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12 EXCITING Things To Do at Night in Raleigh, NC (+ Map)

Buildings in Raleigh at night
Raleigh at night

If you’re visiting Raleigh, it may be easy to find activities during the day, but what are the best things to do at night in Raleigh?

Raleigh has a lot to offer during the night, so you can have a lot of fun in the city when the sun goes down!

Whether you like arcade games, entertainment, great food, or music, there’s a great nighttime activity for you. I made this list to help you find the best activities for you if you’re in the city after dark. I’m sure you’ll love the things to do in Raleigh at night!

Things To Do at Night in Raleigh

Play Games at Boxcar Bar + Arcade

Cars in front of Boxcar Bar + Arcade
Cars parked in front of Boxcar Bar + Arcade – Wileydoc / Shutterstock.com

A great nighttime activity is going to Boxcar Bar + Arcade.

This is a place where you can have a lot of fun because there are more than 100 games to play here.

These games vary a lot. There are pinball machines, interactive games, arcade games, skeeball, and other types of games.

Also, what’s nice is that Boxcar Bar + Arcade has a bar area as well. Here, you can choose from 24 craft beers and many other types of drinks, and this makes going here when the sun goes down in Raleigh even better.

What’s great is that the games often change because the games rotate between the 3 locations in North Carolina.

Address: 330 W Davie St, Raleigh, NC 27601

Go to the Raleigh Memorial Auditorium and Attend a Show

Raleigh Memorial Auditorium and trees
View of the Raleigh Memorial Auditorium – zimmytws / Shutterstock.com

Want to see a show when the sun goes down in Raleigh? Then, you can go to the Raleigh Memorial Auditorium.

This is a venue that you can find at the Martin Marietta Center for the Performing Arts.

At the Raleigh Memorial Auditorium, you can see great Broadway shows. Many other types of shows could be seen here in the past. Also, in the past, many famous artists performed here.

What’s great as well about the Raleigh Memorial Auditorium is that it was created in the year 1932. Moreover, the theater has a capacity that is close to 2,400, which makes the venue a very impressive space.

Address: 2 E South St, Raleigh, NC 27601

Have Food at the Morgan Street Food Hall

Neon sign of the Morgan Street Food Hall
Sign at the Morgan Street Food Hall – zimmytws / Shutterstock.com

If you want to have delicious food in the evening, you can go to the Morgan Street Food Hall.

This is a food hall where you can find local restaurants and other eateries in one spot.

These eateries serve delicious food that I’m sure you are going to like!

What’s great about the concept of a food hall is that you can get all kinds of different food and eat in a shared area. So if you are going here with someone else that likes other types of food more, you can still go out for dinner at this place and have a great time. This makes it one of the best nighttime activities in Raleigh with friends or for a date.

Some of the food that you can get here include tacos, cupcakes, burgers, and pizza.

Address: 411 W Morgan St, Raleigh, NC 27603

Go to an Event at the PNC Arena

View of the PNC Arena
Trees in front of the PNC Arena – Richard Cavalleri / Shutterstock.com

The PNC Arena is an indoor arena that you can find in the city of Raleigh.

The arena has more than 18,000 seats and it is the home of the Carolina Hurricanes, a professional team that competes in the National Hockey League.

Furthermore, the arena is also the home of the NC State Wolfpack basketball team.

You can go to the arena to see great sporting events, but there’s much more that you can see here.

There are also concerts, comedy shows, and a variety of other events that make for great things to do at night in Raleigh. So if you are looking for a great place to go to enjoy entertainment at night, this is a great place to check out!

Address: 1400 Edwards Mill Rd, Raleigh, NC 27607

Go to the North Carolina State Fair

View of a Ferris wheel at the North Carolina State Fair
Ferris wheel at the North Carolina State Fair – Jason Schronce / Shutterstock.com

The North Carolina State Fair is a wonderful annual event that takes place in October.

It can be a lot of fun to attend the state fair at night.

At the fair, there are a lot of things that you can do and see.

First of all, there are lots of fun carnival rides and attractions, and at night these also look great because of the many colorful lights that you can see everywhere.

Besides that, there are exhibitions, competitions, events with live music, displays, and there’s much more.

The fair is also great if you want to get delicious food.

What’s great to know about the North Carolina State Fair is that the fair was founded in the year 1853 and that it is one of the oldest state fairs in the United States.

Go to a Comedy Show at the Goodnights Comedy Club

You can go to the Goodnights Comedy Club when you are in Raleigh after the sun goes down.

This is a comedy club that is located at the Village District and some of the best comedians in the country perform here.

What’s great is that the theater has a very intimate atmosphere, which makes this place great for a date night as well!

Besides that, you can attend all kinds of other events at the comedy club. For example, you can take comedy classes at the Goodnights Comedy Club. So if you want to learn stand-up comedy or improv comedy, you can do that here!

Address: 401 Woodburn Rd, Raleigh, NC 27605

Attend a Concert at the Meymandi Concert Hall

Meymandi Concert Hall and cherry blossom trees
Cherry blossom trees in front of the Meymandi Concert Hall – zimmytws / Shutterstock.com

The Meymandi Concert Hall is another performing arts venue that you can find at the Martin Marietta Center for the Performing Arts.

At this place, you can enjoy a variety of great shows.

For example, at the concert hall, you can enjoy great classical music performances of the North Carolina Symphony.

The concert hall has a beautiful design, an intimate atmosphere, and very good acoustics, so I’m sure you’ll have a great time in the city!

Address: 2 E South St, Raleigh, NC 27601

Bowl at Buffaloe Lanes North Family Bowling Center

Bowling is a fun activity that you can do at various places in the city of Raleigh. It is one of the best Raleigh things to do at night for the whole family and a great bowling alley is the Buffaloe Lanes North Family Bowling Center.

This is a huge bowling alley with 42 lanes where you can have a lot of fun.

There is an arcade area as well where you can play fun arcade games.

Furthermore, the bowling alley has a nice restaurant where you can have tasty food, such as pizza.

What’s nice too is that you could join a bowling league at Buffaloe Lanes if you like bowling a lot!

Address: 5900 Oak Forest Dr, Raleigh, NC 27616

Go to the Rialto Theatre

Rialto Theatre in Raleigh
Sign of the Rialto Theatre – Wileydoc / Shutterstock.com

The Rialto Theatre is a historic movie theater that is located on Glenwood Avenue.

This is an independent movie theater with a lovely atmosphere.

At the movie theater, one can see great independent and other types of movies.

Furthermore, all kinds of live events take place at The Rialto Theatre.

Address: 1620 Glenwood Ave, Raleigh, NC 27608

Check out Raleigh Improv and Have a Fun Night

Raleigh Improv is a fun place in the Triangle and it’s great to check out if you’re wondering what to do at night in Raleigh.

This is a comedy club where you can enjoy great comedy shows.

Many comedy shows take place at this venue and many comedians from all across the USA come here.

Also, you could combine seeing a comedy show here with having dinner here. That’s because there is a good food menu at Raleigh Improv. For example, you can get delicious burgers, pizza, and snacks at this venue.

Or you could combine going here with having dinner at another restaurant in the city. That way you can have a great night full of comedy and food!

Address: 1224 Parkside Main St, Cary, NC 27519

Listen to Music at the Red Hat Amphitheater

View of the Red Hat Amphitheater
Red Hat Amphitheater from above – Grindstone Media Group / Shutterstock.com

The Red Hat Amphitheater is a wonderful outdoor venue that you can find in downtown Raleigh.

It is a large and beautiful venue, and what’s nice is that you can enjoy a great view of the skyline of Raleigh when you see a show here. And what’s great too is that you can see the night sky while you are here. This definitely adds to the experience!

You can see many great concerts at the Red Hat Amphitheater, and many very famous musicians perform here.

What’s great is that there are concerts of every genre of music, so there’s definitely a concert that you would like to attend when you go here.

Address: 500 S McDowell St, Raleigh, NC 27601

See a Show at the Martin Marietta Center for the Performing Arts

In this article, I cover two venues that are located at the Martin Marietta Center for the Performing Arts, but there are two other venues here.

You can find the A.J. Fletcher Opera Theater and the Kennedy Theatre here as well.

The A.J. Fletcher Opera Theater is a theater with 600 seats that is very intimate. It is a great place to attend a ballet show, see an opera performance, enjoy great comedy, or listen to great music.

Besides that, you can also check out the Kennedy Theatre. This is a very small black-box theater where you can see great shows by regional theater companies, and there are also sometimes Broadway shows.

Address: 2 E South St, Raleigh, NC 27601

More Raleigh Articles

Performing arts theaters in Raleigh, NC

Coffee shops in Raleigh, NC

Raleigh Things To Do at Night Tips

Keep in mind that you need you need to buy tickets or make reservations for several of the activities on this list. You don’t want to show up at one of these places and don’t be allowed inside!

Road and buildings in Raleigh
Road and buildings in Raleigh at night

Things To Do in Raleigh at Night Map


I hope I helped you decide what to do when the sun goes down in the city. Thanks for reading my things to do at night in Raleigh guide!

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