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Weekend Plans: First Friday, MLK parade, Mardi Gras

It's First Friday in downtown Raleigh. There's a MLK/Black History Month Parade in Durham. And Wake Forest is celebrating Mardi Gras. Here's your weekend family fun!

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Wake Forest mardi gras
By
Sarah Lindenfeld Hall
Happy weekend! Here’s what’s happening on the weekend family fun front. As always, check WRAL.com’s Out & About calendar for more ideas.
It’s the first Friday in February, which means it’s First Friday in downtown Raleigh. Galleries, museums and restaurants are open for special deals and hours. The N.C. Museum of Natural Sciences will host a Teen Science Cafe at 6 p.m. The museum also will host a free screening of “The Ape,” a classic horror-drama starring Boris Karloff from 1940. From 6 p.m. to 10 p.m., CAM Raleigh will be open for free and premiering a new exhibit. There also will be a creation station, middle school docents and food trucks. And nuvonivo, the downtown children’s boutique, is having a big sale and will be open late.
The 14th annual MLK/Black History Month Parade is noon, Saturday, in Durham. The parade, featuring floats, bands and community groups, will start at W.G. Pearson Elementary School, proceed up Fayetteville Street, and end at N.C. Central.
Wake Forest will celebrate Mardi Gras with its Mardi Gras Street Festival from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., Saturday. It’s free! The day includes music, entertainment, face painting, food, children’s activities and a walking parade. The parade will start at 1 p.m. at town hall and move up East Owen Avenue and north along South White Street before ending at 110 S. White St. Anybody - kids and adults - can join the parade! You’re welcome to decorate bicycles and wagons. Prizes will be given out for various categories. Another fun tidbit: A Bubblegum Blowing Contest will be 3 p.m. in Jones Plaza.
There will be a family comedy show called Improv Wildcard at 3 p.m., Saturday, at Flyleaf Books in Chapel Hill. Tickets are $6. High energy, interactive comedy is promised.
We have the big daddy-daughter dance and mother-son ball at the North Raleigh Hilton on Saturday. Other dances also are scheduled this weekend and next though some may be sold out. Our post on Valentine's Day dances lists many of them with details and links.
The Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus has several shows at the PNC Arena in Raleigh through Sunday.
The Carolina Ballet launches its series of performances based on Shakespeare’s work this week. The series includes a special offer of free tickets for high school students with a valid ID.

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