena has been canceled. Info at pncarena.com.
Durham Central Park Food Truck Rodeo
Date: March 22
Is it happening? No
Durham Central Park’s first food truck rodeo of 2020 has been canceled. Future food truck rodeos are expected to be held June 21, Sept. 6 and Nov. 8.
The Great Human Race
Date: March 28
Is it happening: No
Organizers have called off charity run The Great Human Race, which would have been held March 28 at the Durham Bulls Athletic Park. This would have been the 25th year for the event, which raises money for multiple Triangle non-profits. Organizers hope to reschedule the race.
The Regulator book store
Date: March
Is it happening? No
The Durham bookstore at 720 Ninth St. has canceled all of its events for March.
Marbles Kids Museum
Date: March
Is it happening? No
“Marbles will temporarily close to visitors beginning Sunday, March 15 in response to Governor Cooper’s most recent executive order,” museum officials said in a press release. “Marbles will reopen under the guidance of public health officials. Please check back for updates and consider donating to support the museum during these challenging times. Generosity is also contagious.”
Do you have questions about the coronavirus? The News & Observer will get the answers for you. Go to bit.ly/virusnc and let us know what you need to know
Quail Ridge Books
Date: March and April
Is it happening: No
The Quail Ridge bookstore has postponed or canceled readings for March and April. Impacted events include postponing the March 17 James McBride reading to a new date, the March 19 Valeria Luiselli reading to Oct. 27 at 7 p.m., the March 28 Amy Roost event to Oct. 17 at 2 p.m., and the April 8 Samira Ahmed event. Canceled readings include March 20 Neil Shubin and April 2 Terry McMillan.
Full Frame Documentary Film Festival
Date: April 2-5
Is it happening? No
The downtown Durham film festival has been called off for 2020. Organizers said that when Duke University shut down all events until April 20, its sponsorship of Full Frame meant the film festival was also canceled for this year. The event is one of the nation’s top festivals for non-fiction filmmaking, with screening of award-winning films and premieres held at venues throughout the city. Full Frame said it will return next year, April 8-11, 2021.
Dreamville Festival
Date: April 4
Is it happening? No
Last year’s inaugural Dreamville Festival drew 40,000 people to Raleigh’s Dix Park and was considered an enormous success for the city. But amid coronavirus concerns, J. Cole’s music festival has been postponed until Aug. 29.
Fairgrounds Southern Ideal Home Show
Date: April 3-5
Is it happening? No
This popular home show at the NC State Fairgrounds will be postponed until Sept. 18-20. Tickets already purchased will be honored at that festival, or at the Raleigh Spring Show at the Raleigh Convention Center on Feb. 12-14, 2021.
Durham CROP Walk
Date: April 5
Is it happening? No
The annual CROP Walk in Durham will be “virtualized” for 2020. Teams will not gather at Duke’s campus for the event, but will instead choose other activities, such as hiking. Donations from the event benefit hunger issues.
Duke Performances
Date: Through April 20
Is it happening? No
Duke University announced that all events, on and off campus, of more than 50 people have been called off until April 20. That includes concerts and other cultural performances. Duke noted that the cancellations also impact its American Ballet Theatre performances March 26-29. Refunds will be offered to ticket holders until April 20.
Merlefest
Dates: April 23-26
Is it happening? No
North Carolina’s Merlefest, the long-running Americana festival in Wilkesboro, has been canceled. Ticket-holders have the option of refunds, rolling over their ticket purchase to 2021 or considering their purchase a donation to the WCC Foundation, which plans and manages the festival each year.
North Carolina Pickle Festival
Date: April 24-25
Is it happening? No
This year’s North Carolina Pickle Festival in Mt. Olive has been called off.
Previous events canceled or postponed:
▪ Raleigh International Festival, postponed to Feb. 26-28, 2021
This story was originally published March 11, 2020 at 11:47 AM.
