Wake County March-April Events Calendar Highlights Wake on Stage April 17

United Arts Wake County will stage Wake on Stage at the Fuquay-Varina Arts Center on April 17 at 6 P.M., an evening that benefits Artists in Schools, the nonprofit’s program that places teaching artists into Wake County classrooms for performances, workshops, and residencies. The lineup includes WRAL meteorologist Chris Michaels, state Rep. Mike Schietzelt, television personality Valonda Calloway, plus local and professional musicians and performance groups; the event appears on multiple local calendars for March and April.

The county calendar of community events also lists near-term outings and neighborhood gatherings. Fuquay-Varina Parks & Recreation is running an Aloha Safari Park day trip for “adventurous adults age 50 and better,” departing South Park Community Center on April 16 at 8:45 A.M. and returning at 3:00 P.M., with a guided wagon ride, walking tour, and keeper talk highlighting giraffes, kangaroos, sloths, primates, and other animals. The Fuquay-Varina Food Truck Rodeo is scheduled for April 19, Noon to 3:00 P.M., at 801 Durham Street in Downtown Varina, where organizers advertise live music, a kids’ zone, craft beer, and a roster of local food trucks.

Southern Wake’s spring festivals stretch into May. Holly Springs Cultural Center will host the Holly Springs International Food Festival on May 1 from 5:00 to 8:00 P.M. on the Cultural Center lawn, complete with cultural ambassadors, performances, a passport-stamp program and a travel-themed prize. Apex’s PeakFest is slated for May 2 from 9:00 A.M. to 4:00 P.M. on the Apex Town Hall campus at 73 Hunter Street; that listing appears as a Save the Date on local event pages.

Civic and economic events in Raleigh also punctuate the calendar. The Greater Raleigh Chamber’s Life Sciences Outlook: Wake County and the Research Triangle is listed for March 24 at the Raleigh Marriott City Center, 500 Fayetteville Street, with a keynote conversation intended to “envision the future” of life sciences, healthcare, innovation, and biopharma manufacturing. The chamber’s program text lists networking from 8:00 to 8:30 A.M. and a program from 8:30 to 11:00 A.M., but the calendar metadata on the same page shows a March 24 start at 12:00 P.M. and end at 3:00 P.M.; named speaker Travis McCready of JLL and sponsors GallagherSamet Corporation and United Rentals are associated with the event. Organizers’ conflicting times merit confirmation before attending.

Wake County’s government calendar continues to list recurring Fire Commission committee and board meetings across 2026, with entries showing differing recurrences and times for items such as the Fire Commission Capital Committee and Budget Committee; the Drinking Gourd Gallery is running Hanna Gelwix’s exhibition A Series of Odds and Ends March 1–31 with gallery hours listed as 1:00 to 9:00 P.M.

This calendar run extends from mid-March into early May and mixes cultural fundraisers, family festivals, senior day trips, and industry convenings. Confirm ticketing, registration and precise start times with United Arts Wake County, Fuquay-Varina Parks & Recreation, Holly Springs Cultural Center, Apex town staff, and the Greater Raleigh Chamber before planning to attend.