Festival attendees in downtown Raleigh at Hopscotch Music Festival — Aerial view of crowd at City Plaza's main stage in Downtown Raleigh for Hopscotch Music Festival.

Special Event Requests

Updated: Dec 12, 2024

Coming Soon!

The Special Events Office will begin accepting applications through Eproval, a new event management software that will streamline coordination and allow event organizers to track permitting status. We anticipate going live in January 2025. Read our Eproval FAQs to learn more.

Helpful Links

Festivals, performances, road races, parades, charity walks, and similar events that use public rights-of-way require a Special Event Permit. See below for a list of event types and their corresponding deadlines and fees. More information on event types can be found in the Special Event Planning Guide.

Event Type	Deadline	Application Fee	Permit Fee
Parade	120 Days	$100	$100
Walk/Race 5K and Under	120 Days	$100	$100
Walk/Race Over 5K	120 Days	$100	$250
General Event Tier III	30 Days	N/A	N/A
General Event Tier II	45 Days	$50	$100
General Event Tier I	90 Days	$100	$250

How to Apply

Read the Special Event Planning Guide.
Contact the Special Events Office to determine date and location availability, and for assistance in identifying which type of event you are requesting.
Complete the Special Event Application. NOTE: YOU CANNOT SAVE YOUR PROGRESS ONCE YOU BEGIN. Submissions require a detailed site plan of the event footprint. For more information on site plan requirements and to see site plan examples, visit the Site Plan Resources page.
Once a Special Event Application has been submitted, staff will contact you with instructions for how to submit the corresponding non-refundable application fee. The application fee can be paid via phone, in person, or mail.

Until both the application and application fee are received, your application will not be considered complete and your materials will not be reviewed. Submitting an application does NOT guarantee that your event will be approved.