Amy Armbruster, Chief Sustainability Officer and Galen Poythress, Recreation Supervisor for the Town of Carrboro explained what's in store as we celebrate our town and planet on Sunday.
The Combined Celebration: This year, Carrboro Day is being celebrated alongside Earth Day and Open Streets. What was the reasoning behind merging these events?
GP: Sustainability is a goal for all our operations. Since we are Carrboro, rather than offer three different events that have a little of this and some of that with lots of moving parts, we elected to have one event that has everything. This means less impact on town resources and the environment. By combining events, we are striving to create less trash, use less power consumption, reduce water use from public restrooms and successfully reduce the negative impacts to the environment.
Core Philosophy: The original 1994 philosophy of Carrboro Day was to offer a "small town homecoming" to help citizens enlarge their circle of acquaintances. How do you feel the 2026 event still honors that founding spirit while championing new values like equity and sustainability?
GP: We have kept tradition alive with the selection of activities and educational resources we are offering at our new Carrboro Earth Day event. We are keeping to our format of having bands play at Town Hall and adding a stage at Weaver Street. You will also see our regular offerings, such as the activities offered by the Scrap Exchange, Face Painters, art activities and plant giveaways. Carrboro’s new Poet Laureate Dr. Amanda Bennett will read her poems and facilitate our Poetry in the Round for anyone wanting to share and listen to local poets, as well as info on Carrboro’s role in wartime history, including ammunition production right here in our town. We also have a diversity of youth speakers at the event. Since we blended Carrboro, Open Streets and Earth Day into “Carrboro Earth Day” we are honoring tradition and staying true to our values and meeting the public expectations for these events.
The event is often called a "Carrboro Love Fest." As an organizer, what specific local elements do you feel are essential to keep the event feeling uniquely "Carrboro?"
AA: Carrboro’s residents and visitors are what make this such a special place! This event features so much local talent. There is poetry, art, music and storytelling. Each activity attracts different friends, family and neighbors. So, what you get almost feels like a big party for the whole town. One of my favorite things about this event is running into neighbors and friends I haven’t seen in a while and reconnecting with them.
What are the biggest logistical challenges in coordinating "Open Streets" in the heart of downtown?
GP: One of the biggest challenges of coordinating an event in downtown Carrboro is balancing street closures with maintaining access for residents, businesses, and emergency services. It also requires strong coordination across multiple stakeholders—town departments, local businesses, and vendors—to ensure everything runs smoothly. We consider all traffic and bus detours, safety planning, and recognize clear communication with the public is critical, along with making sure the event remains accessible and reflects the community’s values.
Featured Performances: How do you select performers?
GP: For Carrboro Day, we really focus on creating a lineup that feels like the community and represents the community. We include a mix of local talent, offer a range of styles in music and performers that connect with a wide range of people. I also look at how performers have engaged with audiences in the past and how well they align with the event’s inclusive, community vibe. It’s all about finding that balance between familiar favorites and bringing in something new and exciting.
The Lineup:
Town Commons: 12:15 – Honey Magpie; 1:15pm - Tim Smith; 2:15pm - Takiri Folclor Latino (Dance); 3:00pm – Wake Moody
Weaver St Market 1:00-3:00pm: One After 919 – A Beatles Cover Band
The town has emphasized "uplifting diverse voices" and ensuring "inclusive access" for 2026. What concrete steps have been taken this year to make sure the festival is accessible to all residents?
GP: This year, the Town has taken some intentional steps to make Carrboro Earth Day more accessible and inclusive. For example, there’s been a clear focus on representing diverse cultures through performers and programming—like incorporating Latin dance, local artists, and a variety of music styles that reflect the community.
On the accessibility side, the Town is actively working on an ADA Transition Plan, which includes gathering feedback directly from residents, especially people with disabilities—to identify barriers and improve access to events, facilities, and services.
There’s also an effort to keep the event physically accessible and welcoming—using open street formats for walkability, providing free and family-friendly activities, and creating spaces where people of all ages and backgrounds can participate. Overall, it’s about being intentional in both representation and access, not just in messaging, and in how the event is designed and implemented.
AA: One new thing we are doing this year is introducing Cooling Zones inside Town Hall and Century Center. The weather looks beautiful on Sunday, but if folks are feeling the heat, they can pop inside to cool down in the AC.
The event will have three main areas: 1) Town Hall will host the plant giveaway, scrap-exchange art activity, artists selling their wares, poetry readings, the main music stage, history stories, educational tables, and food trucks, among other things! 2) W. Weaver Street will feature fun family games and Open Streets activities to get you cycling! 3) And, E. Weaver Street will have lots of great environmental organizations and groups where you can learn ways to make Earth Day, every day. It's also where the second music stage will be located.
Carrboro Day was the birthplace of the town's Poet Laureate program. Can you tell us about the significance of the poetry readings this year?
GP: We are featuring our Carrboro Poet Laureate, Dr. Amanda Bennett, who will be reading for the first time at Carrboro Earth Day. Dr. Bennett is Carrboro’s ninth poet laureate, and the first Black woman to serve. She is a postdoctoral fellow at UNC Chapel Hill’s Arts & Humanities Grant Studio, and is continuing her mission to uplift young marginalized voices: “I hope in my role as laureate that I can help to facilitate the sustainability of the beautiful grassroots arts culture” of Orange County, Bennett said.
We will also have Matt G. Taylor, a well-known local poet who is very active in the community; a Carrboro High School student, Gemella Marey Punongbayan, who will be sharing an Earth Day poem; and a mother and daughter team who will read a poem together in a beautiful intergenerational offering for the day.
When the festival ends at 4 p.m., what do you hope attendees take back into their daily lives in the community?
AA: I hope people walk away feeling proud to be a member of this incredible community, excited about trying something new – planting a new native plant, cycling, composting, or writing their own poetry, and a little more hopeful about the world we live in and this beautiful planet we all share.