Friday, 10/30
BLACK LODGE and BARDO
7 p.m. | UNC’s Memorial Hall, Chapel Hill
Enter if you dare: Memorial Hall transforms into a liminal otherworld for this immersive experience that culminates in a “dark Lynchian goth-rock opera.” Attendees are encouraged to dress up in costume, or whatever will get you into the spirit of the night’s theme of exploring “what it means to reckon with the worst thing you have ever done.” (Eesh!) Local performers are cast in this two-part performance, which begins with BLACK LODGE at 7 p.m. and is followed by BARDO at 9 p.m. Tickets start at $25, or $11 for students.
Friday, 10/30
Halloween concert
8 p.m. | Fuzzy Needle, Durham
The Fuzzy Needle, a small records/book shop and venue on Main Street, does have a lineup posted for this Halloween eve concert, though we have to believe there’s some dress-up involved (the “bands” are: The Replacements, Pixies, Lynyrd Skynyrd, and Silver Jews). Co-hosted by local musicians—the band Weirs and Evan Morgan of mystical old-time band Magic Tuber Stringband—there’s sure to be some spook and surprise involved.
Saturday, 10/31
Halloween at Hogwarts
11 a.m. & 2 p.m. | Martin Marietta Center for the Performing Arts, Raleigh
Earlier this summer, needing to kill twenty minutes during a visit from my Hogwarts-obsessed niece and nephews, I put on the Harry Potter soundtrack and drove through Duke University’s campus as we guessed which spots most looked like Hogsmeade or Diagon Alley. This NC Symphony concert would be a big step up, with two daytime performances of “magical music from Harry Potter’s world and more” that could surely enchant any child into loving classical music. Robes encouraged—in fact, there’s a costume contest with prizes.
Tuesday, 11/3
Max Brallier presents The Last Kids on Earth and the Zombie Parade
5 p.m. | Flyleaf Books, Chapel Hill
Halloween is spooky, sure, but so is waiting for results on Election Day. One option: After you vote—GO VOTE!—consider taking a child in your life to see bestselling children’s author Max Braillier present his new release. The Last Kids on Earth graphic novel series stars “normal human kid Jack Sullivan,” per event copy, as he and his three friends fend off brain-eating zombies. (Like, perhaps… some of our politicians?)
Thursday, 11/5
One Night on Sugar Hill
7 p.m. | The Carolina Theatre, Durham
Here’s a fun fact: Dolly Parton’s career, especially its later iterations, was closely tied to Sugar Hill, a Durham roots record label helmed by the late Barry Poss. The label closed in 2007, and Poss passed away in 2025, but this concert will bring a bevy of bluegrass and country musicians—including Ricky Skaggs, Jerry Douglas, Sarah Jarosz, and Jim Watson—to honor the label and its founder. Part of the proceeds will go to a fund designed to make this event recurring.
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