A little rain can't stop a tradition.
The Carrboro Music Festival originated in 1998 as a part of the international “Fête de la Musique” and first took place on June 21 as a celebration of the summer solstice and Father's Day.
Due to the summer heat and the influx of returning students and residents, the festival was moved to the last weekend of September in 2002. Sunday, 18 years later, it's grown to include about 180 bands in 25 different venues.
Although the festival is a time-honored tradition, attendees return for different reasons.
“The variety of music and the fact that people get up and dance is the best part of this whole thing,” David Gellatly, a Chapel Hill photographer said. “I’ve been coming for 10 years, and it’s gotten bigger and better every year, with more people in attendance.”
Pittsboro resident Ellen Manning and her husband Mark Barroso appreciate what the festival means for their marriage.
“My husband and I got married 12 years ago on this weekend,” Manning said. “We ended up down here for the day, and every year, we make it a really important point to be here. I wouldn’t miss it for anything. I look forward to it more than anything the whole year.”
For many people, the event has become a family affair.
“Since we had the kids, so about seven years, we’ve been coming to the festival almost every year,” Nikki Worthington of Chapel Hill said. “We always meet people that we know in town out here, and I would say that it’s become a tradition.”
