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RARS Menu ☰

Experience the Largest All-Indoor Hamfest
on the East Coast
and the 2025 ARRL North Carolina State Convention

Brought to you by the
Raleigh Amateur Radio Society

Features

When & Where







April 5, 2025

8:00 AM — 3:00 PM

The Jim Graham Building
North Carolina State Fairgrounds
Raleigh, NC
See here for directions

Door Prizes!


Grand Prize

Yaesu FTDX10 HF Radio

First Prize

Yaesu FTM-510DR ASP FM/C4FM
Dual Band Mobile

“Early Bird” Prize

ICOM IC-2730A Dual Band Mobile

Volunteer Prize

Yaesu FT-70DR Dual Band Handheld Radio

PLUS! Hourly drawings for other fabulous prizes!

See the Door Prizes page for details. Complimentary tickets are not eligible for prize drawings (except that RARSfest Volunteers are eligible for the Volunteer Prize as described).

Cousin's Confections has food and beverages for sale in the restaurant area, including assorted Danish; sausage, bacon and ham biscuits; assorted juices; and fresh brewed coffee for breakfast; and burgers, hot dogs, BBQ pork sandwiches, assorted wraps, soft drinks, and lemonade for lunch! The restaurant opens at 7:30 AM so people waiting in line before the hamfest starts can get a beverage and a snack while they are waiting. Once the hamfest starts at 8:00 AM, the restaurant is accessible only from the show floor.

General Admission


  • $12 at the door, Friday, April 4, from noon to 6:00 PM and Saturday, the day of the show, from 7:30 AM to 2:00 PM
  • If you bought general admission tickets (without flea market tables) during the “Early Bird” Period, pick up your wristband at the “Will Call” table at the right-hand main entrance to the Jim Graham Building
  • Admission for attendees age 16 and under continues to be complimentary when accompanied by a paying adult
  • Admission also continues to be complimentary for anyone earning their first amateur radio license at our license exam session. Details at the exam session.
  • Use the main entrances to the Jim Graham Building

See here for details.

Commercial Area


  • For commercial sellers of new amateur radio and related equipment, and non-commercial exhibitors
  • Located in a prime traffic area at the front of the show floor
  • Your choice of attractive 10' x 10' booth space or eight-foot tables in a custom arrangement (space permitting)
  • Power drops available (bring your own extension cords, distribution boxes, etc.)
  • Reasonably priced
  • Easy setup and take-down—drive to your space!
  • Use the load-in (a/k/a "Flea Market") entrance to the Jim Graham Building
  • No vehicles will be allowed to enter the building after 7:30 AM or before 3:00 PM on Saturday

See here for details.

Flea Market


  • For clubs and non-commercial sellers of used amateur radio and related equipment
  • 8' x 2.5' table with two chairs at $27 and admission tickets at $12 each at the load-in (a/k/a “Flea Market”) entrance on the west side of the Jim Graham Building on Friday, April 4, from noon until 6:00 PM, and on Saturday, April 5, the day of the show, from 6:00 AM until 2:00 PM, subject to availabilty
  • 120 VAC Power—$25 per connection. Bring your own extension cords (at least 50 feet)
  • Use the load-in (a/k/a "Flea Market") entrance to the Jim Graham Building
  • No vehicles will be allowed to enter the building after 7:30 AM or before 3:00 PM on Saturday
See here for details.


Become a RARSfest Volunteer!

We need volunteers! We need volunteers on Friday, the day before the show, to help set up. We need volunteers on Saturday, the day of the show, to help put it on. Without volunteers, there would be no RARSfest. Please give us a few hours of your time and become one of the people who helps make RARSfest a success. Benefits of being a registered RARSfest Volunteer include:

And, finally and perhaps most importantly, helping to ensure the continuation of RARSfest into the future. The biggest threat to hamfests today is the lack of volunteers. Some large hamfests that were suspended during COVID have not come back, due in part to the lack of volunteers. We need your help to keep RARSfest alive.

Go to our Become a Volunteer Page to see where we need help and then click on the SignUp Genius button to sign up in the Volunteer Sign-Up System for the benefits above!


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