MARGARITA MARCH. Bartaco in North Hills kicked off Margarita March this week with some delicious new infusions. For the week of March 1–7, enjoy The Last Razz, and check out Violet Haze March 8–14. Try the Vanilla Smash March 15–21 and the Bartaco Green Margarita March 22–31. Add a baja fish taco, tuna tatako, street corn, spicy cucumber salad and kimchi to round out your meal! Check out the menu here.
FOODIE NEWS. Art in Bloom is offering a wine and food event at the North Carolina Museum of Art’s East Café on Friday, March 17, 6–9 p.m. and Saturday, March 18, 6–9 p.m. Executive chef Rich Carter will prepare six small-plate courses paired with boutique-style wines. Vegan, gluten-free and no-alcohol offerings are available on request. Tickets are $150 and available online. Speaking of the East Cafe, you can now enjoy brunch there. Make a reservation here.
BRUNCH CHAT. Join chef Ashley Christensen and author Dana Cowin for Speaking Broadly Brunch and a fireside chat about women at the intersection of food and creativity at Bridge Club (105 West Hargett Street, Raleigh) on Sunday, March 12, 11 a.m.–2 p.m. Christensen will prepare brunch alongside AC Restaurants pastry chef Britny Stephenson and Death & Taxes chef de cuisine Andrea Cardella. A copy of Cowin’s “Speaking Broadly” is included with the ticket.
FOR A GOOD CAUSE. Brookside Bodega will host an all-day fundraiser for Urban Ministries of Wake County in partnership with Brewery Bhavana on Thursday, March 9. Brookside will donate 20% of all Brewery Bhavana beers sold that day to Urban Ministries, which provides food, medicine and shelter to those in crisis. Later in the month, Brookside and The Optimist will host a Spring Block Party in the Brookside parking lot (1000 Brookside Drive, Raleigh) on March 25, 2–6 p.m. Saturday. The festivities include live music by bands Azul and String Break, food trucks, local vendors, kids games and more.
WEDDING SEASON. Marry Me NC will host a wedding-planning event at The Blue Heron Event Venue in High Point on Sunday, March 26 at 1 p.m. The cocktail-style event features the area’s top wedding professionals, and the first 200 ticket holders will receive a welcome bag. A complimentary cocktail and hors d’oeuvres will be served, followed by a cash bar.
PERFORMING ARTS. The Duke Energy Center for the Performing Arts officially became the Martin Marietta Center for the Performing Arts during a ceremony in the grand lobby on Thursday, March 2 at 4:30 p.m. In January, the City of Raleigh and Martin Marietta entered a 20-year naming-rights agreement. The center hosts more than 600 events annually, attracting close to 400,000 guests at Raleigh Memorial Auditorium, Meymandi Concert Hall, A.J. Fletcher Opera Theater and Kennedy Theatre.
LIVE MUSIC. Raleigh’s very own LesTheGenius is bringing the first Annual Raleighwoodfest to Transfer Co. Food Hall on Saturday, March 4. Featuring a lineup of some of North Carolina’s finest hip-hop and R&B talents, this one-day festival will feature Ace Henderson (Raleigh), Trent The Hooligan (Wilmington) and Flower in Bloom (Winston-Salem) with DJ Ricky Ricardo curating the musical vibes between sets. LesTheGenius will headline the event previewing his upcoming EP, “Chasing The Sun,” accompanied by longtime collaborators and friends Maasho, Jaheal, Lidia Solomon, and “Raleighwood Hills” co-stars Jaxson Free and Sonny Miles. Order tickets for $15–$20.
CONCERT ALERTS. Dreamville Festival returns to Dorothea Dix Park on Saturday, April 1 and Sunday, April 2. Saturday will be headlined by multi-platinum-selling R&B star Usher, along with performances from Lil Durk, Ari Lennox, City Girls, Sean Paul and others. Sunday features Drake, Burna Boy, Summer Walker, J.I.D, GloRilla, Bas. Tickets are available online.
Five For Fighting will join Barenaked Ladies on the Last Summer on Earth Tour for a concert at Red Hat Amphitheater on Tuesday, July 4 at 6:30 p.m. Five For Fighting has released six studio albums, including the hit song “100 Years.” Barenaked Ladies is known for hits such as “One Week,” “It’s All Been Done” and “If I had $1,000,000.” Purchase tickets here.
UP ON THE ROOF. The Willard Rooftop Lounge has several events on the schedule. The Raleigh bar hosts Cocktails & Cuisine Class: Shaken Not Stirred on Saturday March 11 and Saturday, March 25, 2-3:30 p.m. Then it’s Rooftop Yoga with Oak City Yoga on Sunday, March 19 and Sunday, April 30 from 10-11 a.m. Enjoy a wine tasting class with wines from Lebanon Thursday, March 23 at 6:30 p.m. Close out the month with the Raleigh Astronomy Club on March 29, 7-9 p.m.
DOCUMENTARY DEBUT. PBS North Carolina will debut “Journey to Salem,” a documentary, on Wednesday, March 15 at 8 p.m. The program chronicles more than 400 Salem Academy and College alumni, friends, relatives and students who replicated the historic journey that resulted in the institution’s founding. The original trip was made by 21 Moravians who traveled from Bethlehem, Pennsylvania to Bethabara, North Carolina in 1766.
SENSORY-FRIENDLY. Autism Family Movie Day features “Cars” at Bierman Autism Center (15501 Weston Parkway, Cary) on Saturday, March 4, 10 a.m.–noon. The free sensory-friendly event includes light refreshments. Decorate a box and transform it into a car for a drive-in experience before watching Lightning McQueen and his friends.
BEAUTIFUL BLOOMS. Juniper Level Botanic Garden in Raleigh will host an open garden weekend Friday, March 3–Sunday, March 5. The garden (9241 Sauls Road, Raleigh) offers self-guided tours, talks with experts, enjoyment of seasonal blooms and plant purchases.
CELEBRATE ENGINEERS. The Museum of Life and Science celebrates World Engineering Day on Saturday, March 4, 10 a.m.–4 p.m. The event includes activities and demonstrations from local robotics, makerspace and technology organizations, and promotes sustainable development.
MUSEUM FUN. The North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences hosts Reptile & Amphibian Day on Saturday, March 11, 10 a.m.–5 p.m. Guest exhibitors and presenters will feature reptiles, amphibians, frogs, snakes, turtles and more. Learn how to safely identify venomous and non-venomous species of snakes in North Carolina at the free event.
On Monday, March 6, at 1:11 p.m., Nothing Bundt Cakes will be giving away free OREO Cookies & Cream Bundlets in celebration of OREO’s 111th birthday to the first 111 guests that day. The limited time OREO Cookies & Cream Bundtlet features Nothing Bundt Cakes classic white cake baked with OREO Cookie pieces and crowned with Nothing Bundt Cakes signature cream cheese frosting. The bakery has multiple locations across the Triangle.
The Tourette Association of America has announced this year’s Youth Ambassador Program inductees, a group of teens who will participate in the association’s ambassador training program in Washington D.C. March 6–8. Chelsea Fiebich (16) of Morrisville is among the group consisting of teens with and without Tourette syndrome and related tic disorders. They will share their stories, and be coached on how to raise funds and advocate for public policies and services beneficial to those affected by the disorder.
