Between Halloween and the Christmas Parade, Fuquay-Varina's calendar doesn't stay in one place. BBQ, Blues & Brews is in Downtown Varina on Durham Street. The Tree Lighting and the parade are in Downtown Fuquay around Main and Vance. In between, new restaurants have opened in both districts, and the Town scheduled the public opening of a new greenway extension at Alston Ridge for late October. Treat the two downtowns as one route from November into December and you get more out of the season.
The town has used two downtowns for a while now. The Fuquay-Varina Downtown Association describes merchants in "both downtown districts." The Town's October newsletter lists events by district: Downtown Fuquay for some, Downtown Varina for others. Here's how this season splits.
The Calendar, Sorted by Which Downtown It Lands In
| Date | Event | Where |
|---|---|---|
| Sat., Oct. 31 | Fire Department Open House, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. | Fire Station 1, 301 S. Fuquay Ave. |
| Fri., Nov. 6 | First Friday, 5 to 9 p.m. | Downtown Fuquay-Varina |
| Sat., Nov. 7 | BBQ, Blues & Brews, noon to 4 p.m. | Downtown Varina, 801 Durham St. |
| Sat., Nov. 28 | Small Business Saturday | Downtown merchants |
| Thu., Dec. 3 | Town Tree Lighting, 6 to 8 p.m. | Downtown Fuquay, Vance Street lot, 205 S. Main St. |
| Sun., Dec. 6 | Christmas Parade, 4 p.m. | Downtown Fuquay District |
After the Halloween open house, the downtown events start in Varina and finish in Fuquay. November 7 belongs to Varina. Early December belongs to Fuquay. First Friday and Small Business Saturday cover the whole downtown, so those are the two dates that send you to both.
The Fire Department Open House on October 31 is the easy one to miss because it lands on Halloween. The Town's newsletter lists station tours, a look at the firefighting equipment, face painting, inflatables and fire safety tips, all at Station 1 on South Fuquay Avenue. It runs 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., so it's over before trick-or-treating starts.
Varina Gets November 7, and Now It Has Somewhere to Eat Before and After
BBQ, Blues & Brews returns for its 11th year on Saturday, November 7. The Fuquay-Varina Downtown Association has it at the Varina Parking Lot, 801 Durham Street, from noon to 4 p.m. The festival includes regional BBQ judging, live blues, locally brewed beer, vendors and community groups. The Town's newsletter places it in "Downtown Varina" and mentions a maker's market too.
What's new this year is the food around the festival. Suburban Living Fuquay-Varina reported in its September 4 roundup that two new restaurants had opened on East Broad Street.
- TrY Seafood Grill, 525 E. Broad St., took over the former Aviation Smokehouse space "right in downtown Varina." It's family-owned and serves grilled, steamed and fried coastal and Southern-inspired dishes, with patio seating, takeout, delivery and catering.
- Momo Station, 405 E. Broad St., Suite 249, inside Quaint Plaza, serves Nepalese momos five ways: steamed, pan-fried kothey, fried, tossed in spicy chili sauce, and in a warm tomato-sesame jhol broth. Fillings are chicken, vegetable or paneer, and the menu also has Himalayan street snacks and chowmein.
The festival ends at 4 p.m., and that same night the Fuquay-Varina Arts Center has Noche Flamenca at 7:30. Put together, that Saturday looks like this:
- Noon to 4 p.m.: BBQ, Blues & Brews at 801 Durham St.
- Late afternoon: a seafood dinner on the TrY Seafood Grill patio, or momos at Quaint Plaza if the barbecue was lunch.
- 7:30 p.m.: Noche Flamenca at the Fuquay-Varina Arts Center.
The night before, Friday, November 6, has a similar mix. First Friday runs downtown from 5 to 9 p.m. with late shopping, dining and entertainment, and the Arts Center hosts Icons of Jazz: The Sister Moon Project featuring Grace Kelly and Chrissi Poland at 7:30. When we checked, FVDA's November First Friday listing still said the details were coming soon.
The Middle of November Belongs to the Arts Center
After that first weekend, the main events move indoors. The Town calendar lists the Fuquay Film Festival at the Fuquay-Varina Arts Center on Friday, November 13, from 6 to 9 p.m., and Saturday, November 14, from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. The night before Thanksgiving, Wednesday, November 25, the Arts Center has The Embers Christmas at 7:30 p.m.
That leaves a few slow weeks before the Tree Lighting. Small Business Saturday on November 28 is on FVDA's 2026 event list. It's also a good day for the Fuquay side of the route, where the third new restaurant opened.
Sully's Misfits Kitchen is at 213 Fayetteville St., Suite 1B, inside The Brick in downtown Fuquay. Suburban Living describes it as Massachusetts "dive bar" comfort food: Boston-style roast beef sandwiches, personal-size tavern pies, smash burgers, skewers, and New England-Portuguese favorites like grilled linguica, pulled pork and loaded fries. Another restaurant is coming to the same district. Suburban Living reports that The Rican Lab, a Puerto Rican food truck, is opening a brick-and-mortar location at 330 S. Main St., in the former Fainting Goat space. No opening date has been announced.
Early December Shifts the Whole Season to Fuquay
The Town calls the Tree Lighting "the official start to the holiday season in Fuquay-Varina," and it fills most of Thursday evening, December 3. Here's the Town calendar lineup:
- 4 to 8 p.m.: ice skating on E. Vance Street
- 5 to 8 p.m.: Artist Night Market on S. Main Street and E. Vance Street
- 6 p.m.: tree and menorah lighting in the Vance Street parking lot, 205 S. Main St.
- 6:15 to 8 p.m.: choral performances in the same lot, and pictures with Santa at Fuquay Mineral Spring Park
The Fuquay-Varina Downtown Association runs the sleigh rides. The Town has posted a road closure and detour map for the evening, so check it before driving downtown that Thursday. Ice skating starts two hours before the lighting, so families with younger kids can skate, have an early dinner at The Brick, and be back in the Vance Street lot by 6.
Three days later, on Sunday, December 6, the Christmas Parade steps off at 4 p.m. in the Downtown Fuquay District. Both of the season's biggest December events happen within a few blocks of Main and Vance, at the opposite end of the route from November's festival.
The New Greenway Link for Weekends Without an Event
Not every weekend on this calendar has an event. The newest outdoor option is away from both downtowns, near Alston Ridge Park at 6850 Hilltop-Needmore Road Extension. The Town scheduled a ribbon-cutting there for Friday, October 23, describing it as the day the Alston Ridge Park Greenway Extension "officially opens to the public." Check the Town's project page for current trail status before you go.
The trail links two parks. According to that project page, it runs along the west side of Basal Creek, north from the end of the Basal Creek Greenway east of NC 55 to the Sugg Connector Trail. That links Alston Ridge Park and Bass Lake Park. A 2024 Town agenda item for the project described a 10-foot-wide trail of pavement and boardwalk, about 2,400 linear feet, connecting the Alston Ridge greenway to the Bass Lake Greenway Trail.
Bass Lake and Alston Ridge used to be two separate outings. With the extension open, they're connected, which gives you a creekside walk on the Saturdays between the festival and the Tree Lighting.
What 2027 Adds to the Fuquay Side
The route is going to change. The Town's October newsletter says a temporary outdoor event space and community history walkway are coming to 101 N. Main Street. The Town-owned building on that lot was torn down in August and September, and the new space is expected to be finished later in 2027. The space will host Town and partner events, including the Follow Me to Fuquay-Varina concert series, and should hold about twice as many people as the current concert site. The site will eventually become Piney Woods Park, so the Town is limiting permanent construction there for now. Until it's finished, FM2FV stays at its usual spot, Centennial Square.
For this season, use the table above. November 7 starts in Varina, the middle of the month centers on the Arts Center, and December 3 and 6 finish in Fuquay.
If you're out for momos before BBQ, Blues & Brews or skating on Vance Street before the tree lights up, send me your favorite stop between the two downtowns. I'm always adding to my Fuquay-Varina guide, and the best tips come from neighbors. Let's Connect with Britney Kensmoe, and maybe I'll see you in the Vance Street lot on December 3.
