For the first time in a long time, the Bull Durham Blues Festival and Centerfest are sharing a weekend — next weekend, to be precise.
The annual blues event starts Thursday, Sept. 18, and runs through Saturday the 20th, while the annual arts-crafts-and music affair runs Sept. 20-21.
Taj Mahal is the blues festival's headliner, along with Marcia Ball, Clarence Carter and Denise LaSalle.
Thursday's opening blues set is at the Hayti Heritage Center on Fayetteville Street; the other two days are at Durham Bulls Athletic Park. Centerfest takes over the area north of the YMCA, next to Durham Central Park.
The Durham Arts Council is billing Centerfest as "The Art Lover’s Festival:
One stop shopping for art lovers."
Typically, the blues festival is held a week earlier than Centerfest. This year's scheduling was adjusted due to renovation under way at the blues' customary venue, Durham Athletic Park.
Taking advantage of the coincident timing, the Durham Convention & Visitors Bureau is promoting Sept. 18-21 as "2 Great Festivals - 1 Great Weekend" with a promotional Web site as www.durhamweekends.com.
