The inaugural Biscuits & Banjos Festival takes place in Durham from April 25 to 27, 2025. This music festival, curated by Grammy and Pulitzer Prize winning artist Rhiannon Giddens, is dedicated to the reclamation and exploration of Black music, art and culture in North Carolina.
Tickets are sold out, but there is also free programming all weekend, including concerts, film, discussion, banjo lessons, a banjo parade, children’s activities and more.
Locations for Free Events
Blackbird Stage @ Lot 20
139 Corcoran Street, Durham, NC
PSI Theatre, inside Durham Arts Council
120 Morris Street, Durham, NC
The Pinhook
117 W Main Street, Durham, NC
Water Tower @ American Tobacco Campus
300 Blackwell Street, Durham, NC
DNCR Airstream @ Lot 20
139 Corcoran Street, Durham, NC
Music Village @ 21C Museum Hotel
111 Corcoran Street, Durham, NC
Schedule of Free Programming
Friday, April 25
Blackbird Stage @ Lot 20
- 5:15 to 6:15 p.m.: Demeanor
- 6:45 to 8 p.m.: Dom Flemons
- 8:45 to 10 p.m.: Charly Lowry
PSI Theatre
- 6 to 7 p.m.: German Soul: Film screening and talkback with Justin Robinson
- 7:30 to 8:30 p.m.: Boil That Cabbage Down: Film screening and talkback with director Candace Mae
The Pinhook
- 10 p.m. to 1 a.m.: Sweet Molasses: A Pop-Up Juke Joint (late night after party)
Saturday, April 26
Blackbird Stage @ Lot 20
- 11 a.m. to 12 p.m.: Pierce Freelon’s Black to the Future
- 12:30 to 1:30 p.m.: Hubby Jenkins
- 2 to 3 p.m.: Amythyst Kiah
- 3:30 to 4:30 p.m.: New Dangerfield
- 5 to 5:55 p.m.: Yasmin Williams
- 6 to 9 p.m.: Live telecast: Rhiannon Gidden’s Carolina Breakdown feat. The Carolina Chocolate Drops Reunion
- 9:30 to 10:30 p.m.: Shirlette Ammons
Water Tower @ ATC
- 10 to 11 a.m.: Reframing Cultural Legacy: A Song-Based Discussion on Black Banjo with Sule Greg Wilson & Hannah Mayree
- 12 to 1 p.m.: Black Voices in Country Music with Rhiannon Giddens, Rissi Palmer and Alice Randall
- 1:30 to 2:30 p.m.: Sounds, Soul & Supper with Ricky Moore, Michael Twitty, Leyla McCalla and Don Vappie
- 3 to 4 p.m.: Libraries as Sanctuaries for Black Stories, with Mychal Threets and Dr. Tressie McMillan Cottom
- 4:30 to 5:30 p.m.: Backbeat Blues Jam with Piedmont Blues Preservation Society
DNCR Airstream @ Lot 20
Open 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. A community art project, exhibits and more
- 10 to 10:30 a.m.: Children’s story time: S is for Songs
- 10:30 to 11 a.m.: Banjo Parade
- 1:30 to 2 p.m.: Student Planting for the Future
- 3 to 3:30 p.m.: Students Planting for the Future
Music Village @ 21C Museum Hotel
- Open 10 a.m. to 6 p .m., featuring banjo lessons with Deering Banjos, Elderly Instruments Shop and more
Sunday, April 27
Blackbird Stage @ Lot 20
- 11:15 a.m. to 12:45 p.m.: Bittersweet Brass Band
DNCR Airstream @ Lot 20
Open 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. A community art project, exhibits and more
Music Village @ 21C Museum Hotel
- Open 10 a.m. to 1 p .m., featuring banjo lessons with Deering Banjos, Elderly Instruments Shop and more
Double-Check Before You Head Out!
We make every effort to make sure that everything on Triangle on the Cheap is 100% accurate.
However, sometimes things change without notice, and it’s also possible that we can make a mistake.
Please verify all deals and events with the venue or organizer before you go.
More Events
Check out our list of free and cheap events in Raleigh and the rest of the Triangle this weekend, or our full event calendar in the Triangle, or just look at few upcoming events here:
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