If you're spending this holiday season in a new home, our real estate agents think a special celebration is in order. A new home is a perfect excuse to try out some new holiday traditions. Try out these ways to celebrate in your new home or to help you get to know your new neighborhood.
Host a Holiday Housewarming
Everyone loves a festive gathering, so celebrate your new home by hosting a housewarming party filled with holiday cheer. Start by decorating the front of your home with holiday string lights and sparkly tinsel that illuminates the trees. Next, welcome guests with a front walkway lined with candy canes, reindeer, or baskets of poinsettias that lead to a holiday wreath on your front door. When guests step inside, be sure to offer a tour of your new place!
Deck the Halls
Even if you don't plan on hosting a party, you can still decorate your new space! The holiday season is the perfect time to showcase your new home to family and friends, so feel free to deck the halls with special things that create a warm welcome and holiday atmosphere:
Adorn the Christmas tree with bubbling lights, colorful glass ornaments, hand-made keepsakes, a tree-topper, and wrapped gifts
Decorate the mantle with fresh greenery, pine cones, and holly berries
Light up the fireplace with a roaring, warm fire
Put on your favorite holiday playlist
Scatter holiday scented candles throughout the house
Throw holiday quilts over sofas and chairs
Enjoy a Holiday Light Show
Looking for some holiday cheer around town? Raleigh has some amazing holiday light show events you don't want to miss, so bundle up and head to a couple that will fill the night sky with a beautiful holiday glow. If it's your first holiday season calling Raleigh home, stop by these light shows:
Welcome the Holidays with Music
Raleigh is home to one of the country's most beautiful concert halls, The Durham Performing Arts Center. Why not celebrate your new home with a special holiday concert that warms the heart? During December, the Performing Arts Center is hosting 3 wonderful holiday musicals:
Performance times and ticket prices vary by which day you attend. Mark a date on your calendar and purchase your tickets online, but don't procrastinate because tickets go quickly for holiday musicals.
There's no place like home for the holidays! If you're considering buying or selling a home in Raleigh, contact us for information and prices on properties in desired areas.
There's always something to celebrate when you call the Raleigh area home.
While you're sure to find some fun at any time, you won't want to miss the culmination of the cultural experiences the Triangle has to offer with First Night Raleigh on New Year's Eve. If you haven't been to a First Night event before, consider bringing your whole family for this event all ages will love.
Our REALTORS® have gathered the highlights of this must-attend event to help you plan your holiday.
Produced by Artsplosure, First Night Raleigh is poised to begin its 26th annual celebration in downtown Raleigh on December 31st, 2019. Expected to draw up to 80,000 people, this event is community-focused and family-friendly. Event passes go on sale beginning December 1st.
The events will occur over a 20 block area in downtown Raleigh, so be prepared for a night of walking from venue to venue. Highlights include 35 different venues with over 100 performances, all packed into a single evening from 2 pm until midnight. Check the official First Night Raleigh event page for parking information, venue maps, and event FAQs.
Ring in the New Year with plenty of music and entertainment. This event truly offers a little something for everyone. Discover some Bebop Blues and Jazz, or get funky with Boulevard's Jamil Rashad. Laugh to live performances by Comedy Works or add some New Year's Zen with the spiritual stylings of Diali Cissokho & Kaira Ba, featuring the rhythms and stories of Senegal. Don't miss the New Year's Eve countdown with local celebs hosted by WRAL. Of course, there will be the classic acorn drop and fireworks.
Truly an all-ages event, it's possible to celebrate the New Year and still make it home for bedtime from First Night. Check out both the North Carolina Museum of History and the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences. Enjoy African storytelling sessions or travel around the world with Cartoon Island. Find your international crown or lantern, and don't forget some fabulous henna to adorn your tiny traveler.
If you have to leave early, don't worry that you'll miss out on the fun as there is also an early countdown. Join the People's Procession for the early acorn drop and fireworks featured at 7 pm to enjoy the excitement early.
First Night Raleigh offers a fabulous way to include diverse cultures and colorful traditions in your New Year's Eve celebrations.
Thinking about moving to the area in the New Year? There are plenty of Raleigh homes for sale for your homeownership 2020 goals. Contact us to learn more about upcoming community events and exciting new real estate opportunities in the area.
It will soon be time to ring in 2018! Where will you cheer on the new year? Whether you're seeking a daytime celebration for the whole family or a night out with a special someone, the Triangle is a happening place to be on New Year's Eve. You'll even find fun activities on New Year's Day to get the new year off to a great start.
Roll the Bean New Year's Eve Celebration
Jellybean's Super Skate Center of Cary
1120 Buck Jones Road, Raleigh
Sunday, Dec. 31 from 8:30 p.m. to Monday, Jan. 1 at 1 a.m.
Admission is $25 for youth 15 and under
Bond Park
1100 Norwell Boulevard in Cary
Monday, Jan. 1 from 10 to 11 a.m.
Start at North Cary Park entrance to the Black Creek Greenway
Night Lights: A Family-Friendly New Year's Eve
Morehead Planetarium and Science Center
250 E. Franklin Street, Chapel Hill
Sunday, Dec. 31
2 to 6 p.m.
Tickets are $5 online
Ready to host kids of all ages, Night Lights will offer a fun-filled New Year's Eve in Chapel Hill. Guests young and old will enjoy games, shows in the GSK Fulldome Theater, science and dance performances, and food truck delights.
Ponysaurus Brewing Co.
219 Hood Street in Durham
Sunday, Dec. 31 from 9 p.m. to Monday, Jan. 1 at 2 a.m.
Raise a glass and share your cheer for a brand new year! Ponysaurus Brewing is excited to host its annual New Year's Eve party with a live performance by Chocolate Thunder and new brews!
New Year's Day 8K Run at Duke Forest
Duke School, 3716 Erwin Road, Durham
Monday, Jan. 1 at 1 p.m., registration begins at noon
Eno River State Park
6101 Cole Mill Road, Durham 27705
Monday, Jan. 1 at 2 p.m.
Starts at the Few's Ford Picnic Shelter (20 minutes from park entrance)
Two hikes: two-mile or four- to five-mile hikes
Marbles Kids Museum
201 East Hargett Street in Raleigh
Sunday, Dec. 31 from 11:45 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
$7 per person
Want to celebrate the new year without staying up late? Take the family to Marbles Kids Museum to ring in the "noon" year instead! Your little ones will love taking part in a bubble-wrap fireworks display, official noonday countdown, and festive dance party.
Downtown Raleigh
Sunday, Dec. 31 to Monday, Jan. 1
Activities starting at 2 p.m. on Sunday, Dec. 31
View an event schedule here
Join in a family-friendly New Year's Eve celebration in downtown Raleigh! This daylong event begins at 2 p.m. and runs through midnight. With afternoon activities for the kiddos in Bicentennial Plaza, a Ferris wheel, sleigh and trolley rides, live musical performances, evening fireworks and more, you'll be able to ring in the new year with great cheer!
Events throughout the day:
NC Museums of History & Natural Sciences and Bicentennial Plaza
2 to 6 p.m.
Children 5-years-old and under permitted free with a pass-wearing adult
Walk down Salisbury Street
Lineup begins at 5:30 p.m. along Edenton Street
Main Stage on City Plaza
5:30 to 7 p.m.
Indoor and Outdoor Venues throughout downtown
7 to 11:30 p.m.
City Plaza
5 p.m. to Midnight
City Plaza
Midnight
Raleigh's Ultimate New Year's Eve Party
Isaac Hunter's Tavern
414 Fayetteville Street in Raleigh
Sunday, Dec. 31 from 8 p.m. to Monday, Jan. 1 at 2 a.m.
Tickets are $45, available online
Score a front-row seat to Raleigh's Giant Acorn Drop at Isaac Hunter's Tavern on New Year's Eve. The popular pub will host a fantastic affair for its mature crowd well into the night.
The Official 2018 New Year's Eve Celebration
Downtown Raleigh Sheraton
421 South Salisbury Street
Sunday, Dec. 31 from 9 p.m. to Monday, Jan. 1 at 2 a.m.
Ticket prices vary, available online
Party the night away with Miss North Carolina and other area iHeartMedia radio hosts at this lively New Year's Eve celebration. Stretching across three large ballrooms, the event will feature a live performance by the Red Line Band and three expert DJs scheduled to spin their jams till after the Giant Acorn drops.
William B. Umstead Park
Monday, Jan. 1 at 9 a.m.
Starts at the Reedy Creek Parking Lot (Harrison Avenue; Exit 287 off I-40)
Four-mile hike along Company Mill Trail