Battle of the Bands to Determine Durham’s Tour de Fat Headliner

Local musicians will have a new opportunity to play a 50-minute set in front of more than 6,500 people. 

Durham's ReverbNation has partnered with New Belgium Brewing  to host a Battle of the Bands, inviting local N.C. artists to compete at the Motorco Music Hall for the chance to headline Durham’s Tour de Fat this June.

New Belgium has invited four local bands, Dark Water Rising, Falling Through April, Spaceship Days and Nick Driver, to compete in the first round on April 30. Two bands will move to the second round and play the Durham Tour de Fat Pre-Party on June 18. New Belgium will choose one of the two bands to move on, based on audience cheering and participation. Online fan votes at www.newbelgium.com/rdu will select the second band to move on; voting will begin after the April 30 event and last for two weeks.

The grand winner from the Tour de Fat Pre-Party, again chosen by audience participation, will then perform at Tour de Fat on June 20 at Diamond View Park.

Pompieri Pizza Giving Away Free Pizza for a Year in Pizza Box Contest

Durham is the kind of town that supports the arts, and artists...and sometimes there is free food involved. The question is, how creative can you be for free pizza for a year? 

Pompieri Pizza, located in the heart of Downtown Durham, is launching its second annual Pizza Box Contest to give away free pizza for a year. Up to 5 winners will produce an artistic pizza box and enjoy a year of eating traditional Neapolitan-style pizza.

The contest runs through April, and time is running short on submitting an entry. Visit Pompieri Pizza any time the restaurant is open for a free plain pizza box. They will give one box per person until all the entry boxes are gone. Pompieri asks for a name, birthdate and email address in exchange for a box. The contest closes April 30, 2015. A panel of judges will select one winner in the ten years of age and under category and four winners over ten years of age.

Artists must decorate the pizza box and must include a fire/flame, pizza or a fire station reference in some way. The box can be cut, glued, painted, glazed, etc. Winners will be announced on May 1.  No late entries will be allowed. See the website for full details. Boxes will be on display in the restaurant as one of the 2015-2016 winners along with your photos, and then it will become part of the permanent art collection at Pompieri Pizza.

Also in April, Pompieri has teamed up with Meals on Wheels of Durham, and $1 of each pizza sold during the month of April will be donated to serve Durham seniors a nutritious meal. The featured pizza (photo attached), features a garlic and oil base parmesan and ricotta cheeses, strawberries, a balsamic reduction and fresh mint. So far, 128 pizzas have been sold, which is enough to feed one senior for an entire month. More info here.

Durham Bulls Athletic Park Features new Food and Beverage Options for 2015 Season

At the seventh inning stretch, Durham Bulls baseball fans won't be singing about peanuts and crackerjacks. They'll be cheering for donuts and beer instead.

The Durham Bulls Athletic Park (DPAP) has welcomed several new food and beverage options to the ballpark through its newly formed hospitality company, Bull City Hospitality.  Additional food offerings will come from Durham Catering Co., Rise Biscuits & Donuts, and Bull Durham Beer Co.

The recently formed Bull City Hospitality has formed a partnership with Durham Catering Co., who will provide food and service in the PNC Triangle Club and suite level at Durham Bulls Athletic Park. Durham Catering Co. owner Tom Ferguson will also bring his popular Rise Biscuits & Donuts concept to the DBAP in the form of a donut kiosk on the main concourse.

DBAP will also add  Bull Durham Beer Co. an on-site brewery in the main concourse. The new craft brewery is the only beer company located at a Minor League Baseball stadium, and the DBAP will become one of just a few sports venues in the country to brew beer on-site. At its May opening, Bull Durham Beer Co. will feature Water Tower Wheat and Lollygagger, a Kolsch-style ale. Fans will have the ability to watch the initial creative process at games as the season starts, and then enjoy the fresh beers at the ballpark upon brewing completion. BDBC beers will also be made available to restaurants and events at the American Tobacco Campus all year long.

As the tastiest town in the South, it's no wonder that some of Durham's best food offerings will also be found at the ballpark. 

Carolina Theatre Launches Series ’26: A New Performing Arts Series

A new performing arts series from Durham's Carolina Theatre will continue to bring an influx of powerhouse performing arts to Downtown Durham.

The Carolina Theatre is launching an annual series named Series ’26. Referencing the year the theatre opened (1926), Series ’26 brings a parade of extraordinary artists to Durham for a host of shows during the 2015-16 season.

The programming chosen for Series ’26 features a wide-ranging mix of artistic disciplines: music, dance, opera, theatre and more. From recognizable stars like Stewart Copeland, Chick Corea and Béla Fleck to the exceptional, but yet unknown, artists in the touring companies of the Dance Theatre of Harlem and Metropolitan Opera Rising Stars, Series ’26 offers remarkable performances sure to be embraced by the arts-loving audiences of the Triangle Region.

Season tickets are currently on sale at the Theatre Box Office and at carolinatheatre.org. Tickets to individual Series ’26 shows go on sale on Friday, May 1. The series will debut with a performance from master musicians Corea and Fleck on October 4.

Discover more about Durham's thriving performing arts scene.

Durham Celebrates Duke

Duke fans have been celebrating since Tuesday's historic NCAA Championship Men's Basketball win and now the community is invited to Durham to celebrate.

The community will come together to show a little Durham love to the 2015 Duke University Men’s Basketball NCAA championship-winning team with an event on Tuesday, April 14 from 5-6 p.m. at the American Tobacco Campus lawn and amphitheater.

Music and pre-event festivities will start at 4:30 p.m. with the Duke pep band and Duke cheerleaders. At 5 p.m. the team will be welcomed by Durham Chamber President Casey Steinbacher and then recognized by Durham Mayor Bill Bell and Durham County Board of Commissioners Chairman Michael Page. The team will be presented and Head Coach Mike Krzyzewski will give remarks.

The celebration is presented by the Durham Convention & Visitors Bureau, Downtown Durham Inc., The Greater Durham Chamber of Commerce, The City of Durham, and Durham County to recognize and thank the team for bringing such tremendous honor to Durham through their excellence as a team.