Staying on campus this winter? The Chronicle has you covered with some fun activities happening in the Triangle area, as well as a guide to how Duke facilities and resources will operate during the break.
What to do over the break
Both Duke men’s and women’s basketball will play several times in Cameron Indoor Stadium over the break. The men’s team took on George Mason University in Cameron Tuesday, and will also take on Virginia Tech and the University of Pittsburgh at home, while the women’s team will compete against Wofford and Pitt. Duke wrestling will also have one match in Cameron over the break against the Virginia Military Institute.
Located downtown, the Durham Performing Arts Center and Carolina Theatre are both accessible from East Campus and have a range of show offerings this month. Enjoy live music and dancing at DPAC with performances of A Christmas Carol, The Nutcracker and The Hip Hop Nutcracker. At Carolina Theatre, viewers can enjoy live performances of The Nutcracker and A Celtic Christmas or movie screenings including Wicked.
Shop from local vendors Saturday mornings from 9 a.m. to noon at the Durham Farmers’ Market in Central Park. On Dec. 18 from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m., there will be a special Durham Farmers’ Market Holiday Market with shopping, ornament making and more festive activities.
Experience a Durham holiday tradition within a 20-minute drive of campus at the Mangum Family Christmas Lights. This free drive-in runs through Dec. 31 and features a show of over 100,000 lights that are synchronized to the holiday music played on 90.3 FM.
WRAL First Night Raleigh provides a fun opportunity to celebrate the new year with live musical performances beginning at 2 p.m. on Dec. 31, as well as a fireworks show and the Raleigh Acorn Drop to cap off the night. Buy tickets for $13 before the price increases Dec. 25 to $16, though children under 5 years old get in free.
On Jan. 1, stop by the Durham Armory for the 39th annual Kwanzaa Fest, hosted by the African American Dance Ensemble. Doors open at noon, and attendees can enjoy a number of performances beginning at 2 p.m., alongside food and shopping from local vendors.
Campus resources
Following the conclusion of the exam period Monday, many campus facilities saw changes to their operating hours.
Many Duke Dining vendors are either closed or are operating on reduced hours through Thursday. All West Campus vendors except Bseisu Coffee Bar will be closed from Dec. 21 to Jan. 1, and Marketplace and Trinity Café on East Campus will both be closed from Dec. 17 until Jan. 7.
Both campus gyms will operate on modified winter break hours starting Monday until Jan. 6. Wilson Recreation Center on West Campus will be closed on Dec. 24, Dec. 25, Dec. 31 and Jan. 1, and Brodie Recreation Center on East Campus will be closed from Dec. 20 through Dec. 25.
Perkins, Bostock and Rubenstein libraries will all be open on reduced hours Tuesday through Friday before closing from Dec. 21 until Jan. 2. All libraries will then reopen on reduced hours until the start of the spring semester.
The C1 and Swift bus routes will both have one bus running only on select weekdays during the break — from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. for the C1, and 7:10 a.m. to 8:50 p.m. for the Swift. Duke Van services will cease operations starting Dec. 23 through Jan. 2.
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