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
- Rundown Cafe
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
- 1903 Kitchen and Bar
- Bonzer Shack Bar & Grill
- Jack Brown's Beer & Burger Joint
- Jolly Roger Restaurant
- Outer Banks Brewing Station
- Swells’a Brewing
Nags Head
- Basnight’s Lone Cedar Cafe
- Fish Heads Bar & Grill
- Shaka’s Beach Bar & Grill
- Tortuga's Lie
Roanoke Island
- Lost Colony Tavern
- Mimi's Tiki Hut
- Old Tom's Beer, Wine & Provisions
- NouVines
- Poor Richard’s
- Pioneer Theater
- Wanchese Tiki Hut
Hatteras Island
- Cafe Pamlico, Buxton
- 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
- 1718 Brewing
- 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.
