Cary Night Market Friday, free CaryLIVE! with Harvey Street and the Light The Night Walk Saturday, and Trampled by Turtles at Koka Booth on Sunday.

Last checked Oct. 15, 2026. Listings come from each organizer’s own page, linked in every entry: Downtown Cary Park, Koka Booth Amphitheatre, The Cary Theater, the Fine Arts League of Cary, Fenton, Waverly Place and Phillips Farms of Cary. Check before you go; organizers set times and prices.

The Cary Night Market opens the weekend Friday, Saturday has a free CaryLIVE! concert downtown and the Light The Night Walk at Koka Booth Amphitheatre, and Trampled by Turtles plays Koka Booth on Sunday.

Friday, Oct. 16

  • Cary Night Market, 5 to 9 p.m., Downtown Cary Park, 327 S. Academy St. Triangle artisans sell locally made goods, with food, drinks and music; all ages. Run by The Night Market Co. (park event page).
  • Halloween Spooktacular Party, 5 to 8 p.m., Color Me Mine at Waverly Place, 302 Colonades Way. Halloween pottery painting, a costume contest and pizza (Waverly Place events).
  • Stand-up comedy: Ryan Erwin with Don Garrett, 8 p.m., The Cary Theater, 122 E. Chatham St. About 90 minutes; tickets through the theater, all sales final (event page).

Saturday, Oct. 17

  • Cary Downtown Farmers Market, 8 a.m. to noon, East Park Street beside Downtown Cary Park (market listing).
  • Triangle Pop Up Maker’s Market, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., Fenton Square by Paragon Theaters. Local makers, every third Saturday (Fenton events).
  • Art Swarm Sidewalk Art Sale, noon to 4 p.m., Vino & Tap, 307 S. Academy St. Work made during the Fine Arts League of Cary’s Art Swarm week, for sale on the sidewalk (event page).
  • Light The Night Walk, Koka Booth Amphitheatre, 8003 Regency Parkway. Gates and festival activities from 5:30 p.m., opening ceremony 7 p.m., the one-mile walk at 7:25 p.m. and a laser show at 8 p.m. A fundraiser for Blood Cancer United; rain or shine; register through the event page.
  • CaryLIVE! with Harvey Street, 7:30 to 9:30 p.m., Downtown Cary Park Great Lawn Pavilion, free. The Raleigh indie rock band closes the 2026 series. Chairs and blankets go down from 6 p.m., not before (event page).
  • “Evil Dead 2,” 8 p.m., The Cary Theater, with a pre-film introduction, part of the theater’s history of horror comedy series (event page).

Sunday, Oct. 18

  • National Theatre Live: “The Misanthrope,” noon, The Cary Theater. A filmed stage production of Molière’s comedy, shown on screen (event page).
  • Art Swarm Exhibition and Awards, 3 to 5 p.m., Fine Arts League of Cary Gallery, 110 E. Park St. The league shows and judges the week’s work (event page).
  • Jazz’d Up Sundays with Kobie Watkins, 6:30 to 8 p.m., Downtown Cary Park Great Lawn Pavilion, free. The drummer’s group plays the last date of the park’s jazz series (event page).
  • Trampled by Turtles with Futurebirds, Koka Booth Amphitheatre. Doors 5 p.m., show 6:30 p.m. Free parking is first come, first served at 11000 Regency Parkway; paid preferred and premiere parking is $25 to $35. Only some lawn chair styles are allowed (event page).

All weekend

  • N.C. State Fair, State Fairgrounds, 4285 Trinity Road, Raleigh, about 11 miles east. Gates 9 a.m. to 11:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday and 9 a.m. to 11 p.m. Sunday; you must be inside by 9:45 p.m. The fair runs through Oct. 25 (hours of operation).
  • Phillips Farms of Cary, 6800 Good Hope Church Road. The family fun park, with the corn maze and wagon ride, is open 3 to 6 p.m. Friday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday and 1 to 6 p.m. Sunday; $22 a person, ages 2 and up, tickets at the gate only (fun park page). Phillips Haunted Farm runs 8 to 11 p.m. Friday and Saturday, $35 at the gate, not recommended under 13 (haunted farm page).
  • Fine Arts League of Cary at The Mayton, 301 S. Academy St.: “Abstracts and Expressions” runs through Jan. 10 and “FALC Master Artists” through Nov. 15 (league events).

More October listings, including Halloween, are on our things to do this month page and our Halloween events page. Every Cary high school football team is on the road Friday; the schedule is on our Friday night football page.

Regular weekend fixtures

  • Cary Downtown Farmers Market: Saturdays, 8 a.m. to noon through October, on East Park Street downtown. Details on our farmers markets page.
  • Western Wake Farmers Market: Saturdays, 8 a.m. to noon, Indian Creek Trailhead Park, 101 Town Hall Drive, Morrisville (market site).
  • Food trucks at Downtown Cary Park: Saturdays from 4 to 9 p.m. at the Park Street Courts (park calendar).

Send us your event

Running something in Cary next weekend? 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 is there to do in Cary this weekend?

The Cary Night Market fills Downtown Cary Park 5 to 9 p.m. Friday, Oct. 16. Saturday brings the farmers market, Fenton’s Maker’s Market, the Art Swarm sidewalk sale, the Light The Night Walk at Koka Booth Amphitheatre and a free CaryLIVE! concert. Sunday has free jazz at Downtown Cary Park and Trampled by Turtles at Koka Booth.

What is free in Cary this weekend?

CaryLIVE! with Harvey Street, 7:30 p.m. Saturday, and Jazz’d Up Sundays with Kobie Watkins, 6:30 p.m. Sunday, are free at Downtown Cary Park, the park says. The Saturday farmers market and the Art Swarm sidewalk sale are free to browse.

When do chairs go down for CaryLIVE! at Downtown Cary Park?

Setup starts at 6 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 17, for the 7:30 p.m. show; chairs and blankets may not be placed earlier, and some lawn areas are blanket-only, according to the park’s event page.