The Carolina Hurricanes Fan Fest took place on Fayetteville Street in downtown Raleigh to celebrate the Stadium Series between the Carolina Hurricanes and Washington Capitals.

At the festival, there were opportunities to meet former Hurricanes players and even a chance to take a picture with the Stanley Cup. People also gathered around to play some street hockey, featuring some fierce competition. 

Even though this event was centered around the Hurricanes and the Stadium Series, it was an opportunity to bring everyone together and not just hockey fans. Mike Forman, the chief marketing officer for the Hurricanes, said this event is welcoming to all walks of life.

“This is an event that should have an appeal to anyone and everyone,” Forman said. “It’s going to be a Carolina Hurricanes presence, but there is so much more than hockey that’s part of this event and something that’s appealing to everyone.”

Forman also mentioned the importance of holding a festival in downtown Raleigh that everyone can attend without having to pay.

“It gave us an opportunity to have a footprint downtown; we’re one of either two or three NHL clubs that don’t have a downtown arena,” Forman said. “So to be able to have a presence in downtown Raleigh … was something that was a top priority of ours.” 

For those less interested in hockey-related activities, there was live music at the festival that included performances by Superchunk, the Adam Lee Decker Band, Rosali and other artists throughout the day. There were two different stages for music — attendees could pick their favorite. 

Attendees were able to choose from over 30 different food trucks ranging from waffles to pizza. Anyone in attendance could participate in the Buffalo Brothers Ludicrous Wing Challenge, with the winner walking away with free wings for a year after eating 10 chicken wings doused in 1 Million Scoville Sauce in less than 15 minutes. 

The event concluded with an extensive firework and drone show that captivated everyone in attendance. Jennifer Martin, the executive director of Shop Local Raleigh, said this was a historic event.

“The drone light show paired with the firework show will actually be happening from the State Capitol Grounds which has never happened before,” Martin said. “The fireworks have never been lit off from the Capitol before for a downtown festival. This is the type of event locals could potentially look forward to for years to come, because there are not many things like this going on in the winter months in Raleigh.” 

Forman said the event was something that could take place again to give the people of Raleigh something to look forward to in the winter months.

“Perhaps this could be something that has a lasting capability for an event,” Forman said. “Without much else going on, this is driving traffic to downtown Raleigh. Businesses are happy, and all the vendors and sponsors coming out to the event are happy.”