Durham Beat is a curated monthly show paper in print and online. 

The Show Paper

A curated list of shows and other happenings every month. The paper is available in print at several locations and online via Substack, Instagram, and our website. You can subscribe for free on Substack to have the paper delivered to your inbox every month! Print copies available for free at designated locations (see list HERE) around the Triangle. Home Delivery Subscriptions coming soon.

The Late Edition

This is an extra newsletter dedicated to the stuff we missed, the late additions, and the shows announced after we published the paper. This newsletter is available online only. Published via Substack (and Instagram) about a week after the monthly paper goes out.

FAQs

How do you put together the show paper?

We check all the sites and socials for all the places we can think of (we have a very big and seemingly ever-growing list) and pick out a whole bunch of stuff. We include as many free shows and events as we can, and try to give extra space for the smaller spaces, the DIY spots, the hyperlocal. But we love big spaces too and always have room for cool stuff from the bigger venues. We check Durham, Chapel Hill/Carrboro, Raleigh, and we peek at Greensboro, Greenville, and even Winston, Asheville, and Wilmington sometimes. But mostly we’re focused on Durham and the Triangle.

Can I send you shows? 

Pretty soon, you’ll be able to submit shows to us. More on that in the near future.

How do I get a print copy?

We drop off print copies at several locations every month where you can grab one for free while supplies last. Those places may vary from time to time, but we will post a list HERE every month with the list of locations where you can grab one.

Can I get it mailed to me? 

Yes. We will be introducing HOME DELIVERY SUBSCRIPTIONS (via USPS) very, very soon. Subscriptions will be available for periods of 6 months or one year for a modest subscription fee.

How do I see it online? 

You can subscribe to us for free on Substack and have the digital version delivered to your inbox. You will also receive the Late Edition newsletter via email if you are subscribed on Substack. Otherwise, we will always post these on our website.

How can I support the paper?

You can follow us on Instagram and Substack! You can share us with your friends, family, colleagues. You can subscribe for Home Delivery when it becomes available. You can come to one of our folding parties to help us fold and staple the papers (more about this soon).

Who are we?

Right now, “we” is “me” – my name is Matia. I’m the Editor of Durham Beat. I’m a writer. I’m also a journalist, poet, zinemaker, photographer, bookbinder, and event organizer. I release my zines and artistic work under my project Secret Astronomer, which is an experimental writing, performance art, and publishing project. 

A Little History

The Beat was founded in 2018 as a zine (in print) for collaborative creative / journalistic / experimental projects, as well as an online publication focused on covering the local scene in Durham and more broadly in the Triangle area. We ran a monthly art market called The Beat Market, originally at Sam’s Quik Shop (RIP) and eventually for many years at Fullsteam Brewery on Rigsbee. We also hosted tons of “Off Beat” markets and block parties with local partners around Durham including Outer Loop Arts, Pure Soul, Locopops, Discover Durham, and others. And we definitely threw a few shows, release parties, dance parties, warehouse parties, and other live music and performance art happenings.

After going non-stop for six years, we took a break in May of 2023 to focus on personal matters, artistic growth, and thinking long and hard about what comes next. After a good long think, we landed on relaunching as a monthly show paper…