03-04-2025
Welcome to Azalea Festival weekend: We've got you covered, Wilmington
Welcome to the weekly Port City Life newsletter brought to you by me, StarNews cultural issues reporter John Staton.
The 78th annual N.C. Azalea Festival started on Wednesday with the crowning of Queen LXXVIII Azalea Bethany Joy Lenz, and we've got all of the festival coverage you could ever want right here in the StarNews.
We've got events to know about, we've got festival history, and we'll have photos, stories and much, much more every day until the festival wraps on Sunday. For details about this weekend's festival, and other events, read on.
It's going to be a warm Azalea Festival weekend, with high temps well above normal. Overcast Friday and Saturday with highs in the low-to-mid 80s. Winds will get a bit gusty on Sunday as a cold front moves in, with a high near 80.
Hot stuff: What's the weather forecast for this week's Azalea Festival in Wilmington?
Tons going on for the N.C. Azalea Festival this weekend, both official festival events and events hoping to take advantage of the big crowds in town for the fest.
For starters, four new plays open on area stages: the musical "Mary Poppins" on Thalian Hall's main stage, bracing drama "God of Carnage" in Thalian's studio theater, English comedy of manners "Blithe Spirit" at University of North Carolina Wilmington, and Moliere's 17th century classic "Tartuffe" at Cape Fear Community College.
Plus, Wilmington pop-rock band Kicking Bird debuts its new album Friday night at Satellite, and the massive Alt-Zalea music festival returns to the Brooklyn Arts District for the 10th year on Saturday. Link to full list below.
Happenings: 19 things to do for Azalea Festival weekend in Wilmington, including non-festival options
Food writer Allison Ballard clues you in on five Wilmington-area bakeries where you can get fresh bread.
Plus, a slider chain is looking to come to Wilmington, and we've got news about several planned new locations for Cape Fear Seafood Company.
A movie with a Wilmington connection is coming to the Disney+ streaming service. "Not Just a Goof," a documentary about animated Disney film "A Goofy Movie," will hit Disney+ on Monday, April 7. The producer of "Not Just a Goof" is Scott Seibold, a native of Wilmington, and he fell in love with film right here in the Port City.
'Not Just a Goof': Wilmington native lands making-of documentary about a beloved 'Goofy' film on Disney+
A star of red-hot HBO Max drama "The White Lotus" has been in Wilmington making a movie. We've got words and pics.
Plus, a Wilmington singer makes it to the brink of elimination on "American Idol," and more development is heading to Carolina Beach Road.
Brooke Renshaw: Wilmington singer makes it to the brink of elimination on 'American Idol'
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This article originally appeared on Wilmington StarNews: What do in Wilmington for the 2025 NC Azalea Festival
