Out and About at WRAL.com

By Kathy Hanrahan, WRAL lifestyle editor

Raleigh, N.C. — There are a lot of outdoor events coming up this weekend, including the return of some spring festivals.

Festivals and gardening

Spring Daze Arts and Crafts Festival (Bond Park, Buehler Shelter, Cary) – More than 170 North Carolina artists will be on hand at Saturday’s Spring Daze Arts and Crafts Festival at Cary’s Bond Park. From 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., there will be food, vendors, Earth Day celebrations and live music.

Raulston Blooms! Spring Garden Festival (JC Raulston Arboretum, 4415 Beryl Rd, Raleigh) – After a two year break, JC Raulston Arboretum at NC State University is bringing back its springtime garden festival and plant sale on Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. There will also be a birdhouse competition for four age groups (4 to 16 years old), hands on activities for children and adults and a family scavenger hunt. There will be food trucks and Howling Cow ice cream on site.

2022 NC Wine, Cheese & Chocolate Festival (Lafayette Village, 8450 Honeycutt Rd, Raleigh) – Enjoy live music and vendors in the courtyard at Lafayette Village on Saturday from 1 p.m. to 6 p.m. You can also enjoy samples of wine, cheese and chocolate. General admission tickets are $39.99 per person.

HerbFest Wake Forest (HerbFest Wake Forest, 525 S. White Street, Wake Forest) – The 23rd annual Wake Forest HerbFest will be held two consecutive weekends, April 29-May 1 and again May 6-8 in downtown Wake Forest. The annual event will feature a wide variety of vendors from gardening to home goods. There will also be food trucks and a large selection of organic herbs.

Spring Carnival at Asbury (Asbury Church, 6612 Creedmoor Road, Raleigh) – This family-friendly carnival is Saturday at Asbury Church in Raleigh from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Admission is free and there will b games, food, vendors and bounce houses.

Atlantic Beach International Food Festival (The Circle – 201 West Atlantic Boulevard Atlantic Beach, NC 28512, 201 West Atlantic Boulevard, Atlantic Beach) – If you are headed to the beach this weekend, check out this festival from noon to 8 p.m. at The Circle in Atlantic Beach.

Pop up markets

Flart Market (Artpost Supplies & Studios, 718 Iredell Street, Durham) – This market features live music and performances from local artists, food trucks and more than 60 local vendors. It is happening Saturday at Artpost Supplies in Durham.

Moore Square Market (Moore Square Park, 200 South Blount Street, Raleigh) – Pick up your local produce and treats, meet up with friends, and enjoy live music at Moore Square Market on Sunday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

The Kick Back Sneaker Expo (The Raleigh Convention Center, 500 S Salisbury St, Raleigh) – This buy, sell and trade sneaker expo will be held Sunday at the Raleigh Convention Center from noon to 5 p.m. There will be 100 plus vendors with more than 50,000 pairs of sneakers.

Liberty Antiques Festival (Pike Family Farm, 2855 Pike Farm Rd, Staley) – This antique festival will be held Friday and Saturday and will include 400 dealers from more than 25 states on a 100-acre farm near downtown Liberty. There will be everything from 18th to 20th-century furniture, accessories, pottery, glass, clocks, dolls, toys, military items, advertising memorabilia, decoys, jewelry, quilts, folk art and more. Admission is $10 and parking is free. Children under 12 years old are admitted free.

Movies, music and theatre

Museum Movie Night: The Matrix (N.C. Museum of Natural Sciences, 11 West Jones Street, Raleigh) – The North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences will host a movie night on Friday featuring a screening of “The Matrix.” Learn the facts behind this science fiction classic with hands-on activities and interactive carts, then stick around after the movie to see how deep the rabbit hole goes with trivia hosted by A/V Geeks and Q&A with a panel from NC State University Libraries.

Artist Celebration Event: Reckoning & Resilience (Duke University – Nasher Museum of Art, 2001 Campus Dr., Durham) – The Nasher Museum of Art at Duke University will host this “Mingle with the Artists” event from 1 to 4 p.m. on Sunday. This will be an outdoor party featuring Grammy Award-winning producer 9th Wonder and friends. Indoor art-making activities will relate to the exhibition Reckoning and Resilience: North Carolina Art Now. Assorted sandwiches and beverages from the Nasher Museum Cafe will be available for purchase. Cash bar. Free and open to all!

Jersey Boys (Durham Performing Arts Center, 123 Vivian St., Durham) – They were just four guys from Jersey, until they sang their very first note. Go behind the music and inside the story of Frankie Valli and The Four Seasons in the Tony and Grammy Award-winning true-life musical phenomenon, Jersey Boys. See it on stage at DPAC Friday through Sunday.

Ring of Fire (Duke Energy Center for the Performing Arts – A.J. Fletcher Opera Theater, 2 East South Street, Raleigh) – A foot-stompin’, crowd-pleasin’ salute to “The Man in Black!” Johnny Cash’s remarkable life story unfolds on stage through more than two dozen of the legend’s classic hits, including the title song during this show at Fletcher Opera Theater. The show runs through May 8.

Dan Cummins: Symphony of Insanity Tour (Goodnight’s Comedy Club/The Grille at Goodnight’s, 861 W. Morgan St., Raleigh) – Popular stand-up comic Dan Cummins will play Goodnights Comedy Club Thursday through Saturday. Dan is one of the most frequently played comics on Pandora with over 700,000 artist stations created and over 400 million plays.

Have fun and help others

Triangle Race for the Cure (Frontier RTP, 800 Park Offices Drive, Durham) – Join Susan G. Komen in Research Triangle Park on Saturday for this 26th annual race. In addition to the timed 5K, there will be untimed run/walks and a survivor and thrive celebration.

Racing for Rescues (Dorothea Dix Park, 2105 Umstead Drive, Raleigh) – Help raise money for stray and abandoned cats and dogs during this event on Sunday at Dix Park. There are 5K races for runners with and without dogs. There will also be adoptable dogs, raffle prizes and a vendor village. You can also participate virtually from April 29 to May 1.

Divas! (Raleigh Little Theater, 301 Pogue Street, Raleigh) – Divas! returns to Raleigh Little Theatre’s Sutton Theatre for its 16th anniversary on Saturday. This night will include glitz, glam and fundraising for Raleigh Little Theatre! The show stars at 7:30 p.m. and will include performances and a silent auction.

Angels Among Us 5K & Walk of Hope (Duke Medical Center Campus, Erwin Road & Flowers Drive, Durham) – This 29th annual event will held raise funds to support brain tumor research at Duke. The event will include a 5K, silent auction, Kids’ Zone and live entertainment on Saturday from 8 to noon at Duke Medical Center’s campus.

Family fun

Beyond The Book, A Children’s Book & Art Festival (Moore Square Park, 200 South Blount Street, Raleigh) – This free outdoor family festival will included author and illustrator workshops, interactive performances, collaborative art installations, creative crafts, talented vendors, artisan food and inspiring entertainment. The event is Saturday in Moore Square Park from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Durham Symphony Orchestra offers Free “Pops in the Park” Concert (Piney Wood Park, 400 E. Woodcroft Parkway, Durham) – On May 1, the Durham Symphony Orchestra, under the direction of Maestro William Henry Curry, will hold a free Pops in the Park concert featuring music by Tchaikovsky and Duke Ellington as well as selections from John Williams’ Star Wars and Leonard Bernstein’s West Side Story.The concert will be held at Piney Wood Park in Durham at 3 p.m. In addition to the concert, there will also be an Instrument Petting Zoo at 2 p.m. The zoo will allow budding musicians of all ages to try a variety of stringed instruments.

Kindergarten Celebration Presented by Y Guides (Camp Kanata YMCA, 13524 Camp Kanata Rd, Wake Forest) – Before your kindergartner turns the tassel, join us at the Kindergarten Celebration at YMCA Camp Kanata, hosted by Y Guides, on Sunday from 1 to 4 p.m. There will be an afternoon of arts & crafts, water activities on the lake, including canoes, and outdoor games, like gaga ball, tetherball and pick-up sports. This event is free and open to the public.

Party for the Planet (North Carolina Museum of Life and Science, 433 W. Murray Ave., Durham) – On Saturday, the Museum of Life and Science will hold an environmental education event encouraging the community to learn about the natural world. “Party for the Planet” will include workshops throughout the day on a variety of conservation topics from composting to species survival. The event is from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. and is included with museum admission.

Antonia y los Alebrijes (City of Raleigh Museum, 220 Fayetteville Street, Raleigh) – Día del niño, or Children’s Day, is an annual celebration held on April 30 throughout Mexico. It is a day when children are celebrated. The Friends of COR Museum has partnered with the Mexican Consulate to host the Mexican theater troupe of Osiris Cambrani on Saturday. Enjoy this glimpse into Mexican Children’s Day traditions on Saturday starting at 10 a.m.