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A music festival is coming to Raleigh — and now we know who will hit the stage.
More than 40 bands are set to entertain concertgoers when Raleigh Wide Open returns in October. Those “acts represent a wide range of genres with deep roots in North Carolina, including bluegrass, folk, gospel, Latin and blues,” the music nonprofit PineCone said in a Tuesday, May 12 news release.
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Here’s what to know about who’s playing at the free music festival, where it will be held and when it will take place.
Raleigh Wide Open’s 2026 concert lineup is filled with dozens of artists, including a group from Iceland. Here’s who’s on it:
“It’s going to be so much fun to see this collection of performers come downtown,” David Brower, executive director of PineCone, said in the news release. “With bluegrass, old-time, gospel, blues and even a little norteño, this is a lineup that speaks to who we are as a community.”
Raleigh Wide Open is scheduled for Thursday, Oct. 1, to Saturday, Oct. 3. The music events will take place in locations across the city, with much of the festival taking place in downtown Raleigh over the weekend, The News & Observer previously reported.
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Here’s what fans can expect:
The festival is coming back to Raleigh for the second year in a row. It has helped fill the gap left behind after World of Bluegrass pulled out of the city in 2024, The N&O previously reported.
“The 2025 festival drew 155,000 people downtown and generated millions of dollars in economic impact for local businesses,” organizers wrote in a past news release. “The 2026 event is expected to continue putting Raleigh on the map as a cultural tourism destination, a town that welcomes music, art, and visitors.”
You can find more information about the festival at raleighwideopen.com.
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This story was originally published May 13, 2026 at 6:00 AM.