2026 in Winston-Salem: Six Things We’re Excited About

A new year always brings possibilities, but 2026 feels especially promising for Winston-Salem. From a new concert venue set to redefine the music scene to a long-awaited community history museum, the months ahead are shaping up to be something special. Add in major arts projects, new places to explore, and a milestone birthday for the nation, and it's clear the city has a lot to look forward to this year.

So, in no particular order, here are six reasons to get excited about 2026 in Winston-Salem.

1. The Clash Returns

NASCAR’s season-opening exhibition race, the Cook Out Clash, is roaring back to Winston-Salem on Feb. 1, once again spotlighting the legendary quarter-mile at Bowman Gray Stadium. Its return follows the resounding success of the 2025 debut, when The Clash came home to the Madhouse for the first NASCAR Cup Series event there in more than 50 years. The weekend delivered sellout crowds and earned praise from drivers, who said the energy made it unforgettable.

The decision to return reflects NASCAR’s renewed commitment to grassroots racing and its long-term agreement to operate Bowman Gray through 2050. It also comes as NASCAR continues investing in stadium improvements, including a new $1 million Samsung video board, upgraded lighting, a resurfaced track, and enhanced safety features. These upgrades will benefit the Clash as well as WSSU football and weekly racing throughout the season.

The 2026 weekend features qualifying and the Madhouse Classic on Jan. 31, followed by the Cook Out Clash main event Feb. 1 at 8 p.m. on FOX. A limited number of tickets remain online.

2. Downtown’s New Amphitheatre

One of the biggest highlights of 2026 will be the arrival of a new $9 million, 5,000-seat amphitheatre that promises to elevate Winston-Salem’s live-music scene. Rising on a central downtown block between the Benton Convention Center and First Baptist Church, the privately funded venue is designed to attract major touring acts—artists who typically play larger cities—while also giving a premier stage to hometown favorites like the Winston-Salem Symphony, the International Black Theatre Festival, and university groups.

Renderings reveal a welcoming, festival-style layout with a beer garden, concessions, merch booths, food-truck bays, and shaded lawn seating. With construction underway and a six-month timeline in place, the venue is targeting a late-May 2026 opening, setting the stage for an unforgettable summer. You can read more about the project and stay updated here.

3. MUSE Set to Open

Arriving in late summer 2026, MUSE Winston-Salem will give the city something it has long lacked: a dedicated community history museum that tells the full story of Winston and Forsyth County.

Housed along the Downtown Strollway, the $3.1 million museum will help complete a growing cultural corridor linking downtown with Old Salem. Its mission is ambitious and overdue, weaving together the city’s many historical narratives into one inclusive, far-reaching experience. At its core, MUSE aims to offer a broad lens that helps visitors see Winston-Salem from a new angle, showing how its past shapes its future.

In addition to a core exhibit on local history, you'll find experiential features like a Safe Bus immersive video, a retrofitted jukebox playing local musicians, and artifacts such as a historic fire engine and items from Smith Reynolds Airport. A flexible gallery will welcome lectures, programs, and rotating shows, with both ticketed entry and free-access hours.

4. Outdoor Adventure Projects Slated to Open

Forsyth County will unveil several new projects at its parks and greenways in 2026, including new trails, upgraded amenities, and clearer signage. Here are a few things to look for:

• Horizons Park will debut more than 8 miles of new natural-surface trails for hiking, biking, and horseback riding. Anchored by the 3.2-mile Beech Trail and four connecting loops, the system includes improved signage and expanded parking. Construction should wrap up by spring 2026, marking the first phase of future upgrades to playgrounds, shelters, bike trails, the dog park, and the park’s disc golf course.
• Tanglewood Park will add two new disc golf courses by summer 2026, including an 18-hole course and a 6-hole beginner course designed by Disc Golf Design Group. Set within the park’s rolling terrain and riverfront landscape, the courses build on 2025 projects such as Tanglewood's new clubhouse and all-abilities playground.
• Enhanced greenway signage will begin appearing across Winston-Salem in 2026, improving navigation on popular routes such as the Salem Creek Greenway and the Downtown Strollway. The new system will clearly mark destinations, distances, and connections.

Other outdoor projects to note include the potential openings of two greenways—the Long Branch Trail extension and Twin City Trail Phase II—expanding the growing network of connected paths through the center city. In Northwest Forsyth County, the Bashavia Creek Preserve could also open, offering miles of trails and protected green space.

5. New Chapters for Two Cultural Icons

Two of Winston-Salem’s most beloved cultural institutions will enter transformative phases in 2026. While we’ll miss having full access to their historic campuses, both NCMA Winston-Salem and Reynolda House are making ambitious investments that will strengthen their futures and expand the ways visitors experience art.

Reynolda will close parts of its historic home from January to August 2026 for an $8 million HVAC replacement that protects the collection for generations to come. However, the museum’s Babcock Wing will remain open with a new exhibit, Layered Looking, an immersive, sensory experience inviting visitors to explore art through touch, sound, and movement. Many other onsite attractions will remain open during the closure, including Reynolda Gardens and Reynolda Village.

NCMA Winston-Salem will also close its main campus as it embarks on a $15 million renovation, a multi-year project introducing new technology, improved accessibility, a café, a second-floor educational gallery, and new trails with sculpture and interactive art pads. To keep exhibitions accessible during construction, NCMA will open a downtown space at Fourth and Marshall Streets in the spring, offering rotating shows and artist-centered programming in a lively, central location. NCMA notes this outpost could become a long-term complement to its reimagined campus.

6. America’s 250th, Winston-Salem Style

America’s 250th anniversary is almost here, and communities across the country—including right here in Forsyth County—are preparing to mark this milestone with special exhibitions, festivals, programs, and events. A countywide America 250 committee is already developing performances, installations, and yearlong activities that will be announced in the coming months. Old Salem will play a leading role, hosting a signature July 4 celebration—a fitting tribute, as America’s first official Independence Day celebration took place in Salem in 1783. 

But beyond the events themselves, Winston-Salem is uniquely suited to help visitors experience the sweep of American history in one approachable, immersive destination. At Bethabara and Old Salem, guests encounter the Frontier and Colonial eras through hands-on activities, original buildings, and treasured archives. America’s industrial boom and Roaring ’20s come alive at places like Reynolda, Brookstown Inn, and the iconic Reynolds Building (now a Kimpton hotel)—prototype for the Empire State Building. And throughout the Innovation Quarter, the city’s past and future come together in reimagined factories and creative public spaces.

In short, Winston-Salem won’t just celebrate America’s 250th—it will help you experience it. Many of these 250-themed events and experiences will be highlighted on our America 250 page.

More On the Way …

There’s plenty more we’re excited to see unfold in 2026—new attractions, refreshed outdoor amenities, and new places to eat and drink, including additions to the new Salem Bottleworks development. The year also brings major moments on the events calendar, headlined by the return of the 2026 International Black Theatre Festival.

Looking ahead, several major projects are poised to take big steps forward in 2026, including:

• Peter Oliver Pavilion (above). A new outdoor public space honoring the remarkable life of Peter Oliver and his journey from slavery to freedom. It's stationed in downtown, immediately next to MUSE, on property formerly owned by Oliver. Construction should begin in 2026 on the pavilion with a potential opening in 2027.
• The Grounds. Transforming 100 acres surrounding the Joel Coliseum into a mixed-use entertainment district with dining, retail, housing, trails, and public gathering spaces. Early work is already visible, with full buildout expected by mid-2027.
• The Stevens Center. Downtown’s iconic 1929 theater is undergoing an $80 million, multi-year renovation that will remake every facet—from lobby and seating to stage technologies and exterior accessibility. Construction began in earnest in early 2024 could be complete by 2027.

We’ll share more about these and other landmark projects as they develop. For now, we’re simply excited for what 2026 has in store. Stay tuned!