The festival starts at 1 p.m. and just keeps on going; the last note won’t fade away until midnight or later. Performers will play indoors and out; you can check the schedule and arrange your visit to catch your favorites, or you can just stroll around town and let chance be your guide.

Either way, you have the opportunity to hear just about any kind of music you can imagine – rock, folk, blues, bluegrass, jazz, Celtic, world, gospel and so on – and a few you probably can’t: “mad scientist/robot girl rock” or “banjo music for funerals and social gatherings,” for example.

Best of all, it’s all free. Even the shuttle is gratis; a Chapel Hill Transit shuttle will run from the Carrboro Plaza park-and-ride lot every 10 or 15 minutes.

The festival is presented by the Carrboro Recreation and Parks Department and the Carrboro Music Festival Planning Committee. You can find schedules, performer bios and more at carrboromusicfestival.com.