Band Together Mighty Giveback: Raleigh’s biggest benefit concert

This will be our first Band Together Mighty Giveback, and we already know we’ll love it. Because we know the founder, Danny Rosin.

We’ve spent the past two years bumping into Danny around Raleigh’s live music scene. Hopscotch. The small venues. The late shows. He’s the one who hands us his tips on which bands to catch, always after hours of his own research. And he’s got this happy, infectious energy that tells you right away, here’s a guy who loves music and loves what it does when it pulls people together.

So when Danny’s behind an event, we pay attention. This one goes on the annual calendar. Ours included. Nothing better than live music. Except live music that gives something back.

That’s the Mighty Giveback. A full night of it where the ticket does double duty. You get a great show. The money goes to work across the Triangle. It’s been running for 25 years, and there’s a reason. Here’s what you need to know before you grab a seat, and where every dollar actually lands.

This year at a glance

• When: Saturday, October 10, 2026; 5pm to 11pm.
• Where: Lincoln Theatre, indoor and outdoor stages. 126 East Cabarrus Street, downtown Raleigh.
• Who’s playing: JJ Grey & Mofro headlining, with The 502s, and Boom Unit Brass Band on the pre-party.
• Tickets:
  • 4-Pack $40
  • Single tickets $52.75
  • VIP $200
• The vibe: Retro-style outdoor party in the heart of the city. Good for a friends’ night, a date, or anyone who likes their Saturday to mean something.
• Who it benefits: Three local nonprofits working on music education, homelessness, and hunger relief.

This year: the 2026 lineup

The 2026 headliner is JJ Grey & Mofro, and if you’ve seen them, you already know their groove. Southern soul, swamp funk, horns that hit you in the chest. They played at Red Hat last year during the first Raleigh Wide Open festival. JJ Grey writes like a man who grew up on a north Florida back road and never lost the sound of it. Live, the band is a force. This is a rare chance to catch that show on an outdoor stage in downtown Raleigh. We didn’t even know the Lincoln Theater had an outdoor stage!

Opening for the Mighty Giveback is The 502s, the Orlando indie folk band that turned a bedroom project into festival main stages. Big, bright, sing-along energy. The kind of set that gets a whole field bouncing before the sun’s even down. I saw ten seconds of a promo clip of their music and knew immediately that I’m going to like this band a lot!

And early on, Boom Unit Brass Band will run the pre-party. New Orleans style brass, right there on the street. Come early for it. That’s the warm-up that sets the tone for the night.

25 years on, and a way to say thank you

In the days after September 11, 2001, a handful of Raleigh community leaders had one idea. Use music to help people heal, and to support the families hit hardest. They started with almost nothing but a belief: a community that shows up for each other can make a real difference. The nonprofit, the staff, the roadmap all came later.

Twenty-five years on, that idea has raised more than $15.4 million for over 160 nonprofits across the Triangle. The organization is bigger now. The belief behind it hasn’t moved.

“Band Together exists because ordinary people choose to respond when their community needs them,” said Thorne Daubenspeck, Executive Director. “Our organization was born from the example set by first responders on September 11. As we celebrate this milestone anniversary, we have an opportunity to come full circle and thank the heroes who inspired our beginning.”

So this year, they’re doing exactly that. For the 25th anniversary, Band Together is asking the community to donate tickets so first responders and their guests can attend the Mighty Giveback. The aim is a crowd full of firefighters, police officers, EMTs, paramedics, and the people who show up on Raleigh’s hardest days.

If you want to send a first responder to the show, you can. Go to Band Together’s donate page and choose “First Responder Tickets” as the campaign.

“It’s about expressing gratitude to the people who run toward danger, who show up on our hardest days, and whose example taught us what it means to serve a community,” Daubenspeck said.

What your ticket actually does

Band Together has grown into the Southeast’s largest annual benefit concert. For over 25 years, it has raised more than $15.4 million for over 160 local nonprofits, produced 40-plus shows, and put more than 110 acts on Raleigh stages. In 2026 the goal is to reach more than 20,000 people across the community, part of a bigger push toward $1 million raised this year.

Each year, Band Together listens to the local community to identify a critical area of need across the Triangle. From that they We then select local nonprofit organizations for a deep, year-long collaboration designed to strengthen fundraising, build organizational capacity, and amplify awareness for their mission. By combining resources, expertise, and community support, we help our partners grow sustainably and extend their reach across the Triangle.

Last year’s Mighty Giveback pulled in $1,041,439. The money adds up fast. Your seat is one line in a much bigger total. The 2026 proceeds go to three impact partners.

The Raleigh Music Collective

The music partner. RMC gives kids across the Triangle mentorship and instruments and a place to belong through music. It started with 12 violin students in 2019. In 2025 it served 223 young players on violin, viola, cello, and bass, with programs placed in the neighborhoods that need them most. Every ticket helps put an instrument in a kid’s hands.

Oak City Cares

A community partner. Oak City Cares is a one-stop hub for people experiencing homelessness, connecting them to housing, healthcare, and mental health support. More than 30 partner providers work out of a single location, so someone can walk in and get several kinds of help in one trip instead of chasing them across the city.

PORCH Communities

The other community partner, and a beautifully simple idea. Volunteers collect food left on porches once a month and keep local pantry shelves stocked. PORCH now runs 75 chapters across 15 states, with more than 1,000 volunteers filling more than 200 pantries. Grassroots hunger relief, run by neighbors.

That’s how Band Together helps Raleigh. Instruments in the hands of kids who’d never otherwise hold one. A pantry that doesn’t run empty. And a place where someone with nowhere to go can walk in and get help.

$1 Million raised can impact 20,290 lives in Raleigh. Breaking it down it would be:

• 40 individuals stabilized into permanent housing
• 250 music students find a permanent home for learning and community
• 20,000 will gain access to food at their local pantry

Tickets and what you get

There are a few ways in.

1. 4-pack GA, $40 per ticket. The best value if you’re bringing people. Grab a group and split it.
2. Advance GA, around $52.75. Single general admission on the outdoor stage.
3. VIP, $200.

VIP tickets include the following:

• Food from over 14 of the Triangle’s most incredible food vendors, including oysters driven in fresh that day from 3 different NC oyster farms
• Unlimited drinks including beer, wine, and spirits from Social House Vodka, Cooks Mill Whiskey, and TK Mulligan, and more
• Experiences like Poetry Fox, the 25th anniversary Photo Booth, the “Block Party” experience
• Access to the Silent Auction and Art Out Loud experiences
• A private viewing area for VIPs with tables, chairs
• Private restrooms without having to head into the Lincoln Theatre to access them

For general admission, will be food and drink available for all ticket holders, for purchase.

• Vic’s Pizzeria, Glenwood
• Spud Kings
• 2 bars to our general admission ticketholders

Let us know if you need anything else. Tickets are on sale now through the venue’s ticketing page. Get tickets

Getting there and good to know

Lincoln Theatre is one of Raleigh’s best live music venues. It sits at 126 East Cabarrus Street, right in the middle of downtown Raleigh, a block off Fayetteville Street. If you know the downtown grid, you know exactly where this is – not too far from Moore Square. (Here is our guide to the Lincoln Theater in Raleigh)

It’s an outdoor stage, so dress for the weather that night and check the forecast. October in Raleigh can swing from warm afternoon to cool evening, so a layer is smart.

Downtown decks near Cabarrus and Wilmington are the usual play, and rideshare drop-off is easy on a Saturday night. Street parking is free on weekends but will be hard to find during this event.

For 25 years, Band Together has turned concerts into years of impact. You come for the bands, the friends and the experience, but what you’re really buying into is a stronger, more connected community. That’s not a donation. That’s an investment in the kind of place we all want to call home. Please join us on October 10!

Danny Rosin, Co-Founder Band Together

Frequently asked questions

Come out for it

The Mighty Giveback is one of those Raleigh nights that reminds you why you love this city. Good music, a crowd that showed up on purpose, and a night that leaves the place better than it found it.

We’ll be there. If a night of live music that feeds kids, houses neighbors, and stocks a pantry sounds like your kind of Saturday, grab your tickets and come find us.

For more of what’s on around town, October events in Raleigh, fall festivals in Raleigh, and things to do in Raleigh this weekend. And if you want the good stuff in your inbox before it sells out, join the This Is Raleigh newsletter.

Where to stay nearby

For those who are visiting Raleigh to attend the Mighty Giveback, here are some nearby hotels in downtown Raleigh? These are some hotels we’ve stayed.

• Residence inn Downtown Raleigh – fantastic location and big suites
• StateView Hotel – hidden away in a forest on NC State’s Campus
• Casso Hotel – for its uniquely Raleigh boutique feel and AMAZING restaurant (hidden gem!)
• You may like these upscale hotels near Raleigh including the 5-Star Umstead Hotel & Spa.
• Check out 10 of our Airbnb rental favorites and see more Raleigh Airbnb rentals here.