Updated: Things to do in New Bern — September 2026

South Front Street in downtown New Bern, NC. (Photo by Wendy Card)
South Front Street in downtown New Bern, NC. (Photo by Wendy Card)

Looking for something to do in New Bern?

5: Bops & Bangers – A Broadway Rave at the New Bern Civic Theatre, 414 Pollock St. (NewBernCivicTheatre.org)

12: Sisterhood Par-Tea, 2-4 p.m. at the Harrison Center on Middle Street. (www.triedbyfire.net/events)

12: Boomermania 1.5 A musical comedy at the Masonic Theatre, 514 Hancock St. Presented by Rivertowne Players (RiverTownePlayers.org)

14: ArtWalk in downtown New Bern. Presented by the Craven Arts Council & Gallery. (cravenarts.org)

15, 17 and 20: Carolina Chamber Music Festival at the Bank of the Arts, 317 Middle St.

19-20: Bike MS: Historic New Bern Ride starting at Union Point Park, 210 E. Front St.

25-27: Disenchanted at the New Bern Civic Theatre, 414 Pollock St.

26: Standing Watch: New Bern’s America 250 Salute to Service, Sacrifice & Remembrance, 3 p.m. at VFW Post 2514, 3850 Butler Road. The event is free for veterans and their families. Veteran documentation is required. Call 252-637-3181, according to a flyer.

19: Craven County Clean Sweep, from 9 a.m. to noon at the Public Kayak Launch Access, 1307 Country Club Road. Registration begins on Sept. 5 on the Sound Rivers.com or at New Bern Parks & Recreation.

26: 15th Annual BSH Oktoberfest Fundraiser, 5-9 p.m. at the Riverfront Convention Center. Presented by the New Bern Breakfast Rotary Club. The event has enabled the Rotary “to purchase thousands of pairs of shoes for Craven County students since the Kicks-for-Kids program began in 1999, present $7,000 in scholarships, and support local charities and activities during the year,” according to a press release. (www.newbernrotary.org)

26: Maritime archaeologists Dr. Ruud Stelten and Alex Hinton will present “St. Eustatius and the First Salute” at 2 p.m. in the Orringer Auditorium at Craven Community College. The event is hosted by the Colonial NC Chapter of the English-Speaking Union and Craven CC’s Lifetime Learning Center. “The project is supported by a grant from Dutch Culture USA, a program of the United Kingdom of the Netherlands in the United States to mark America 250,” according to the press release. “The presentation will examine how the Caribbean island of St. Eustatius connected North Carolina ports such as New Bern to Atlantic trade networks during the Revolutionary War, and how maritime archaeology is helping researchers reconstruct these forgotten connections. The lecture will also revisit the famous ‘First Salute’ of November 16, 1776, and will feature newly uncovered evidence relating to Alexander Hamilton’s early childhood on the island.” (www.facebook.com/ESUColonialNCBranch)

27: 46th Annual New Bern Area CROP Hunger Walk at Union Point Park.

27: RiverTowne Players is offering a free 10-week dance program — Foundations of Dance: Musical Theatre — on Sundays at Stanly Hall Ballroom, 247 Craven St. (RiverTownePlayers.org)

28-30: Murder by Poe at the Masonic Theatre, 514 Hancock St. Presented by Rivertowne Players.

29: National Night Out, 5-8 p.m. at Union Point Park.

Check out the New Bern Music Calendar (www.facebook.com/nbmusiccalendar) for live music venues.

Note: Check with the event organizer for real-time updates.

By Wendy Card, editor. Send an email with questions or comments.