Packapalooza

Facts and Figures

Address: Hillsborough Street, NC State University Campus – Raleigh, NC

Attendance: 55,000-80,000 +/- people annually, average attendance

Date: Third or Fourth Saturday in August (cancelled for 2020 due to COVID-19)

Hours: 2:00pm – 10:00pm

Phone: (919) 800-0135

Website: https://packapalooza.ncsu.edu

Management: North Carolina State University, with presenting sponsorship by Live It Up! Hillsborough Street

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Overview

Packapalooza is a free, all-day, family-friendly block party capping off NC State’s Wolfpack Welcome Week. It is typically held on the third or fourth Saturday every August at the start of the fall semester at NC State University. It draws anywhere from 55,000 to 80,000 attendees, making it one of the largest street festivals in Raleigh, North Carolina. It is located along Hillsborough Street on the NC State University campus and features a variety of student and university organizations, local businesses, live entertainment, and street vendors, including food. It has something for everyone, making it fun for the whole family. Packapalooza would have been on Saturday, August 22, 2020, but unfortunately was cancelled due to COVID-19.

Our Experience

My family has been attending Packapalooza since the second event in 2014, during my first year as a proud staff member of NC State University. It is one of the events and festivals that my family enjoys and looks forward to the most. We love getting dressed up in our NC State Wolfpack gear as a family and attend the event early at the start. That tends to be a better time for families with smaller children, before the largest crowds later in the evening. Parking is free in the Reynolds Coliseum parking deck and only a short walk up Pullen Road to Hillsborough Street. We typically begin from near the main stage and NC State bell tower and make our way West along Hillsborough Street. We spend the majority of our time in the Play Zone, located in the North Hall parking lot. The Play Zone features tons of games and inflatables for the kids and it’s all free! After enjoying time at the Play Zone, we walk the remainder of Hillsborough Street where the event takes place and turn around and make our way back. Packapalooza would not be complete without a stop to get a snowball from Pelican’s Snowballs!