Raleigh Wide Open 5

If you’ve got plans taking you out of Raleigh on Sat. July 31, then you may want to rethink your agenda.  Of all the days on the summer calendar, the final day of July is certainly going to put an exclamation mark on summer FUN in Raleigh. From 11am-11pm, Raleigh Wide Open 5 is the name of the extravaganza, and extreme entertainment is the order of the 12-hour day into night.

It’s hard to believe it’s been half a decade since the city of Raleigh sponsored the first Raleigh Wide Open (RWO) in July 2006 -- a festival of art, food, and music heralding the conversion of downtown's Fayetteville Street from a pedestrian mall back into an operational thoroughfare.  Well, what a difference five years has made.  With each year, the event has grown in one way or another and shuffled its date on the calendar to center around monumental openings associated with the downtown landscape.  In September 2008, RWO was synched with the opening of the new Raleigh Convention Center, and last year’s RWO was celebrated in October, unveiling the construction-free zone of downtown’s City Plaza. 

Now, downtown Raleigh has yet another jewel to tout – the downtown Raleigh Amphitheater which will be hosting its own ticketed concert with the Barenaked Ladies that evening (tickets are available at www.livenation.com and the Raleigh Amphitheater).  But that’s not the only musical event taking place.  Not even close.  Try 4 stages of free live music dotted along Fayetteville St. and its surrounding thoroughfares sounding off ‘round the clock musical stylings ranging from reggae and soul to bluegrass, country and indie rock. 

And the extensive list of music is just the tip of the iceberg of this sensational summer fest.  RWO5 virtually takes over some of downtown’s busiest streets, commanding one huge rectangle of activity between Morgan St. to the North (at the State Capitol), South St. to the South (at the Progress Energy Center for the Performing Arts), and Wilmington St. to the East and McDowell St. to the West.  Fayetteville St. is of course the centerpiece cutting right down the middle between the Capitol and the Performing Arts Center.  Here, you’ll find loads of “street treats” including food, food and more food, and artsy items in all forms, as well as a Farmer’s Market to satisfy your desire for locally grown produce, a Kids Zone jam packed with inflatable fun for the little ones, and a rendition of “Hurricane Alley” where you can visit with Stormy from the Carolina Hurricanes and show off your sweet hockey skills.

Just wait.  There’s much more.  Now for the extreme entertainment.  Professional skateboarders, BMX stunt bikers, professional wrestlers, and motocross trickster/athlete and eight-time U.S. national champion Geoff Aaron are all scheduled for adrenaline pumped performances throughout the day.  And then there’s the Fire Circus.  Think flames coupled with tricks that are best seen when the sun goes down.  Show times on City Plaza for this side-show are 8pm and 10pm.

For one full day that starts with a parade at 11am and ends with a light-the-sky kind of fireworks display touted to rival that of July 4th at 10:45pm means you’ll need to save up your energy to take advantage of all the excitement.  Better start resting up now.

HelloRaleigh Tip:  There’s far more planned throughout the day such as the Flying Saucer Beer & Wine Festival on Hargett St. and the Krispy Kreme and Lumpy’s Ice Cream eating contests planned on City Plaza.  For a full list of activities, times, and an area map, go to www.raleighconvention.com/rwo5.    

- by Angela Risko, Raleigh Reporter for HelloMetro  (Click to leave a message)

Angela Risko

Angela Risko is a graduate of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill’s School of Journalism and Mass Communications. Formerly in Miami/Ft. Lauderdale and Manhattan specializing in the film industry, additionally, she has developed multimedia content for the retail sector. A media relations professional and freelance writer, she believes inside everyone is a story worth telling. Angela is based in Raleigh with a concentration on lifestyle, culture, and human interest profiles.