Artsplosure
The Raleigh Arts Festival
Festival Merch now available online!
Artsplosure - The Raleigh Arts Festival Will return to Downtown Raleigh 5/16 & 5/17, 2026!
Festival Hours:
Saturday, 5/16 11:00 - 7:00 PM
Sunday, 5/17 10:00 - 6:00 PM
Artsplosure's Raleigh Arts Festival is one of the most original and longest running arts festivals in North Carolina. Held annually on the third weekend of May in beautiful downtown Raleigh, the festival is a 2 day event and features an Art Market comprised of approximately 175 juried visual artists from across the United States showcasing works in ceramics, glass, fiber art, jewelry, metal, painting, photography, wood and more. The festival presents national and regional entertainment on two stages, provides arts-based activities for children, and presents large-scale temporary art installations each year. Annual festival attendance averages 85,000+.
Festival Map
Main Stage
Sponsored by WRAL, TowneBank & Morningstar Law Firm
12:00 - 12:40 PM Cuqui Gorman Dance
1:00 - 1:45 PM Club Cardio
2:15 - 3:00 PM T. Gold
3:40 - 4:30 PM Joseph Terrell
5:15 - 6:00 PM Sunny War
Saturday, May 16, 2026
10:00 - 11:00 AM Dari Satterwhite
11:05 - 11:45 AM Doug Watson
12:00 - 12:45 PM Luke & The Cool Hands
1:30 - 2:15 PM Dreamroot
2:45 - 3:15 PM Slow Funeral
3:45 - 4:30 PM Frail Talk
5:00 - 6:00 PM Tashi Dorji
Sunday, May 17, 2026
Emerging Artist STage
Sponsored by NC Arts Council, Tharrington Smith & Captive Aire
12:00 - 12:45 PM Cloverr
1:30 - 2:15 PM Clover-Lynn
3:00 - 3:45 PM Featherpocket
4:30 - 5:15 PM Housecat!
6:00 - 6:40 PM Lua Flora
Saturday, May 16, 2026
11:00 - 11:45 AM M. Roomie
12:30 - 1:15 PM Kenny Wavinson
2:00 - 2:45 PM Leon Rosewater
3:30 - 4:15 PM Pretty Crimes
5:00 - 5:40 PM Bedroom Division
Sunday, May 17, 2026
Art Market
Sponsored by the Carlyle Adams Foundation, Medlin-Davis Cleaners, RGA Investments, Stacy Morgan Designs, Pendergrass Law Firm, Air Makers and Drucker & Falk
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Daylight Designs
Kevin Duval
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Carol McCreary
Throw And Turn
Costello Sculpture
Janis Elmore
Living Art Ariums
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To Be Announced!
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Mountain Wood Design
Jeffrey Mead
Wildly Urban
Combs Art
SB Bowls
Steves Urban Lumber
Sara Segerlin, Director, Gregg Museum of Art and Design, NC State University
Arden Craft, Assistant Curator, Greenhill Center for North Carolina Art, Greensboro
Pete Sack, Co-Director, VAE Raleigh
Art Market Judges
Carolina Shakespeare Schedule
Sponsored by the Julia and Frank Daniels Jr. Endowment Fund Of The Triangle Community Foundation
12:45 - 1:30 PM 12th Night & As You Like It Monologue
12:15 - 2:45 PM Midsummer Night's Dream & Sonnets
3:15 - 3:45 PM Taming of the Shrew & Hamlet Monologue
4:30 - 5:00 PM Macbeth
Saturday, May 16, 2026
1:45 - 2:15 PM Midsummer Night’s Dream & As You Like It Monologue
3:00 - 3:40 PM Falstaff Monologue
4:30 - 5:15 PM Taming of the Shrew & Sonnets
6:00 - 6:45 PM Macbeth & Hamlet Monologue
Saturday, May 16, 2026
Kidsplosure
Theme: A Mid-Spring's Weekend: Elizabethan Art
Sponsored by: John William Pope Foundation, Duke Energy & Ricci Law Firm
Activities
Young artists can enjoy a variety of art based activities and crafts for all skill levels!
Cyanotype Prints
Peg Dolls
Metal Embossing
Glass Beaded Bracelets
Watercolor Castles
Portrait Buttons
Perfumery
Embroidery
Lace Flowers
Hobby Horse Tournament
Shakespearean Puzzles
Decorate 3D Castles
Performances
11:00 - 11:30 | Lincoln Heights Magnet Elementary School
11:30 - 12:00 | Lake Myra Elementary School
12:00 - 1:00 | DJ Rickey Smith
1:00 - 2:00 | East Milbrook Middle School
2:00 - 3:00 | Dawn Rushing
3:00 - 4:00 | Washington Magnet Elementary School
4:00 - 5:00 | DJ Rickey Smith
5:00 - 5:30 | Zebulon Elementary School
5:30 - 6:00 | DJ Rickey Smith
Saturday
11:00 - 11:30 | Broughton High School Drum Line
11:30 - 12:00 | DJ Rickey Smith
12:00 - 1:00 | Dari Satterwhite
1:00 - 2:00 | Rickey Smith
2:00 - 3:00 | Fox Road IB Elementary School
3:00 - 4:00 | Dari Satterwhite
4:00 - 4:30 | Underwood Elementary School
4:30 - 5:00 | Gracie Holliday
5:00 - 6:00 | DJ Rickey Smith
SUnday
MAY POLE INSTALLATION
Sponsored by First Citizens Bank
Enjoy the sweet sounds of springtime while taking a spin around a giant May Pole designed by Becky Joye! Music by Delver
Student Art Exhibition
Sponsored by Glenwood Agency
Enjoy original artwork by the best young talent across Wake County’s Middle and High schools. The exhibition ocated inside the PNC Lobby along Fayetteville Street and is accessible 11:00 - 7:00 Saturday May 16, 2026 and 10:00 - 6:00 Sunday May 17, 2026!
Guilds
Sponsored by York Properties & the Tugboat Foundation
Artsplosure is proud to welcome the Wood Turner’s Guild and the Triangle Potter’s Guild to our festival once again!
Volunteers
Interested in volunteering at Artsplosure - The Raleigh Arts Festival?
Volunteers must be in their second semester of high school, 14+ and able to work independenty unless accompanied at all times by an aide. You will need to sign a waiver on a Google form that releases Artsplosure. This event qualifies for student volunteer hours. Click the button below to register!
Artsplosure - The Raleigh Arts Festival In The News
Artsplosure on CBS17
Artsplosure fills Downtown Raleigh with Art & Music
Artsplosure - Raleigh Magazine
Thousands Attend Artsplosure - The Raleigh Arts Festival
Celebrating 45 Years Of Artsplosure In Raleigh, NC
Guide To Visiting Artsplosure: Raleigh’s #1 Arts Festival
2026 Sponsors
Artsplosure would like to thank the following sponsors and patrons for their support of Artsplosure - The Raleigh Arts Festival
MAJOR Sponsors
Feature Program Sponsors
Activity Sponsors
GENERAL SUPPORTERS
Beer Sponsor
MEDIA SPONSORS
Artsplosure is funded in part by the City of Raleigh based on the recommendations of the Raleigh Arts Commission and is supported by the United Arts Wake County and the N.C. Arts Council, a division of the Department of Natural and Cultural Resources.
Questions? Contact us.
Postal Mail:
Artsplosure – The Raleigh Arts Festival, Inc.
PO Box 391
Raleigh, NC 27602-0391
919.832.8699
artsplosure.org