Memorial Day weekend does not just mean the official kickoff of tourist season, it also means the return of live music season. To keep all of our visitors entertained, we need a constant lineup of activities, and one of those is live music. For us locals, that's just yet another reason to love living here. Here on the Outer Banks, we are definitely spoiled with endless options of live music by super-talented local and traveling musicians and bands. From waterfront decks and backyard stages to oceanfront piers and park lawns, live music season kicks into high gear this time of year, adding another layer of energy to life on the Outer Banks.
Photo: Fishheads at Outer Banks Pier in South Nags Head is a favorite for summer live music.
And guess what? Live music is more than simple entertainment. It is actually good for you.
Science increasingly backs what music lovers have known all along — live performances boost happiness, reduce stress and create stronger social connections. Researchers even have a name for the shared feeling of joy and belonging people experience at concerts: collective effervescence. Studies have linked live music to increased wellbeing, improved mood and even physical benefits like stress reduction and pain relief.
So go see the show! It’s medicine.
Luckily, Outer Banks visitors and locals have no shortage of opportunities to get their dose. You can catch an acoustic set on a sunset deck, listen to a local band from a lawn chair in the park, dance by the water at an oceanfront pier or discover a touring act late into the night. While the music never truly stops here, from Memorial Day on through Labor Day and well into fall, the Outer Banks music scene is in its prime.
Here’s your guide to where to find live bands on the Outer Banks. These are places where you can see full bands on a stage (or stage-like area). If you’re looking for acoustic music, you’ll find it at restaurants and lounges from Corolla to Ocracoke all summer long.
Corolla
Currituck Mainland
Blue 42 Brewing Barn, Moyock
Morris Farm Back 40 Live
Photo: The Tap Shack draws great bands to Duck all summer long.
Duck
Backbar at The Blue Point
Roadside Bar & Grill
Swells’a Brewing Duck Dive Bar
Tap Shack at Cravings
Kitty Hawk
Art’s Place
Hurricane Mo’s
Photo: Outer Banks Brewing Station is the place to see live music, both in the backyard and on the indoor stage.
Kill Devil Hills
Avalon Pier / Stonefish Beach Bar
Jack Brown's Beer & Burger Joint
Swells’a Brewing
Nags Head
Shaka’s Beach Bar & Grill
Tortuga's Lie
Roanoke Island
Lost Colony Tavern
Old Tom's Beer, Wine & Provisions
Poor Richard’s
Pioneer Theater
Wanchese Tiki Hut
Hatteras Island
Cape Hatteras KOA, Rodanthe
Good Winds Restaurant, Rodanthe
Neptune’s Kitchen and Dive Bar, Rodanthe
The Froggy Dog, Avon
Ketch 55, Avon
The Wreck Tiki Bar, Hatteras
Ocracoke Island
Ocracoke Oyster Company
Special Music Events
Acoustic Sunset Winedowns at Sanctuary Vineyards - Thursdays 5:30 to 8:30 p.m.
Concerts on the Green in Duck Town Park - June 11 to August 27, Thursdays 6:30 to 8 p.m.
Summer Concert Series in Dowdy Park, Nags Head, June 10 to September 2, Wednesdays 6:30 to 8 p.m.
First Friday in Downtown Manteo First Friday of the month, 6 to 8 p.m.
Ocrafolk Festival on Ocracoke Island June 5 to 7 Ocracoke Island
Ocrafolk Opry - Wednesdays 8 to 9:15 p.m.
Photo: Live From OBX draws national touring to the Outer Banks in the summer months.
Don't Miss This!
LIVE FROM OBX
The big live music news of an Outer Banks summer is the Live From OBX Concert Series held at Roanoke Island Festival Park.
This year's lineup:
June 12: Joe Russo's Almost Dead
June 13: Kool & The Gang
June 21: The String Cheese Incident
July 9: Umphrey's McGee and moe.
July 12: Josh Turner
August 1: All American Wing Fling
September 4: TBA Reggae Show
September 6: Flatland Calvary
About the Author Molly Harrison
Molly Harrison is managing editor at OneBoat, publisher of OuterBanksThisWeek.com. She moved to Nags Head in 1994 and since then has made her living writing articles and creating publications about the people, places and culture of the Outer Banks.
