Durham Festivals - Fun for the whole family

Durham has always been a mulit-cultural town. What most residents don't realize is that Durham is full of things to do with art and culture It's time to get the word out about all of the neat things to do in Durham. I thought I'd write today about some of the cool things to do annually in Durham. We've missed most of these events this year but you can mark your calender for next year!

1. Duke Children's Classic - This is an annual celebrity golf tournament held at the end of May. 2009 will be the 36th Anniversary. The festival is renowned and attracts some top celebrities including Gerald Ford, Arnold Palmer, Bob Hope, Frank Sinatra, Jay Leno, Michael Jordan, Dinah Shore, and Jeff Foxwothy.

2. Bimbé Festival - In West Africa, Bimbe is a harvest festival, during which villagers gather to give thanks and praise. In Durham, Bimbe is a celebration of the diaspora and its cultural underpinnings from the Mother Continent. The two day event May 17th and 18th will feature gospel, reggae and rap music, storytelling, dance performances, arts and crafts, and street-side fun.

3. American Dance Festival presents the most cutting-edge modern dance companies in the nation, and the world, in concert, as well as a full palette of special events and classes for dance students, dance educators, dance historians, and just plain fans. The festival lasts for 6 weeks from early June to mid-July. The 2008 season will run for six weeks from June 5, 2009 - July 19, 2009 .

4. Festival for the Eno - Largest fourth of July get together in the State. This event features over one hundred performers on five stages, Tours, Demonstrations, Storytelling, Workshops, Exhibits, and Readings on the banks of the Eno River.

5. Bull Durham Blues Festival - Largest blues gathering in the state for over a decade. This one takes place September Sept. 18-20th (you haven't missed it yet) at the Durham Athletic Park. The festival features some of the best and most well-known contemporary blues artists today.

6. Centerfest - Hosted by the Durham Arts Council is one of North Carolina's largest street festivals with two-days of visual and performing arts on the streets of historic downtown Durham. This year's festival takes place Septemer 20-21, 2009.

7. World Beer Festival features more than 300 Beers and 130 World-Class Breweries in one place at one time! It is held at the Historic Durham Athletic Park in early October. This year's festival will take place October 4, 2009 . There will be local restaurants on hand and different bands playing throughout the day.

8. Taste of Durham Food Festival will be held at the Imperial Center on May 23, 2009 11am-7pm in downtown Durham. The annual food festival features samples from the best restaurants in Durham and great live music. Here is a link to the map of the venue.

9. Full Frame Documentary Film Festival is one of the United States' premier documentary film festivals. The event takes place over the course of four days each spring at the Carolina Theatre. It opened in 1998 and has grown tremendously since then. The festival is renowned for its presentation new documentaries as well as panel discussions, seminars, question and answer sessions and the overwhelming support it has garnered from movie makers as well as the general public. Next years event will take place April 2-9, 2009.