Citywide festivals, free concert series, iconic venues — Winston-Salem has them all.
Winston-Salem's storied live music scene is as rich as it is diverse. Nearly every night of the week, local talent shines brightly at dozens of local bars, clubs, and other venues in town. Whatever style you prefer, from blues and jazz to indie rock and country, you're sure to find it here.
Come along on a journey through the city's best sites for live music, from intimate clubs to spacious halls to outdoor concert series and more. Your new favorite spot for live music awaits.
The Hotspots: The best venues to catch a live show in Winston-Salem
Every respectable city has an iconic music club. San Francisco has The Fillmore. LA has Whiskey a Go-Go. And Winston-Salem has to The Ramkat (pictured above). The two-story, 1,000-capacity hall opened in 2018 on the north end of downtown, occupying a space once filled by another iconic venue, Ziggy’s. In addition to its excellent sightlines and acoustics, the warehouse-style venue is designed for adaptability, making it ideal for both large-scale shows and intimate acts. Headliners such as The Wallflowers, Superchunk, Drive-By Truckers, Everclear, Marty Stuart, and Third Eye Blind have all taken the stage in recent years. The national acts are complemented by various local and regional acts playing everything from folk and indie rock to hip-hop to hardcore metal. The Ramkat's main hall is augmented by a smaller upstairs lounge, Gas Hill, an intimate listening room that holds around 100 guests.
The largest indoor facility in the region, Lawrence Joel Veterans Memorial Coliseum (aka, "The Joel"), is a dynamic venue with a seating capacity of over 14,000. Most think of it as a sports hub, first and foremost, serving as the home of Wake Forest basketball and the site of monster truck rallies, rodeos, and the occasional Harlem Globetrotters game. But it's also hosted countless big-name music acts over the years, from Elton John to Garth Brooks to the Dave Matthews Band.
After functioning as a brewery for nearly a decade, Hoots Beer Companytransitioned to a live music venue in 2024. Set in the historic West End Millworks Complex, the venue's cozy, quirky industrial vibe remains intact, creating an ideal space for unique events. Live acts take the stage multiple nights a week, with everything from rock and punk shows to R&B karaoke nights and comedy events filling the calendar.
Dubbed “the strangest bar in North Carolina,” this campy venue sits in the city's Washington Park neighborhood, about five minutes south of downtown. It's known for spotlighting original bands you won’t hear in other parts of the city — everything from metal to grunge to punk rock and more. The eclectic lineup is only part of the draw here, as Monstercade features an intimate stage, top-notch sound system, zany décor, and a devoted fanbase.
This lively space in downtown’s Industry Hill area features live country music on Fridays and Saturday evenings, plus Thursday evenings occasionally. It also hosts a popular Open Mic Night each Monday evening. Aside from music, food is another big draw at Earl's. You can find a mix of Southern comfort food and pub standards on the menu, along with a wide selection of whiskeys.
Muddy Creek Café has been a mainstay in Old Salem for years now. When the restaurant relocated to a larger space next door in early spring 2024, they added the intimate "Listening Room" that hosts a mix of acoustic-themed acts from folk to bluegrass to old-time. The venue's no-frills setup and limited seating (50-60 max) put music at the forefront. Concerts are typically held on weekends with many shows selling out beforehand. (Tickets are sold online and at the door if seats remain.) The venue also hosts a free Sunday Songwriters Showcase, akin to an open mic, hosted by local legend "Country Dan Collins." As a bonus, Muddy Creek's full café and drink menu are available during each concert.
Set in the historic West End Millworks Complex near Hoots, just outside downtown, this New Orleans-themed venue has quickly become a live music mainstay in town. Much of the music revolves around the bar's "Sunday Funday" series, featuring a mashup of acts ranging from country to R&B. (NOTE: Sunday Fundays are on pause now through the end of football season.) Aside from concerts, Bar NOLA regularly hosts other events, monthly R&B and Poetry Nights to jam sessions on its spacious new backporch patio.
Opened in spring 2024, this newer spot sits in one of downtown's most legendary retail spots — the iconic Miller Variety Store on Trade. These days the old general store has been remade into a vibrant sports lounge filled with pool tables, interactive darts, and countless big-screen TVs. The back of the venue features an impressive stage where live music unfolds most weekend nights.
Brewing Up Beats: The Best Breweries to Hear Live Music
Winston-Salem's vibrant craft beer scene isn't just about delicious brews; it's also a hub for live music. Here's where to enjoy a pint and catch a live performance.
Located in the Downtown Arts District, Fiddlin' Fish was founded in 2017 by two cousins with a shared love of fishing and mountain music (hence the name). So it makes sense that they'd be one of the best breweries in town for live music. Live music happens at least once a week, typically on Fridays, and the brewery throws the occasional all-day block party, such as their annual Day of the Dead festivities (seen above). Music bingo, bluegrass jams, and other music-themed events are also held regularly. The brewery's unique setting inside an old tobacco warehouse only adds to the appeal.
While all the city's 10 craft breweries offer live music to some degree, none does it as consistently as Joymonger's. You can hear live music Thursday through Saturday, from folk duos to country acts to some of the best-known cover bands in the state. The brewery also features live music periodically during its daylong "Sunday Funday" parties each week. Like most breweries in town, the brewery's unique setting is part of the appeal here. It sits in a renovated 90-year-old garage in Winston-Salem's West End neighborhood, just outside downtown. Food trucks are on hand nightly, and Music Bingo happens ever Wednesday.
An anchor in downtown’s Industry Hill neighborhood, Wise Man sits inside the historic 1929 Angelo Bros warehouse. It features live music each Friday and Saturday, with concerts mostly happening inside the brewery. However, the music often shifts outdoors during the warmer months, allowing you to take a seat on the brewery's vast patio and soak up the tunes. Like most breweries, the music acts run the gamut from bluegrass trios to 90s cover bands, indie rock, and more. Other music-themed events happen throughout the week, including Open Mic Nights every Wednesday, Music Bingo on Thursdays, and "Vintage Vinyl" parties each Sunday. Food trucks are also on hand nightly.
The OG of Winston-Salem's brewery scene, Foothills offers a variety of live music at both its original downtown brewpub (638 W. Fourth St.) and the expansive Tasting Room outside of downtown (3800 Kimwell Drive). The brewpub is one of the few spots in town to hear live music on Wednesday nights, and it's popular Sunday Jazz concerts have also become a weekly staple downtown. Meanwhile, the Tasting Room features live music on various nights, primarily on the weekends, along with Karaoke each Tuesday and Music Bingo each Thursday.
NOTE: Another brewery known for music, Incendiary, is highlighted below in our "Concert Series" section.
Rockin' the Suburbs: Live Music Outside the City Limits
You don't have to be in downtown Winston-Salem to hear a great show. From Clemmons to Kernersville, here are some live music hotspots around Forsyth County.
LEWISVILLE/CLEMMONS: On the county's west side, live music lovers often flock to The Playground to catch a show. The four-year-old social hub in Clemmons features some of the area's top live music and local acts each Friday and Saturday. It also offers golf simulators, 20 beers on tap, and a late night food menu. The neighboring town of Lewisville is home to Incendiary Brewing 2.0 (aka, Incendiary Lewisville) located at the old Westbend Vineyards site. The venue features live music on its outdoor patio stage most Fridays and Saturdays. A mile away is another live music hub, Old Nick Williams Farm & Distillery, which offers live music every weekend at its attached bar, Busted Barrell Cocktail Lounge, featuring a multi-tiered outdoor patio deck (seen above).
KERNERSVILLE: On the east side of Forsyth County, Kernersville has become a live music hotbed in recent years. It starts with Gypsy Road Brewing, one of the town's two craft breweries, which live music unfolds ever weekend. A mile away is The Emporium, a self-professed "nerdy rock and roll bar" featuring live music, retro arcade games, and a vast beer selection. The Emporium holds live music several nights weekly, including a popular weekly Wednesday Jam. Elsewhere in Kernersville, Folly's on Main Street has a mix of rotating bands each Friday and Saturday, plus Tuesday karaoke. A few steps away, Breathe Cocktail Lounge offers occasional live music, comedy shows, burlesque acts, and more.
Can't-Miss Concert Series: Mark your calendar for these annual music festivals.
Sure, you can experience great live music year-round in Winston-Salem. But to hear the city at its optimum level, plan a trip during the warm-weather months when music festivals and weekly concert series reign supreme. Here are a few can't-miss events to keep in mind for 2025.
The Downtown Summer Music Series has evolved quite a bit since its debut in 1998, but it remains one of Winston-Salem’s most-anticipated events of the season. The series features two events — Downtown Jazz and Summer on Fourth — held alternating weeks throughout the summer months. Downtown Jazz (above) is held every other Friday from 6:30–9:30 at Corpening Plaza and features the top jazz artists from across the country. Summer on Fourth, held on select Saturday evenings in front of Foothills Brewing, features the region's best-known party bands. The event has been around nearly decades, albeit under different names. It was formerly known as Summer on Liberty — and before that, Summer on Trade — before shifting to Fourth Street in 2023.
Billed as “the biggest party of two wheels,” the annual Gears & Guitars festival happens each Memorial Day Weekend, bringing world-class cyclists and big-name music acts along with it. The multi-day festival features pro racing events, community bike rides, and (of course) lots of live music. Bands like OAR, Blues Traveler, The Fray, and The Band Perry have all played in recent years alongside favorite local and regional acts. The 2024 Gears & Guitars attracted more than 1,000 cyclists and an estimated 9,500 attendees. The 2025 performers should be announced sometime in early spring. Stay tuned for details.
Set in the shadow of the iconic R.J. Reynolds smokestacks, the annual Coal Pit Live series has become a summertime tradition over the past few years. The series unfolds from late spring to early fall each Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays. The setting of the concerts is just as big a draw as the music. Each event unfolds in "the Coal Pit," a public park-like social space in downtown's Bailey Power Plant adjacent to Incendiary Brewing Company. The concrete-lined courtyard was once filled with — you guessed it — coal, which powered the tobacco factories that ruled the east side of downtown. Like much of its surroundings, the pit sat empty for decades until a massive revitalization brought it back to life in 2018.
This annual concert series has been a part of Winston-Salem's summer soundtrack for as long as anyone can remember. Each event features a mix of tunes from the Salem Band, the nation's oldest mixed-wind ensemble that dates back to the 1700s. Events are held on select Tuesday evenings from May to September in Salem Square in Old Salem. The concerts all feature a different theme, from “Awesome 80s” to “Stars & Stripes” to "Hollywood Hits." Food trucks are always on hand, but you can also pack snacks or a picnic supper — and don’t forget a blanket or lawn chair, as Salem Square has no formal seating. (NOTE: No dates for the 2025 concerts are posted yet. Stay tuned!)
Some of the city's biggest summer concerts unfold at a place not typically known for live music — the Winston-Salem Fairgrounds Annex. While the venue is well-known for ice skating in the winter, it’s become a hotspot for live music in the summer thanks to its annual Indoor Concert Series. Concerts are held on various nights and typically showcase iconic country music acts. Recent performers include Josh Turner, Lonestar, Little Texas, Jo Dee Messina, and the Gatlin Brothers. Stay tuned for the 2025 schedule.
NCMA Winston-Salem (formerly known as SECCA) holds various concert series both inside and outside, each with their own niche and all worth checking out. It starts with the venue's longtime Crossroads music series, which brings some of the country's most respected artists to town throughout the year. Held in NCMA's onsite auditorium, the concerts all designed to explore the musical intersections of folk, rock, and Americana. Outside on the grounds, NCMA hosts multiple concert series during the warm weather months on its picturesque, sloping back lawn that overlooks a spring-fed lake. This includes Lakeside, a genre-bending concert series showcasing today's best pop and rock acts on the last Saturday of the month (March to September). Another series, Lyrics By the Lake, is held the second Friday of the month (May to September) and features a mix of live music, comedy acts, poetry & spoken word, live painting, a local vendors market, and more.
Held in the early summer, typically June, 1Love Festival features regional, national, and international musicians along with authors, poets, visual artists, and other creative forces. They all come together for a multi-day event that aims to amplify African Diasporic culture while creating a uniquely immersive experience. Since debuting in 2022, the event has shifted to different venues but seems to have found a permanent home at Ramkat. We'll keep you posted on the 2025 details when they become available.
SIDE NOTES: What else to know about the local music scene
Guns N' Roses play at to a sold-out crowd at Allegacy Stadium.
The spaces and concert series highlighted above are just a sampling of all the places to experience live music in Winston-Salem. Popular venues come in all shapes and sizes here, with several prominent event spaces and attractions occasionally holding big-time concerts — among them the Millennium Center, The Barn at Reynolda Village, NC Museum of Art (SECCA), Scales Fine Arts Center (at WFU), and Truist Stadium (home of Winston-Salem Dash baseball).
Looking for large-scale, arena-style rock shows? You’ll find them at the aforementioned LJVM Coliseum and its next-door neighbor, Allegacy Stadium, the 35k-seat home of Wake Forest football. The stadium has welcomed a number of blockbuster acts in recent year including Elton John, Billy Joel, Guns N' Roses, and Paul McCartney. Meanwhile, many of the city’s top performing arts groups — including Piedmont Opera and the Winston-Salem Symphony — take the stage at two historic theatres in town: the enchanting Reynolds Auditorium and downtown's majestic Steven's Center (currently undergoing renovations).
Earl’s Whiskey Bar
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