Carrboro Day

WELCOME TO CARRBORO DAY 2023!

Please continue to check this website as more information is added on this year's event, which is scheduled to occur at Town Commons on Sunday, May 7th from 1:00 p.m. to 5:00 p. m.

Note: If rain is in the forecast for Sunday, please check the Weather Information Line at 919-918-7373. If the event is impacted, a message specific to Carrboro Day will be available.

Carrboro Day is an annual event that is traditionally held at Town Commons on the first Sunday in May. This event is about meeting your neighbors, learning about aspects of the Town’s history, connecting with the Town and learning about Town services, and taking a day to celebrate Carrboro!

1:00pm - SALUDOS COMPAY

Saludos Compay has celebrated Carrboro for the last two decades, not just in several performances on past Carrboro Days, but also at local restaurants and bars, Weaver Street Market After Hours, Sunday Brunches and Wine Shows, and of course Carrboro Music Festival. Thinking internationally, and acting locally, they bring Latin music and culture to the wonderful residents and visitors of the town. Carrboro has been called the Paris of the Piedmont, but it also evokes elements of Bogota, Havana, Caracas and other areas of South America and the Caribbean. Saludos Compay means 'Greetings, Friend', and they bring their musical greetings in the form of salsa, cumbia, bolero, rumba and more. Come enjoy their Latin sounds.

2:15pm - UNHEARD PROJECT GSO

Unheard Project GSO, a jazz fusion collective of the some of the most talented full-time musicians in NC’s Piedmont, performs gospel and groove-based melodic original compositions, virtuosic improvisations, and rearrangements of popular fan favorites. Featuring graduates of top jazz programs, veterans of the gospel scene, and members of rock, latin, funk, R&B, and pop bands, Unheard Project GSO plays expertly in a variety of styles with tons of personality and onstage presence. From originals to party music, from formal events to outdoor festivals, from sophisticated jazz sets to bangin’ block parties, Unheard Project GSO brings the entertainment and enjoyment to your event or venue.

3:15pm - ANCESTOR PIRATAS

Ancestor Piratas is a cumbia-electronic music project of Renzo Ortega, Peruvian, via New York, Carrboro-based artist. He has been performing and recording music for over 30 years, playing dance, political, and love songs in different locations, including museums, art spaces, and D.I.Y. venues in North Carolina, New York, Texas, Chicago, Detroit, Berlin, Lima, and México City. He began his music career in the underground music scene of his native Lima-Perú, performing with the pioneer electronic duo "Cuerpos del Deseo" (1990-1991). Renzo lived in New York for over sixteen years, where he founded the immigrant band R-Tronika (2003-2016); later, in the fall of 2016, he relocated to Carrboro, NC. Renzo is an accomplished visual artist exhibiting in art institutions and Museums and created commissioned public art murals. Ancestor Piratas' live set consists of a trio band that performs crafted versions from Ortega's music catalog and selected songs that embrace the movement for a world without borders.

4:15pm - SCHOOL OF ROCK CHAPEL HILL

School of Rock Chapel Hill is thrilled to serve Chapel Hill, Carrboro, and surrounding communities, including Durham, Hillsborough, Pittsboro, and other areas near and far with quality music lessons taught by real, practicing musicians. We teach everything from singing to piano, bass, guitar, drums, and more. Students learn the fundamentals of rock and roll, and popular local styles such as indie, folk, and bluegrass. At School of Rock, students perform live shows and develop their skills in a supportive and encouraging learning environment. With enough practice, our students quickly take the stage at one of our many local venues such as The Cat's Cradle - a rite of passage for our local musicians, standing on the same stage played by past performers, such as Nirvana, Little Feat, Pearl Jam, Iggy Pop, and Public Enemy.

POETRY IN THE ROUND

Celebrate your inner poet! We welcome community members to join members of the Carrboro Poets Council from 2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. inside the Town Council chambers for a special Carrboro Day 'Poetry in the Round'.

Everyone who wants to read joins the circle. Each person will read a short (one page or less) poem. Participation is voluntary. You can read your own poem or a favorite poem of another poet. This is an informal event designed to allow us to celebrate poetry in true Carrboro fashion. The reading will be facilitated by Susan Spalt, longstanding member of the Carrboro Poets Council. The Carrboro Poets Council encourages everyone to participate in this event.

HISTORICAL PRESENTATION

Join local historian Richard Ellington as he presents an encore of last year's virtual presentation entitled “Ringing the School Bells – Schools of the Carrboro Area from Jim Crow to Integration”. The talk will discuss the development of the separate school systems that developed in Orange County in the late 1880s and trace their changes up to the late 1960s. The county systems, Black and White, were the only schools until 1909 when Chapel Hill decided to form their own school system. Carrboro did not become part of the Chapel Hill system until 1959. The presentation will be held in the Town Council chambers from 4:00pm - 5:30pm.