New Fourth Ward Entertainment District Honors Historic Raleigh Neighborhood
RALEIGH, N.C. SEPTEMBER 1, 2026 - The Fourth Ward Neighborhood Association, the Raleigh Convention and Performing Arts Complex, and the City of Raleigh are excited to announce the designation of the Fourth Ward Entertainment District in downtown Raleigh. The district spans from South St. to Cabarrus St. and from Dawson St. to Wilmington St.
This district was designated as part of an ongoing eEort to acknowledge the history of Raleigh’s Fourth Ward Neighborhood. Other projects include the history exhibit titled The Magic of the Fourth Ward: A Journey Through Time and Culture at the Martin Marietta Center for the Performing Arts, the City of Raleigh’s Fourth Ward Historic Tour, and the Fourth Ward Oral History Project, a collaboration between members of the Fourth Ward Neighborhood Association, local community organizers and activists, and graduate students at North Carolina State University.
“We’re so excited to have our own Fourth Ward Entertainment District,” said Rosa Rand, president of the Fourth Ward Neighborhood Association. “It’s everything that we hoped for.”
“We’re humbled and excited by the opportunity to be a part of commemorating and remembering the rich history of this neighborhood” said Kerry Painter, executive director of the Raleigh Convention and Performing Arts Complex. “We’re grateful to work with Fourth Ward community leaders to put up these placemaking visual markers and remind everyone who comes through the neighborhood where they are and why it’s so important.”
The new commemorative street signs are being installed along the boundaries of the area designated as the Fourth Ward Entertainment District. The designs for the street signs were developed by the Raleigh Convention and Performing Arts Complex in collaboration with the Fourth Ward Neighborhood Association.
For more information about this and any other future projects related to the Fourth Ward Entertainment District, please visit https://www.atlanticunionbankconventioncenter.com/fourth-ward-entertainment-district.