Grand Opening Celebration
- Friday, Sept. 5, 2008
Noon Ribbon-Cutting Ceremony
1:00 – 2:00 p.m. Naturalization Ceremony
(Cabarrus St. Lobby of Convention Center)11:00 a.m. – 10:00 p.m. Raleigh Wide Open III (Fayetteville St. and downtown)
11:00 a.m. – 10:00 p.m. Music and Entertainment — Three stages, more than 30 local and national acts.
Noon – 10:00 p.m. International Festival and Raleigh World Wide Expo (Convention Center)
5:00 – 9:00 p.m. Kids’ Zone and Carnival
(Wilmington St. and Lenoir St.)7:00 – 8:30 p.m. Arrested Development on WRAL/MIX Fireworks Stage, Alternative music on Cherry Bounce Stage
8:30 – 10:00 p.m. Chuck Berry on WRAL/MIX Fireworks Stage, Annuals on Cherry Bounce Stage
8:30 – 10:00 p.m. Movie in Moore Square: Shrek the Third
10:00 p.m. Fireworks
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Saturday, Sept. 6, 2008
11:00 a.m. – 10:00 p.m. Raleigh Wide Open III (Fayetteville St. and downtown)
11:00 a.m. – 10:00 p.m. Music and Entertainment — Three stages, more than 30 local and national acts
11:00 a.m. – 10:00 p.m. International Festival and Raleigh World Wide Expo (Convention Center)
11:00 a.m. – 9:00 p.m. Kids’ Zone and Carnival
6:00 – 7:00 p.m. Parade
(Starts on Hillsborough St. near the Capitol and travels down Fayetteville St. to the new Convention Center.)7:00 – 8:30 p.m. Soul Asylum on WRAL/MIX Fireworks Stage, Alternative music on Cherry Bounce Stage
8:30 – 10:00 p.m. Lou Gramm on WRAL/MIX Fireworks Stage, Islands on Cherry Bounce Stage
8:30 – 10:00 p.m. Movie in Moore Square: Transformers
10:00 p.m. Fireworks
*Some items listed are subject to change.
The wait is almost over. The opening of the new Raleigh Convention Center will be the culmination of our downtown renaissance. All of Raleigh is ready to explore this impressive gathering place for the first time. And you don’t want to miss out on all there is to discover.
At Raleigh Wide Open III, Raleigh’s third annual downtown celebration, we’ll launch the Convention Center Grand Opening with a bang. Street entertainment, food booths, live music and fireworks are just part of the fun planned for the outdoor festival.
Friday night see Arrested Development and Chuck Berry on our WRAL/MIX Fireworks Stage. See The Annuals on our Cherry Bounce Stage.
Saturday night see Lou Gramm of Foreigner and Soul Asylum on our WRAL/MIX Fireworks Stage. See Islands on our Cherry Bounce Stage.
At the same time, the Raleigh World Wide Expo inaugurates the Convention Center with a massive party in its 150,000-sq.-ft. Exhibit Hall. The Expo will feature the popular International Festival. All types of businesses and organizations - like Progress Energy, Red Bull and the Carolina Hurricanes – will be on the Expo floor to share what they do with tens of thousands of attendees.
So mark your calendar for Friday and Saturday, September 5 & 6. And get ready to shine here.
Click here to check out a detailed map and full schedule of RWO3.
For sponsorship information, please click here.
The Raleigh Convention Center Grand Opening Celebration is hosted by:
We’d like to thank the following local and national companies for sponsoring the Grand Opening Celebration:
We’d also like to thank the following partners:
Decorator services provided by:
