Arts in Cary, October 2026: Legacy of Jazz Oct. 24-25, the Art Loop and a free Cary Town Band show Oct. 30, and the Old North State Storytelling Festival.

Last checked Oct. 14, 2026. This page covers the next six weeks and is retitled each month. Every listing links to the organizer or venue, who set the times and any prices; check before you go.

Cary’s arts calendar runs through four places: The Cary Theater at 122 E. Chatham St., the Cary Arts Center at 101 Dry Ave., the Fine Arts League of Cary’s gallery and shows downtown, and the free stage at Downtown Cary Park, 327 S. Academy St. The Cary Art Loop ties the galleries together on the last Friday of each month.

Who to call

  • The Cary Theater box office: open noon to 6 p.m. Wednesday to Saturday and 1 to 5 p.m. Sunday, thecarytheater.com
  • Fine Arts League of Cary: fineartsleagueofcary.org
  • Town arts programs: Cary 311, or 919-469-4000 from outside town limits

Exhibitions now showing

  • “Abstracts and Expressions,” Fine Arts League of Cary, at The Mayton, 301 S. Academy St., through Jan. 10 (league events).
  • “FALC Master Artists at the Mayton,” same building, through Sunday, Nov. 15 (event page).
  • Art Swarm Exhibition and Awards, 3 to 5 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 18, Fine Arts League of Cary Gallery, 110 E. Park St. The league shows and judges work made during its Art Swarm week, Oct. 14-18; pieces are on sale on the sidewalk outside Vino & Tap, 307 S. Academy St., noon to 4 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 17 (awards, sale).
  • Sarah Gatilogo, listed by the Cary Art Loop through Dec. 6, with a meet-the-artist evening at the Cary Arts Center display cases, 6 to 8 p.m. Friday, Oct. 30 (Final Friday listings).
  • “Celebrating 100 Miles of Cary Greenways,” meet the artists 6 to 8 p.m. Friday, Oct. 30, at Bond Park Community Center, 150 Metro Park Drive (Final Friday listings).
  • The Art Loop also lists Sydney Lee: “Familiar Feeling” through Nov. 7 and Angelo Arnold: “Shelter in Place” through Dec. 6 (current exhibitions).

Theater and dance

  • Downtown Cary Park Diwali Celebration, 6:30 to 8 p.m. Monday, Oct. 26, Great Lawn Pavilion, free. Performances by Ishana Dance Co, Dhol Tasha and Leela Dance Co, with DJ Rang before and after; bring chairs or blankets (event page).
  • Old North State Storytelling Festival, The Cary Theater. Showcase 1 at 7:30 p.m. Friday, Nov. 6, with tellers Mo Reynolds, the Rev. Robert B. Jones Sr., Charlotte Blake-Alston and Andy Russell; a sensory-friendly showcase at 10 a.m., Showcase 2 at 1:30 p.m. and Showcase 3 at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 7. Festival packages are offered (Showcase 1).
  • Stand-up comedy at The Cary Theater: Ryan Erwin with Don Garrett, 8 p.m. Friday, Oct. 16 (event page), and Lace Larrabee and Jason Allen King, 8 p.m. Friday, Nov. 20 (event page).
  • National Theatre Live: “The Misanthrope,” a filmed stage production of Molière’s comedy, noon Sunday, Oct. 18, The Cary Theater (event page).

Concerts and classical

  • CaryLIVE! with Harvey Street, 7:30 to 9:30 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 17, Downtown Cary Park, free (event page).
  • Jazz’d Up Sundays with Kobie Watkins, 6:30 to 8 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 18, Downtown Cary Park, free (event page).
  • Legacy of Jazz: “Divine and Dexterous,” The Cary Theater, 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 24, and 3:30 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 25. Saxophonist and singer Camille Thurman and the Christian Tamburr Trio celebrate Sarah Vaughan and Dexter Gordon; 90 minutes, no intermission (event page).
  • Cary Town Band: “Frightful Friday,” 7:30 p.m. Friday, Oct. 30, Cary Arts Center. The band says all its concerts are free; its next is Winterfest ‘26 on Dec. 11 (upcoming concerts).
  • Concert Singers of Cary: “To Be Sung on the Water,” 7:30 p.m. Friday, Nov. 6, Cary Arts Center. Tickets through the choir’s page; Holiday Pops follows Dec. 8 (concert page).
  • Live and Local!: Triangle Youth Jazz Orchestra and Triangle Youth Jazz Ensemble, 3 to 4:45 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 21, Downtown Cary Park Great Lawn Pavilion, free. Big band classics and modern jazz standards (event page).

Film

  • “Basquiat,” Fine Arts League of Cary’s art movie night, 7 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 15, The Cary Theater (league event).
  • Zombiepalooza, The Cary Theater’s zombie short film competition, 6 to 10 p.m. Friday, Oct. 23, Downtown Cary Park, free (event page).
  • “The Rocky Horror Picture Show,” 8 p.m. Friday, Oct. 30, and Saturday, Oct. 31, The Cary Theater (Oct. 30, Oct. 31).
  • The theater’s full film schedule, including its horror comedy and “Fractured Minds & Fake Realities” series, is on its events list.

Classes and workshops

  • “Indie Film Producing: Understanding Film Logistics,” 10 a.m. Saturday, Nov. 14, The Cary Theater (event page).
  • “Expressive Landscapes and Boats” with Lyudmila Tomova Clark, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 17, Fine Arts League of Cary, 110 E. Park St.; registration on the workshop page.
  • Teen Art Cart: Zines and Collage, 6 to 8 p.m. Friday, Nov. 20, Downtown Cary Park Gathering House. Free and drop-in, for teens only; materials provided (event page).

Regular events

  • Cary Art Loop, Final Friday: the last Friday of each month, generally 6 to 9 p.m. On Oct. 30 the Fine Arts League of Cary Gallery, the Cary Gallery of Artists, Art by Shalimar, Ikigai Studios and Scripted Walls Gallery open for receptions and studio visits (Final Friday listings).
  • One Tribe Drum Circle and Fire Show: 7 to 8:30 p.m. on Final Fridays, March to October, at the Old Library Site beside the Ivey-Ellington House; Oct. 30 is the season’s last. Free; bring an instrument or borrow one (event page).
  • Art Cart at Downtown Cary Park: free drop-in crafts for children, several days a week at the Nest Pavilion and later the Academy Pavilion; dates are on the park calendar.

More events, from Halloween to the Chinese Lantern Festival, are on our things to do this month page; this weekend’s list is on our things to do this weekend page.

Send us your event

Running a show, exhibition or class in Cary? Email hello@carydaily.com with the date, time, venue, price and a photo. Listings are free, and they go on this page and in the site’s diary.

Frequently asked questions

What arts events are on in Cary in October 2026?

Legacy of Jazz celebrates Sarah Vaughan and Dexter Gordon at The Cary Theater Oct. 24 and 25, the Cary Art Loop’s Final Friday galleries open 6 to 9 p.m. Oct. 30, and the Cary Town Band plays a free Frightful Friday concert at the Cary Arts Center at 7:30 p.m. Oct. 30.

When is the Cary Art Loop?

Final Friday, the last Friday of each month, generally 6 to 9 p.m., the Cary Art Loop says. On Oct. 30 galleries, studios, the Cary Arts Center display cases and Bond Park Community Center hold artist receptions, and One Tribe’s drum circle and fire show runs 7 to 8:30 p.m. at the Old Library Site downtown.

What art exhibitions are showing in Cary now?

The Fine Arts League of Cary has two shows at The Mayton, 301 S. Academy St.: Abstracts and Expressions through Jan. 10 and FALC Master Artists through Nov. 15. The Cary Art Loop lists Sarah Gatilogo’s work through Dec. 6, with a meet-the-artist evening at the Cary Arts Center display cases Oct. 30.

When is the Old North State Storytelling Festival?

Nov. 6 and 7, 2026, at The Cary Theater, 122 E. Chatham St.: Showcase 1 at 7:30 p.m. Friday, then a sensory-friendly showcase at 10 a.m., Showcase 2 at 1:30 p.m. and Showcase 3 at 7:30 p.m. Saturday.