RALEIGH, N.C. (WNCN) — North Carolina’s largest craft beer festival returned to downtown Raleigh, continuing on Saturday, bringing thousands of visitors and dozens of breweries together for the second day of the two-day event.

Organizers said Brewgaloo was expected to draw about 50,000 people, with nearly 80 breweries from across the state offering samples.

The festival began Friday evening with a ceremonial keg tapping, followed by a block party. Attendees enjoyed unlimited three-ounce samples, including limited releases, barrel-aged beers, and sours.

Saturday’s street festival ran from noon to 8 p.m. along Fayetteville Street, featuring dozens of breweries, food trucks, vendors and two live music stages. Although some much-needed rain cut the iconic Brewgaloo festival short, many called the festival a massive success.

“It’s nice to be able to see a lot of people from different areas and a lot of different breweries in one location. All I have to do is buy a ticket and I get to support local brewers,” said Raleigh resident Ryan Walker.

Festivalgoers were able to sample more than 350 craft beverages by redeeming drink tickets for either a pint or a three-ounce pour.

Admission to Brewgaloo was free, but tickets were required for beer sampling.

This was the fifth year that Goldsboro Brew Works participated in the festival.

“There’s double the amount of kegs that we normally bring, so here’s hoping,” said Zachary Fein, one of the owners of Goldsboro Brew Works. “Every single time we get people after Brewgaloo, we get them wanting to buy kegs, we get them coming to the taproom on the way to the beach.

“We’re remote, we’re 45 minutes down 70 from here, we’re east,” Fein said. “A lot of these folks have never heard of us before and it’s really kind of great for us to get our name out.”

This year’s event came amid amplified concerns about safety downtown. In the past few weeks, several people were stabbed during a brawl on Fayetteville Street and a man was seriously injured in a shooting in Glenwood South.

“It’s always concerning to see any incident in Raleigh,” Raleigh Mayor Janet Cowell said. “We are doing several things working with our police chief. Reallocating resources based on data and crime patterns. I think we’ve found that this is going to be one of the areas.”

According to Cowell, the city council is also exploring adding more police officers in the upcoming budget.

For Brewgaloo specifically, Raleigh police had barricades and barriers in place to protect the tens of thousands who were expected to enjoy the festivities this weekend.

“Overall, Raleigh’s a safe place,” Cowell said. “I think when there’s a lot more people is when we actually have fewer incidents because you’ve got so much activity, eyes on people, feet on the sidewalks.”

This year’s event also came on the heels of recent controversy involving Shop Local Raleigh, the group that organizes Brewgaloo. Executive director Jennifer Martin apologized after making an anonymous social media comment, stating “there is “there’s no such thing as a transgender son.”

The backlash led to the creation of a separate event, the “Y’all Means All” North Carolina Beer Festival, which is scheduled for Saturday at the same time as Brewgaloo. More than 16 breweries are expected to participate in that event, hosted by Raleigh Brewing Company, with a portion of proceeds benefiting the LGBT Center of Raleigh.

DURHAM, N.C. (WNCN) — North Carolina Central University (NCCU) will host a groundbreaking event celebrating Black excellence.

The HBCU Dope Art Tour kicks off on Saturday, April 25. This initiative, led by NCCU alumnus Rahiem James, is a nationwide tour themed “Painting the Legacy of Black Excellence.”

It aims to honor all 110 Historically Black Colleges and Universities through hyper-realistic artwork representing their mascots.

“It’s really impactful how art can endure over time and foster conversations that may be difficult to have on a daily basis,” said curator and artist Rahiem James.

The art show will feature a hyper-realistic painting of the NCCU Eagle, and a gallery designed to spark conversations about the legacy of NCCU and Durham.

The launch event will take place from noon to 4 p.m. at the Hayti Heritage Center.

Michael Whatley, a Republican running for Senate in North Carolina, told Fox News Digital that western North Carolina has made significant progress recovering from Hurricane Helene, but the region still needs continued federal support.

Michael Whatley, a Republican running for Senate in North Carolina, told Fox News Digital that western North Carolina has made significant progress recovering from Hurricane Helene, but the region still needs continued federal support as rebuilding efforts continue.