Here’s your guide to the things you can’t miss this November in Durham including Comicon, the Durham Art Walk, and the 2019 Shop Durham Launch.

museum of life and science zombie prom
Museum of Life and Science

Zombie Prom

November 1 |6:30-10pm | Museum of Life and Science

Check out the first Zombie Prom at the Museum of Life and Science. Get your zombie face on with the help of face painters, ride the train as darkness falls, and try some samples from local vendors. Grab a bite to eat from the food truck parked out front.


Oktoberfest at Motorco

November 2 |4-8pm | Motorco Music Hall

Come out to Oktoberfest at Motorco. There will be a german kitchen takeover with pretzels, schnitzels, and brats. Free live music from Little German Band and Oberkrainer Band. 


Food Truck Rodeo + Interactive Pixel Wall Mural Unveiling

November 4 | 12-4pm | Durham Central Park

It’s the last food truck rodeo of 2018 plus it’s the unveiling of the pixel wall mural. Stop by at 2pm to check out the mural and meet the artists behind it. 


A Festival of Fabulous Mums

November 4th, 5th, and 6th | Sarah P. Duke Gardens

Enjoy the explosion of color this fall during the third annual mum festival.  The three-day event will include cultural and historical information, arts and crafts, gardening tips, and tours of the Culberson Asiatic Arboretum, where you will find more mums on display in a beautiful garden setting.  

Festival dates & times: Sunday, Nov. 4, 12-5 p.m.; Monday and Tuesday, Nov. 5 & 6, 10 a.m.-5 p.m.


NC Comicon

November 9-11 | Durham Convention Center

Showcase your inner superhero at NC Comicon. It spans 3 days Durham Convention Center and features comic books, toys, and collectibles. You can also see a plethora of phenomenal comic book creators from the Triangle area and around the world.


Photo: Instagram @libertyarts

Liberty Arts 3rd Annual Iron Pour

November 17 | 3-10 pm | Durham Central Park

Come see the top metal artists in the Southeast create metal works of art. Watch as they meltdown thousands of pounds of metal and pour it into hundreds of molds. Come take part in the action! Workshops will be offered to create your own mold which be filled with molten iron at the event.


Durham Art Walk

November 17-18 | 10am-5pm | Downtown Durham

Kick off the holiday season at The Durham Art Walk Holiday Market. The two day event includes local artistic talent, live music, world-class restaurants, great shopping, new businesses and fascinating historic sites.


Pauli’s Durham: History of Racial Segregation in the West End Neighborhood

November 17 | 10-11:30 am | Pauli Murray Center for History and Social Justice

Pauli’s Durham Tour is a 75-min walk into Durham’s history of racial segregation in the West End Neighborhood. Aya Shabu and friends share stories about the significance of Black Civil War soldiers, the Freedman Schools movement, unsung hero Pauli Murray – her multi-racial ancestry and heritage, and Pauli’s long history of relentless activism.


Inaugural Black Farmers Market

November 18 | 12-5pm |411 W Chapel Hill St

On the afternoon of Sunday November 18th, before the Thanksgiving holiday, visit the Inaugural Black Farmers Market and a collection of local Black Farmers at the historic NC Mutual Building Plaza. Just in time to get vegetables for your holiday dinner! 


2019 Shop Durham Launch

November 23 | All Day 

The launch of our 2019 Shop Durham card is almost here! Over 160 locally owned Durham businesses are part of the program and we sold completely out of the cards.  This first year was amazing and there’s something seriously cool stuff in store for the 2019 card, including the chance to give back to local non-profits. If you want exclusive first access when the new cards come out, join our email list below. They’ll sell out quick and they’ll make the perfect holiday gift! Local businesses, the deadline for joining is coming up fast. Sign up for free while you can!

Smashfest

November 23 | 3-7pm | Scrap Exchange

Do you have some holiday angst you need to work out? Don’t feel like fighting throngs of rabid shoppers on Black Friday? Need to entertain visiting family and friends the day after Thanksgiving? Wanna hang out and throw some breakables for a great cause? WELL THEN SMASHFEST IS FOR YOU! There will be: music, fire pits, non-breakable activities for little ones but most of all……. SMASHING STUFF.


Durham Symphony Holiday Pops Concert

November 29 | 7-10pm | Durham Armory

The Durham Symphony Orchestra is celebrating with their Annual Holiday Pops Concert and Silent Auction Fundraiser at the Durham Armory. It will feature Hanukkah, Christmas, Kwanzaa, and New Year’s music. 

Proceeds from the event will help the DSO fund its 2018-19 performances and its educational and community outreach efforts during the year. 


american tobacco campus tower lighting
American Tobacco Campus

Tower Lighting at ATC

November 30 | 6pm | American Tobacco Campus

You know it’s officially the holiday season when the lucky strike tower is all lit up. It’s a fun celebration with choral groups, and yep, even Santa. Be one of the first 1,000 people on site and receive a Light Wand.

See the full event calendar here


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Katelyn Belch
Author: Katelyn Belch

Founder of Best of the Bull and Shop Durham. It’s my chief goal to keep you in the know about all things Durham.