Chapel Hill, North Carolina 27516
The Kraken is a rockin’ roadhouse, full of character and even more full of characters. A friendly community watering hole, The Kraken hosts the best North Carolina musicians and select touring acts each weekend along with special events during the week including Tuesday Old Time Stringband jams and the internationally loved Shake Sugaree American Residency series each Wednesday featuring Jonathan Byrd and The Pickup Cowboys.
Rock and roll, Blues and Americana are the usual fare with Rockabilly, Bluegrass, Folk, World, Brass, Indy, Metal, Punk, Funk, Gypsy and Jazz joining as welcome spicy additions. At the beginning of June around 40 local musicians participate in The Kraken’s Annual tribute show – Merle Haggard, Chuck Berry, One Hit Wonders, and John Prine tributes were all a blast. Krakenfest occurs once or twice a year featuring a handful of metal acts and food on the big grill.
It’s a real-deal roadhouse located on the White Cross crossroads just outside of Chapel Hill, North Carolina. Just shy of fifty years old with crazy stories of bars past, it’s understandable that it’s often called a dive bar and that folks drive past thousands of times before curiosity draws them in. All it takes is that one time and preconceptions shed away with a warm welcome from amazing people sharing great stories and amazing music.
Welcome to a community porch and living room. The Kraken is often described as church with beer where you’ll learn to never judge a book by the cover.
