Two signature Durham events, the World Beer Festival and the Bull Durham Blues Festival, will be held this year at the Durham Bulls Athletic Park instead of the Durham Athletic Park, which is about to undergo major renovations.
The Bull Durham Blues Festival is slated for Sept. 18-20, and the World Beer Festival will take place Oct. 4.
The $6.3 million renovation to the DAP, the former home of the Durham Bulls, will begin in late July. The park should be ready for use as a training facility for Minor League Baseball by early next year, said Alan Delisle, the city's economic development director.
Daniel Bradford, organizer of the World Beer Festival, said he's thrilled about the opportunity to host the 12th annual event at what he described as a "spectacular facility."
Bradford said officials are taking pains to tread lightly on the DBAP's pristine field. In 2005, the DAP field suffered extensive damage after the World Beer Festival was held after heavy rains.
A field protectant called Terraplas is being used to avoid a repeat.
Delisle said the plan is for the World Beer and Bull Durham Blues festivals to move back to the DAP next year.
But Bradford's hoping the World Beer Festival won't be forced back.
"It’d be wonderful if we had a choice," he said.
