The Town’s favorite time of the year –

The Carrboro Music Festival, which was held on Sunday, hosted 100 bands at 20 venues, creating a day which supported the local community, businesses and musicians. The festival has been active for 26 years.

“It’s my favorite day of the year. For any of us who have lived in Carrboro for a long time or played music here, it’s like our own version of Christmas,” Justin Ravary Ellis, a 33-year-old music teacher at School of Rock and Music Coordinator of the festival, said. 

The festival was established in 1998 as an official affiliate of the international organization Fête de la Musique, or “Make Music Day.” The purpose was to make all genres of music more accessible through free concerts. 

In recent years, the festival has moved from summer to fall, becoming what is now the independent Carrboro Music Festival, and the bands are now compensated for their time. 

At 2 p.m., the streets of Carrboro erupted into song. 

A couple dances in the middle of the Carrboro Town Commons during the Carrboro Music Festival on Sunday, Sept. 29, 2024.

A jazzy R&B rhythm flowed from 401 Main, and a sorrowful, funky rock track came from Luna Rotisserie. On the other end of town, Sound System Seven, a six piece ska punk band, spread their lively horns and danceable rhythms across the lawn of the Town Commons. Down the road, Manic Third Planet, a three piece punk rock band, played for a small crowd in the parking lot outside of Pizzeria Mercato. 

“It’s about appreciating all the little bands that we have already, and the massive amount of talent that is here in our area,” Jackie Helvey, one of the founders of the music festival, said.

That talent has a massive breadth of genres and experience, from emerging artists to local residents. 

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