The booming capital city of North Carolina, Raleigh, is revving full throttle into the future, with an exploding technology sector in and around Research Triangle Park and a downtown that seems made for citywide meetings with a DMO and city government always amenable to turning over the keys to the city if only for the better part of a week.
Relatively flat and compact, citywides pressing downtown Raleigh into service can take advantage of a compact core that features the Raleigh Convention Center with the Raleigh Marriott City Center, the Sheraton Raleigh Hotel and the Residence Inn by Raleigh Marriott fanning out from the city’s primary convention space. Also within walking distance are two world-class performing arts venues, Red Hat Amphitheater and Martin Marietta Center for the Performing Arts.
[Related: Raleigh Is Booming, and Its Event Venues Are Meeting the Challenge]
Bluegrass Citywide Spectacular
One group that has perennially used all of these venues and more for a rollicking citywide is the International Bluegrass Music Association (IBMA), a Nashville, Tennessee-based organization that moved its World of Bluegrass annual expo and concert series to Raleigh in 2013, with the primary reason being the city has all the top-shelf facilities it requires but in a much more manageable, walkable setting than in Nashville—a setting that rapidly becomes filled with mountain music spilling from every building and into the seemingly always-pristine streets.
In fact, when checking into the Marriott or Sheraton during the show, guests will be asked if they want a room on a “jamming” or “non-jamming” floor, as musicians are picking, singing and bowing anywhere and everywhere, into the night. As citywides go, this one takes the cake.
“The fact is Raleigh has been tremendously accommodating and essentially cordons off a great deal of downtown,” said Pat Morris, who just recently stepped down as executive director of the International Bluegrass Music Association (IBMA).
IBMA basically turns downtown Raleigh into Bluegrass Central for the better part of a fall week every year during its World of Bluegrass and IBMA Bluegrass Live! extravaganza.
“And it’s all within walking distance,” Morris offered. “Once you’re there you can just settle in and be washed in bluegrass for an entire week. There’s music everywhere, on every corner of every street where bluegrass players can get together and jam. There’s music everywhere every day and most of the night.”
Being able to accommodate all of the IBMA events within the same compact footprint is what spurred the association to move from its hometown of Nashville and it’s been in Raleigh ever since, aside from the canceled 2021 event due to Covid. The 2022 event had to be moved inside—with a big assist from the city, venues and Visit Raleigh—due to Hurricane Ian.
World of Bluegrass, held September 26-30 in 2023, features the following events, as well as a free street festival:
- IBMA Business Conference: Held at the Raleigh Convention Center, this is where the business of the association is conducted, featuring networking by bluegrass music industry leaders and attendees, professional development sessions, keynotes, showcases, an exhibit hall and special music events.
- IBMA Bluegrass Ramble: Featuring Official Showcases to introduce talent and new music to the bluegrass community, as well as staging established acts, each showcase act performs in a club setting at least twice during the week at venues throughout downtown.
- IBMA Bluegrass Music Awards: Billed as “the biggest night in bluegrass” and held at Martin Marietta Center for the Performing Arts, this awards show features the biggest names in the genre.
- IBMA Bluegrass Live! powered by PNC: Dubbed “the largest urban bluegrass festival,” this is a two-night weekend evening headliner celebration at Red Hat Amphitheater.
IBMA uses the Marriott, Sheraton and Residence Inn for World of Bluegrass.
“There’s tons of jamming in the lobby, inside the doors, outside the doors, in every nook and cranny,” Morris said. “We get a few thousand to the conference part and they’ll get close to 100,000 in the streets and participating per day and on the weekends.”
With a throng of attendees and onlookers like that, Morris gives a lot of credit to Visit Raleigh and city officials for providing such a welcoming environment for the multifaceted show.
“I can’t say enough about how gracious and accommodating and easy to work with the folks from Raleigh are,” Morris said. “They’ve really welcomed the World of Bluegrass and it’s grown exponentially since it moved to Raleigh. To Raleigh’s credit, they put a lot of effort into it, and it really has become the premier event in Raleigh.”
[Related: Raleigh’s Live Music Scene Is On Fire]
Citywides Outside of Downtown
While downtown Raleigh gets all the glory for compact citywides, many groups venture further out in order to utilize a broader range of facilities. One such was the 2023 Navy Federal Credit Union NHL Stadium Series, which was held February 15-22 in a variety of facilities in Raleigh and hosted by Raleigh’s NHL team, the Carolina Hurricanes.
The highlight of the event was a February 18 outdoor hockey game at North Carolina State University’s Carter-Finley Stadium against the Washington Capitals, with the hometown team netting four goals to win in front of their fans. The sold-out match entertained a crowd of nearly 57,000 for the Hurricane’s first-ever outdoor game.
Prior to the game, the Truly Hard Seltzer NHL PreGame official fan festival entertained with hockey attractions and live music performances at PNC Arena’s East 1000 Parking Lot.
The event, which pumped an estimated $20 million into the local economy during the weekend, also featured a Hootie & the Blowfish concert, a Hurricanes FanFest and even a college men’s basketball game pitting North Carolina and North Carolina State on the Sunday at PNC Arena.
“Raleigh was buzzing with activity throughout the entire weekend,” said Dennis Edwards, president and CEO of Visit Raleigh, during an interview with local station ABC11 following the event. “We are thrilled with the level of support from our local partners, residents and visitors for the game and all of the ancillary activations that made this a true citywide experience. Thanks to the NHL, the Carolina Hurricanes and NC State University for leading the way and making this unforgettable weekend a reality.”
Latest and Greatest Raleigh Hotel Happenings
AC Hotel Raleigh Downtown opened in September 2021. The 146-room property includes a seventh-floor rooftop bar/terrace, The Willard, serving specialty cocktails, local craft beer and elevated bites, and boasts a panoramic view of the Raleigh skyline. The hotel offers 2,258 square feet of meeting space and four event rooms, with the largest having a capacity for 126 guests.
The Heights House Hotel, a historic, pre-Civil War-era mansion in downtown Raleigh, was completely renovated and revitalized into a boutique hotel. The 10,000-square-foot, 1858 Italianate-style mansion features nine ensuite guest rooms with 15-foot ceilings. The hotel features 10 fireplaces and grand common spaces and is available for private events for up to 120. A National Historic Landmark and one of the few pre-Civil War-era houses in the city, it also features the Parlor at Heights House, a cozy Italian-designed bar that opened in spring 2022, and one 750-square-foot meeting room that can hold 50 classroom-style.
The Westin Raleigh-Durham Airport is scheduled to open in late spring 2023 approximately 10 minutes from Raleigh-Durham International Airport and Research Triangle Park. The pet-friendly property will feature 236 guest rooms and 7,826 square feet of meeting space, with the largest room having the capacity to hold 600 attendees. The hotel will offer seven meeting rooms and six breakout rooms. Guest rooms will feature Heavenly 2.0 Beds, a rain shower and tea-infused amenities. Other features include a fitness center, rooftop pool and Il Falò restaurant, which will serve wood-fired pizzas and other Italian favorites.
CN Hotels is building a dual-brand property in downtown Raleigh, the 127-room Tempo by Hilton Raleigh Downtown, the first in North Carolina and just the second in the U.S., and 134-suite Homewood Suites Raleigh Downtown. The 13-story, 261-room property has broken ground and will include a rooftop bar and restaurant. CN is hoping to have the property completed by the end of 2023. The 13-story building housing both hotels will offer a total of 4,000 square feet of meeting space, a fitness center and a rooftop bar and restaurant offering views of downtown Raleigh.
Connect
Visit Raleigh
(919) 834-5900
Related: How Visit Raleigh Stepped Up Its Services for Planners During COVID-19
