Town guide · Piedmont
Carrboro
An Orange County mill town just west of Chapel Hill, known for Cat's Cradle, The ArtsCenter and the free Carrboro Music Festival.
35.93° N · -79.09° W · Orange County
BRay Arts IndexGrade · see the report card ↓The town
About Carrboro
Carrboro is an Orange County town directly west of Chapel Hill. It began in 1882 as West End, near the end of a railroad spur serving the university area, and grew around a mill that became the Alberta Cotton Mill. Incorporated in 1911 as Venable, it took the name Carrboro two years later for industrialist Julian S. Carr, whose white supremacist views the town has since addressed with a truth plaque. After the mills closed, a community effort saved the old mill building, which became Carr Mill Mall. The town is known for the Cat’s Cradle and The ArtsCenter, the free Carrboro Music Festival, the Carrboro Film Festival, the West End Poetry Festival and the Carrboro Farmers’ Market, founded in 1977. Source: Wikipedia
Events in Carrboro
On in town this week
Every art form on one list, each in its own color. Sample events — illustrative dates
All Carrboro eventsNothing posted for the next few weeks yet.
Places by art form
Where to go in Carrboro
Venues, companies, guilds and more, by art form.
Search everything in CarrboroMusic
All →- 2nd WindBar with Live Music
- Cat's CradleMusic Club
- 401 MainBar with Live Music
- Vecino Brewing Co.Brewery, Winery & Taproom
- The StationBar with Live Music
- The ArtsCenterArts center
- Steel String BreweryBrewery, Winery & Taproom
- Speakeasy CarrboroBar with Live Music
- Orange County Social ClubBar with Live Music
- Carrboro Town CommonsOutdoor stage
- Carrboro Bluegrass Festival
- Carrboro Django Reinhart Festival
- Carrboro Music Festival
- Creative Music Studios
- DoveFox Studios
- Nightsound Studios
- Carrboro MusicInstrument shop (new & used)
- Main Street MusicInstrument shop (new & used)
- Twin House MusicInstrument shop (new & used)
- All Day RecordsRecord store
- WQOK 97.5 MHz (Carrboro)
- Hot Releases
Theater & Performance
All →Dance
All →Visual Arts
All →Craft & Traditional Arts
All →Literary Arts
All →Film & Media
All →Museums & Heritage
All →Make it a weekend
More towns in Piedmont
Ray Arts Foundation · North Carolina
Report Card
Ray Arts Index · 2026
- Town
- Carrboro
- County
- Orange County
- Standing
- #4 of 60 graded towns
| Subject | Weight | Grade |
|---|---|---|
| Local government supportExtra weightArts budget, arts office, grants, parks & rec arts | 18% | F |
| Arts educationExtra weightSchool district arts programs, arts schools and camps | 12% | A |
| Arts placesVenues, museums and galleries | 18% | A |
| ActivityArts events each month | 13.5% | A |
| FestivalsActive arts festivals | 13.5% | A |
| Arts organizationsArts nonprofits and their budgets | 13.5% | C |
| Creative economyArts businesses and working artists | 7% | A |
| HeritageLong-running arts institutions and history groups | 4.5% | Inc. |
Overall
B
HonorsNone yet
Marking scaleA 80+ · B 65+ · C 50+ (national typical) · D 35+ · F below 35 · Inc. not yet measured
Teacher’s remarks
The Ray Arts Index gives extra weight to local government support and arts education, because public investment in the arts, and in teaching it, is how creative communities grow.
For community leadersWhere Carrboro has the most room to grow, and the next steps that would raise its grade. Show the breakdownHide the breakdown
Where Carrboro has the most room to grow
- Local government support (grade F)
- Arts organizations (grade C)
Next steps
- Send us the adopted arts budget lines, grant programs and arts office details, so support is counted from evidence.
- Make sure local arts nonprofits file with an arts (NTEE “A”) code and the town’s address.
- Add founding years to long-running venues, festivals and arts groups.
- Request the full Carrboro advisory report from the Ray Arts Foundation.
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