packapalooza

Aug 14, 2025

Find Out What’s in Store for Wolfpack Welcome Weeks

The 2025 edition of Wolfpack Welcome Weeks will run from Aug. 14-28, spanning from the annual Talley Takeover to the NC State football team’s season opener against East Carolina at Carter-Finley Stadium, and including Packapalooza™, the annual all-day street festival and block party on Hillsborough Street. 

Aug 29, 2024

Packapalooza™ Rocks Hillsborough Street: A Grand Finale to Welcome Week

An unseasonably (relatively speaking) cool afternoon in Raleigh on Saturday, Aug. 24 was the perfect backdrop for the annual Packapalooza™ street festival and block party. NC State students, faculty, staff, alums and local community members flocked to Hillsborough Street to celebrate the 12th year of the popular festival. 

Aug 15, 2023

A Thousand Tours… And Counting

Tom Stafford, vice chancellor for student affairs emeritus, will give his 1,000th tour of NC State’s Memorial Belltower on Aug. 29. 

Sep 6, 2022

Relive Wolfpack Welcome Week 2022

We kick-started the new academic year with more than a week of celebration, including the return of Packapalooza. See the highlights. 

Jul 14, 2022

Cheese-Rolling Champ Returns in Triumph to Packapalooza, Prize in Hand

Abby Lampe is cutting short a post-graduation European trip to appear on the main stage at Packapalooza Aug. 27, along with a 9-pound cheese wheel she captured in a daring English competition that dates back to the Middle Ages. 

Aug 26, 2019

Packapalooza 2019

Even a splash of rain couldn't dampen spirits at NC State's annual block party, which brings the Wolfpack together to celebrate the new school year. 

Aug 15, 2019

Wolfpack Welcome Week 2019

Exciting, exhausting, bustling — and hot. The first week at NC State is packed with events to get students up to speed and make them feel at home. 

Aug 16, 2018

Wolfpack Welcome Week 2018

NC State is welcoming first-year and transfer students to campus August 17-25 with a full slate of Wolfpack Welcome Week events. 

Aug 16, 2017

Spin Doctors Headline Packapalooza 2017

For the sixth straight year, NC State will host Packapalooza, a free day-long block party and street festival for the community on Hillsborough Street. Events will begin at 2 p.m. and end with late-night concert by headliner the Spin Doctors. 

Aug 9, 2017

Wolfpack Welcome Week 2017

During Wolfpack Welcome Week, nearly 6,500 new students will arrive at NC State and take that next step in their academic careers. Find out what awaits them. 

Aug 23, 2016

View Highlights From Packapalooza

Check out our social media roundup of Packapalooza 2016. You may even spot yourself among the event’s 75,000 participants. 

Aug 18, 2016

Prepare for Packed Packapalooza

Saturday's fifth-annual Packapalooza is expected to draw more than 60,000 students, staff, faculty and Raleigh citizens to the rain-or-shine block party and community festival on Hillsborough Street. 

Jul 27, 2016

Volunteer for Packapalooza 2016

Packapalooza 2016 is just around the corner and, as always, the welcome-week community festival on Hillsborough Street needs hundreds of volunteers throughout the day. Sign up for a shift and enjoy celebrating all things Wolfpack on Aug. 20. 

Aug 25, 2015

NC State, Habitat Partner to Build-A-Block

NC State and Habitat for Humanity of Wake County announced plans to build 11 townhomes off Lake Wheeler Road, in the largest partnership ever planned between a university and Habitat affiliate. 

Aug 20, 2015

Rappers, Race Cars Rule Packapalooza

The fourth-annual Packapalooza community festival takes over Hillsborough Street on Saturday with a celebration of Wolfpack pride.