5 Free Things to Do at Duke in March 2025

Create and view art, hear acclaimed choral ensembles and attend an author discussion

A collage showing five activities available to do in Duke University for free includes a glee club concert, an art walk, a paper making class, a Duke Chapel tour and an author discussion.
Each month at Duke University offers a variety of free activities. Photo collage by Paul Figuerado

Campus life at Duke will be in full swing in March as musical events, an author discussion and opportunities to create and view art are offered to community members.

During the academic year, the Working@Duke editorial team searches the Duke Event Calendar and elsewhere each month to find five free things to do at Duke. Check back in April for the next batch of events.

Duke University Chapel

March 9 – Public Tour of Duke University Chapel

Learn about the history, architecture and life of Duke University Chapel on this free tour. The 45-minute tour begins at 12:15 p.m., or immediately following the conclusion of the Sunday morning worship service.

Meet the docent on the front steps of the Chapel. No reservation is required, but the Chapel requests to be notified in advance if attending with a large group.

The tour is offered each Sunday, including March 16, March 23 and March 30 at 12:15 p.m.

A group of people looks at an art display hung on a wall at Nasher Museum of Art

March 13 – Gallery Guide Tour: Women’s History Month

Visit the Nasher Museum of Art at 6 p.m. for a “Thursdays at the Nasher” gallery tour that celebrates Women’s History Month. The guided tour will explore representations of womanhood in its many facets, from ancient depictions of the female form to modern abstraction.

Members of the U.S. Naval Academy Glee Club stand in a formal portrait

March 15 – Concert: United States Naval Academy Glee Clubs

Hear the U.S. Naval Academy Glee Club and U.S. Naval Women’s Glee Club perform at Duke University Chapel at 7 p.m. The Men’s Glee Club is one of the world’s premier men’s choruses and the Women’s Glee Club is the only all-female military choral ensemble in the world.

The two groups often perform choral-orchestral literature combining with the nation’s leading orchestras and have made numerous television appearances while traveling across the country and world.

A woman stands at a plastic basin at a paper-making workshop

March 18 – Duke Arts Create: Paper Making

Learn to make paper from recycled materials in this zero-waste Duke Arts Create workshop at Duke Campus Farm beginning at 5:30 p.m. Attendees will use blended pulp to create sheets of paper using the dip method with a mold and deckle. All levels are welcome, no experience is necessary – and you’ll leave with your own handmade paper. Registration opens March 7 and is required.

A promotional graphic displays an author talk by journalist Emily Feng

March 20 – ‘Let Only Red Flowers Bloom’: Book Talk with Emily Feng in conversation with Eileen Chow

Journalist Emily Feng joins Eileen Chow, Duke Associate Professor of the Practice of Asian and Middle Eastern Studies, in a conversation about Feng’s career and book, “Let Only Red Flowers Bloom,” in the Rubenstein Arts Center at 5:30 p.m.

Feng’s book, which will be released March 18, details the stories of nearly two dozen people who are pushing back against the way the Chinese state is trying to control their identity and free expression. Feng reveals stories of resistance and survival in a country that is increasingly closing itself off to the world, and what it’s like to run against the grain in China.

Feng is an award-winning international correspondent for NPR and an alumna of Duke, where she was a double-major in Asian & Middle Eastern Studies and Public Policy.

Audience members are invited to join Feng for a book signing following the talk.

Send story ideas, shout-outs and photographs through our story idea form or write working@duke.edu.

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