January Events 2024: 43+ Things to do in Raleigh this Month

By |

Hello 2024. It’s wonderful to see you! We really loved 2023, and we’re hopeful 2024 will be just as much fun.

We hope that everyone is ready for another fantastic year in the Raleigh area. Each year there are more and more fun things to do in Raleigh as this city continues its phenomenal growth.

Man standing under an arch of illumined lights.
Chinese Lantern Festival

Each month we curate a list of the top Raleigh events and happenings for you to consider. We also send out a weekly email, with top picks for the week, as well as other important updates and new blog posts. You can join our free email community by filling in the box below:

January and February are typically much quieter months in Raleigh so you can use these months to focus in on your goals and set good habits. You can also plan your year in advance, with these top festivals and events in Raleigh for 2024.

Use the table of contents below to help you navigate or just keep scrolling and read it all. 

Table Of Contents
  1. Ongoing Holiday Events in Jan
  2. Week 1: Jan 1- 7, 2024
  3. Week 2: Jan 8 – 14, 2024
  4. Week 3: Jan 15 – 22, 2024
  5. Week 4: Jan 22 – 31, 2024
  6. Hotels in Downtown Raleigh

Ongoing Holiday Events in Jan

Illuminated mermaid and mythical creature.
Chinese Lantern Festival

Just because Christmas is over, doesn’t mean we can’t enjoy a few holiday events. The below events are still continuing through the month of January, 2024.

  1. North Carolina Chinese Lantern Festival, Nov 17 -Jan 14. This is the year we finally get to see these magical light displays at Koka Booth Amphitheatre in Cary – one of the hottest events of the Holiday / winter season. The festival has hundreds of larger-than-life lanterns on display creating an incredible, colorful adventure for you to walk through.
  2. Ice Skating at the Rink in Red Hat starts on Nov 18 – Jan 15 It’s a lovely ambiance with the Christmas music and chill out areas surrounding the rink with comfy chairs, fire pits, games and beverages. There are themed nights, special events, and igloos for rent! $15 includes skate rental $6 for non-skaters. Get tickets here. Santa will also be there in his special igloo until Dec19.
  3. Enjoy Skate the Square in Fenton. We love it and feel it has a magical Christmas vibe, similar to how Christmas in New York feels. November 5, 2023 @ 8:00 am – February 5, 2024 @ 5:00 pm $17 includes rental.
  4. Illuminate Raleigh is on in Downtown Raleigh until Jan 5, 2024. The feature this year is the Talking Heads on Fayetteville St.

Week 1: Jan 1- 7, 2024

Art of the Brick: An Exhibition of LEGO® Art, Jan 1- 7, 2024

the scream in lego
Art of the Brick
  • Where: Pleasant Valley Promenade 6240 Glenwood Ave, Raleigh, 27612-2620
  • Time: Various
  • Cost: $14.90+
  • Tickets

Last chance to see the best-known LEGO® art exhibition in the world. Critically acclaimed, the collection features works by artist Nathan Sawaya, which include over 90+ sculptures made from millions of LEGO® bricks including an enormous T-Rex, human figures, reimagined versions of some of the world’s most famous art masterpieces (like Van Gogh’s Starry Night and Da Vinci’s Mona Lisa) and much more! In

Pope House Museum Free Tours & Story Time Jan 2- 5, 2024

Outside of an old house turned museum
Pope House

Celebrate Emancipation Day at the Pope House Museum with free weekday tours. No reservation needed, come on in!  Storytime with the Popes will be on January 4th at 10am. Join storyteller Patty Cake as she weaves imagery and songs to tell the story of black emancipation and determination.

Girl from the North Country, Jan 2 – 7, 2024

  • Where: DPAC
  • Time: Various
  • Cost: $24.50+
  • Tickets

GIRL FROM THE NORTH COUNTRY is the Tony Award-winning new musical which reimagines 20 legendary songs of Bob Dylan as they’ve never been heard before, including “Forever Young,” “All Along the Watchtower,” “Hurricane,” “Slow Train Coming,” and “Like a Rolling Stone.

Emancipation Day Trolley Tours, Jan 5 & 6, 2024

  • Where: City of Raleigh Museum and Pope House Museum
  • Time: 11am – 12pm
  • Cost: Adults $10, Children $4
  • Website

Author and local historian Carmen Wimberly Cauthen will be doing her trolley tour of Historic Black Neighborhoods for Emancipation Day. Starts from John P “Top” Greene Community Center.

35th US Colored Infantry Regiment Encampment, Jan 6, 2024

The mission of the 35th USCT reenactors based out of Tryon Palace in New Bern, NC, is to educate people on the larger role that African Americans played during the Civil War. Travel back in time to see the 35th USCT as they tell stories of real-life Black soldiers and their lives in the camp and the front lines.

Watch Night, January 6, 2024

  • Where: City of Raleigh Museum
  • Time: 6-8pm
  • Cost: $20
  • Website

Watch Night with Mary D. Williams. Williams a renowned singer, historian, and educator will educate, edify, and electrify listeners with music of the past. This music will include songs about hardship, self-determination, and emancipation. Along with Williams will be Martin Luther King Jr. All Children’s Choir. 

North Carolina Symphony – Family Concert: Mozart’s Magnificent Voyage, Jan 6, 2024

  • Where: Martin Marietta Center
  • Time: 1pm and 4pm
  • Cost: $32+
  • Tickets

Journey back in time to Mozart’s childhood and into the fantastic world of his most famous pieces, including The Magic Flute, Eine kleine Nachtmusik, and more.

Sporting Events & concerts this Week

Week 2: Jan 8 – 14, 2024

woman looking at statue of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. in the Memorial Gardens 
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Gardens 

Triangle Martin Luther King, Jr. Events. Jan 12 – 15, 2024

  • Holiday Kickoff Event, 44th Annual Wreath Laying Ceremony, Jan 12; 9:00 a.m. – 9:30 a.m. Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial Gardens
  • National Day of Racial Healing, Jan 13; 9:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. (First Baptist Church, located at 99 N Salisbury Street). The YMCA of the Triangle, Triangle Martin Luther King, Jr. Committee, and the Encouraging Place invite all leaders, churches, youth organizations, and families to join us for a community conversation on Racial Healing.
  • The 44th Annual Martin Luther King Memorial March, Jan 15; Departs at 11 am from State Capitol Building, Edenton Street Side, Downtown Raleigh

2024 MLK Dreamfest: It Takes a Village To Realize A Dream Jan 13, 2024

  • Where: Cary Arts Center
  • Time: 4:30pm – 8:30pm
  • Cost: Free
  • Website:

In celebration of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. holiday weekend, the Town of Cary puts on a series of events and programs to honor his legacy, focus on the issue of civil rights, and provide an opportunity for community service.

The main event is the Dreamfest with Rev. Paul Anderson, Sen. Pastor of the Fountain of Raleigh Fellowship as the featured speaker as well as dance and theater performances.

Read our guide to Downtown Cary for helpful planning while in town!

Candlelight: A Tribute to Taylor Swift, Jan 16, 2024

  • Where: Merrimon-Wynne House
  • Time: 9pm
  • Cost: $38
  • Tickets

Taylor Swift songs by candlelight at an historic mansion in Raleigh? I’m so enchanted to be there! I’ve got a blank space in my calendar to write this event!

Sporting Events & Concerts this Week

Week 3: Jan 15 – 22, 2024

marble statue of Dr Martin Luther King in WAshington DC
Dr Martin Luther King Memorial, Washington DC

MLK Day Concert: IMPACT Series II: Chamber Music Treasures- Music by Black Composers, Jan 15, 2024

  • Where: Church of the Nativity, Raleigh
  • Time: 7:30pm
  • Cost: Free – suggested donation of $15
  • Website:

Faculty and students from the North Carolina Chamber Music Institute will be celebrating the birthday of Martin Luther King by performing music of Black composers.

Jinteractive Raptor show, dinosaur rides, fossil digs and more.

The Magic of Rodgers and Hammerstein with the North Carolina Symphony, Jan 19-20, 2024

  • Where: Martin Marietta Center
  • Time: 8pm
  • Cost: $52+
  • Website:

Celebrate the golden age of musical theatre as your North Carolina Symphony revisits Broadway favorites from Oklahoma!, Carousel, South Pacific, The Sound of Music, and more.

Shen Yun Performing Arts, Jan 20 & 21, 2024

  • Where: Duke Energy Center for Performing Arts
  • Time: Sat., 2pm and 7:30pm; Sun., 2pm
  • Cost: $80+
  • Website:

Experience a lost culture through the incredible art of classical Chinese dance, and see legends come to life. Shen Yun makes this possible by pushing the boundaries of the performing arts, with a unique blend of stunning costuming, high-tech backdrops, and an orchestra like no other.

Tet Festival, Jan 21, 2024

  • Where: Dorton Arena, NC State Fairgrounds
  • Time: 10:00 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. – Daytime Spring Celebration; 6:00 p.m. to 11:30 p.m. – Tet Night Fair and Evening Music
  • Cost: $15+
  • Website:

Celebrating Spring and Giap Thin New Year Fair 2024 is an opportunity for Vietnamese people far from their homeland to remember the roots of the majestic Vietnamese Nation.

Celebrating the Spring of the Dragons 2024 with the theme “The Dragon of the Fairy” attendees will enjoy rich dishes Tet flavor and Evening Vu Festival program with music, lion dance, martial arts performances, games, lucky money for children, and more.

Sporting Events this Week

Thousands of fans at an indoor ice hockey game
PNC Arena – Go Canes!

Week 4: Jan 22 – 31, 2024

We’ll be in New York City this week for a travel industry event with our global travel website, ytravelblog.com. Follow Instagram @ytravelblog

Triangle Restaurant Week, Jan 22 – 28, 2024

Goat curry, steamed rice and naan bread from Saffron Indian Restaurant.
Saffron Cary

Looking for a great excuse to try a new restaurant (at a good price!)?

Triangle Restaurant Week provides a great opportunity to savor the culinary favors of our Triangle region. Participating restaurants who offer special 2-3 course menu options during this week in Raleigh.

So, grab your friends, your partner, or even your kids, and try something new. You can see participating restaurants here.

Last year, we discovered the fantastic Saffron Indian Cuisine in Cary, which we’ve now added to our top vegetarian restaurants in Raleigh and best gluten free restaurants in Raleigh.

Candlelight: A Tribute to Pink Floyd, Jan 23, 2024

  • Where: Merrimon-Wynne House
  • Time: 6:30pm; 9pm
  • Cost: $44+
  • Tickets

Pink Floyd bought to life in one of Raleigh’s most beautiful historic homes. You won’t be a lost soul swimming in a fishbowl here! You’ll be more than comfortably numb, shining on like a crazy diamond!

Free Friday at Mordecai Historic Park, Jan 26. 2024

People standing outside a yellow historic Southern home
Mordecai Historic House Tour
  • Where: Mordecai Historic Park
  • Time: 10am-4pm
  • Cost: Free
  • Website

The Mordecai House is the oldest house in Raleigh in its original location. Tours start every 30 minutes and include the Mordecai House, Andrew Johnson’s birthplace, St. Mark’s Chapel, and the Allen Kitchen.

We did this tour in the Fall Free Friday. We absolutely loved it. Click to read more about the Mordecai Historic Park tour.

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone™ in Concert, Jan 26 -27, 2023

  • Where: DPAC
  • Time: Fri: 7:30PM; Sat: 2PM & 7:30PM
  • Cost: $55+
  • Website

Watch the wand choose the wizard, a troll run amok, and magic mirrors in high-definition while a live orchestra performs John Williams’ iconic score. Don’t miss this once-in-a-lifetime event as Harry, Ron, Hermione, and all your favorite characters return to the screen and enchant the world all over again.

23rd Annual African American Cultural Celebration, Jan 27, 2024

  • Where: North Carolina Museum Of History
  • Time: 10:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
  • Cost: Free
  • Website

The annual African American Cultural Celebration serves as the statewide kickoff to Black History Month in North Carolina. The 2024 theme is “African Americans and the Arts” spanning the many impacts Black Americans have had on visual arts, music, cultural movements, and more. 

There’ll be a procession, performances dances, drama, cultural exhibitions, classes, hands-on activities and a lot more!

2024 Chinese New Year Festival, Jan 27, 2024

  • Where: NC State Fairgrounds’ Dorton Arena in Raleigh
  • Time: 10:00 am to 5:00 pm
  • Cost: $7 in advance (online or local asia market) and $10 at door. 
  • Website

Enjoy performances, authentic Chinese/ International food & drink for purchase and family-friendly activities.

Sporting Events this Week

Hotels in Downtown Raleigh

overview of a hotel building
Residence Inn

If you’re visiting Raleigh from out of town for any January events, here are our recommendations for accommodation in Downtown Raleigh.

If you are visiting from out of town and have a few extra days, here are some guides to help you plan out your days exploring Raleigh:

If you found this post on January events helpful, please consider sharing it with any family or friends, or anyone planning to visit Raleigh this month.

What do you have planned for January 2023 in Raleigh or beyond?

Share on Pinterest

Leave a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Scroll to Top