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What's On

What's On in Wilmington

Events, markets, games, library and parks programs in and around Wilmington, with times, prices and the organizer's own link.

Featured Wilmington Fourth of July fireworks 2026 Wilmington's free July 4 celebration at Riverfront Park ends with two fireworks shows at 9 p.m., one near the Battleship. 2027 details not out yet. · 4 min read

Coming up

The full month
  1. Now through Nov. 1 Trask Family Farms Corn Maze and Pumpkin Patch Trask Family Farms
  2. Now through Oct. 25 Chemical Imbalance: A Jekyll and Hyde Play Thalian Hall
  3. Oct. 19 to 20 The Book of Mormon Wilson Center
  4. Mon. Oct. 19 Halloween Paint and Pastels 4 p.m. · Northeast Library
  5. Wed. Oct. 21 Spooky Cinema at Northchase: The Corpse Bride 5:30 p.m. · Northchase Library
  6. Fri. Oct. 23 Museum Open Late 9 a.m. · Cape Fear Museum
  7. Fri. Oct. 23 Cape Fearful Skies (adults 18 and older) 6 p.m. · Cape Fear Museum
  8. Fri. Oct. 23 Cape Fearful Skies 6 p.m. · Cape Fear Museum
  9. Fri. Oct. 23 High school football: Laney at New Hanover 7 p.m. · New Hanover High School
  10. Fri. Oct. 23 High school football: West Brunswick at Ashley 7 p.m. · Ashley High School
  11. Sat. Oct. 24 Lighthouse Beer and Wine Festival Live Oak Pavilion, Riverfront Park
  12. Wed. Oct. 28 Halloween Storytime at Pine Valley Library 10:15 a.m. · Pine Valley Library

More in What's On

Halloween Trick-or-treat hours in Wilmington 2026 Halloween is Saturday, Oct. 31. the city has posted no official hours; last year city fire stations gave out treats 5:30 to 8 p.m. Events and safety tips. · 3 min read Christmas Wilmington Christmas parade and tree lighting 2026 Wilmington's 23rd Holiday Parade is 6 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 29, 2026, on Front Street. The tree lighting date is not set; last year it was Dec. 4. · 2 min read High school football Friday night football 2026: Wilmington schedule Remaining 2026 varsity games for Hoggard, Laney, Ashley and New Hanover, with scores so far. Hoggard visits Laney Oct. 16; Ashley at Hoggard Oct. 30. · 3 min read Fall festivals Fall festivals and pumpkin patches near Wilmington 2026 Trask Family Farms' corn maze and pumpkin patch runs to early November; Pumpkin and Purrs Oct. 11, Celebrate Downtown Oct. 30, Eek! Week Oct. 31. · 3 min read Mother's Day Mother's Day in Wilmington 2027: brunch, events, markets Mother's Day 2027 is Sunday, May 9. The city's rose giveaway, the Saturday markets, Airlie Gardens and museum hours, and brunch as restaurants post it. · 3 min read Memorial Day Memorial Day in Wilmington 2027: ceremonies, what is open Memorial Day 2027 is May 31. The Battleship's free observance, Wilmington National Cemetery, trash, parking, buses and schools on the holiday. · 4 min read Summer camps Summer in Wilmington 2027: camps, pools and the splash pad Wilmington's city summer camps, nature camps at Halyburton Park, the Legion, Robert Strange and Northside pools and the Northside Splash Pad, with 2026 dates. · 4 min read Father's Day Father's Day in Wilmington 2027: events, outings and brunch Father's Day 2027 is Sunday, June 20. The city's free Dads & Donuts morning, the Battleship, railroad museum and other outings, and brunch as it is posted. · 3 min read Labor Day Labor Day in Wilmington 2027: what is open, closed and on Labor Day 2027 is Sept. 6. Trash, parking, buses and schools on the holiday, the last day of summer hours at the museums and long-weekend ideas. · 3 min read Halloween Halloween events in Wilmington 2026 Halloween 2026 in Wilmington: library movie nights, an adults-only planetarium show Oct. 23, the Eek! Week Festival and a downtown pumpkin hunt Oct. 31. · 6 min read Thanksgiving Thanksgiving in Wilmington 2026: turkey trot, closures, trash Thanksgiving 2026 in Wilmington is Nov. 26: the Turkey Trot moves downtown, trash pickup shifts to Wednesday, schools close Nov. 25-27 and buses stop. · 5 min read Black Friday Black Friday and holiday shopping in Wilmington 2026 Mayfaire opens 7 a.m. Black Friday, Nov. 27, and closes Thanksgiving. Downtown meters are free Nov. 26-28 for Small Business Saturday. Hours, parking. · 4 min read Christmas Holiday lights and Christmas events in Wilmington 2026 Enchanted Airlie runs Nov. 27 to Dec. 21, Poplar Grove's Merry & Bright brings Santa on weekends, the Wrightsville Beach flotilla sails Nov. 28 and more. · 5 min read New Year's Eve New Year's Eve in Wilmington 2026: events, plunge, closures New Year's Eve 2026 in Wilmington: the Children's Museum's New Year's Noon, the Wrightsville Plunge at noon Jan. 1, Mayfaire hours and holiday closures. · 4 min read Valentine's Day Valentine's Day in Wilmington 2027: events and date ideas Valentine's Day 2027 falls on Sunday, Feb. 14. What venues ran last year, Airlie Gardens' winter hours, free Sunday parking downtown and date ideas. · 3 min read Spring break Spring break in Wilmington 2027: school dates, camps, things to do New Hanover County Schools' spring break is March 29 to April 2, 2027, after Good Friday March 26. City camp, Airlie's Spring Bloom and what is open. · 4 min read Easter Easter in Wilmington 2027: egg hunts, brunch and closures Easter 2027 is March 28. The city's egg hunts at Halyburton Park and Fit For Fun, what ran in 2026, school and bus closures, and where brunch is posted. · 4 min read Brunch Brunch in Wilmington: where to go on Saturday and Sunday Brunch in Wilmington from the restaurants' own sites: hours, addresses and phone numbers for downtown, Midtown, Lumina Station and Masonboro Loop. · 3 min read Dogs Dog-friendly Wilmington: dog park, trails and the leash rules Where to take a dog in Wilmington: the city dog park at Empie Park, leash rules in city parks, Mayfaire's 3-mile loop, and where dogs are not allowed. · 4 min read Kids Kids' activities in Wilmington: playgrounds, story times, rainy days Things to do with kids in Wilmington: city playgrounds, the Northside Splash Pad, free library story times, Fit For Fun, museums and rainy-day picks. · 5 min read Trails Wilmington walking and biking trails: loops, distances, parking Wilmington's trails by distance: the 15-mile Cross-City Trail, Greenfield Lake's 4.8-mile path, the 1.75-mile Riverwalk, Halyburton and Mayfaire loops. · 5 min read Downtown A guide to downtown Wilmington and the Riverwalk Downtown Wilmington and its 1.75-mile Riverwalk: museums, historic houses, Thalian Hall, the Cotton Exchange, events, parking decks and free parking times. · 5 min read Live music Live music and nightlife in Wilmington: venues and breweries Wilmington's music venues and nightlife: Live Oak Bank Pavilion, Greenfield Lake Amphitheater, Thalian Hall, the Wilson Center, Brooklyn Arts Center and breweries. · 4 min read Free Free things to do in Wilmington: parks, trails, museums, story times Free in Wilmington: the Riverwalk, Greenfield Lake and Halyburton Park, the Arboretum, library story times, resident free days and free Sunday parking. · 4 min read Date night Date night in Wilmington: restaurants, theaters, wine bars Date night in Wilmington from official pages: downtown dinner, a wine bar open late, Thalian Hall and the Wilson Center, night tours and a Riverwalk stroll. · 4 min read Cucalorus Cucalorus Film Festival: dates, passes and venues in Wilmington Cucalorus 32 runs Thursday, Nov. 19, to Sunday, Nov. 22, 2026, in downtown Wilmington: about 90 films plus performances and parties. Passes on sale now. · 4 min read Azalea Festival NC Azalea Festival in Wilmington: 2027 dates, parade and street fair The 80th North Carolina Azalea Festival runs Wednesday, April 7, to Sunday, April 11, 2027: parade, free street fair, concerts and fireworks. · 5 min read Riverfest Wilmington Riverfest: 2026 festival canceled, return set for 2027 Wilmington Riverfest is canceled for 2026 after a dispute over its downtown site. Organizers say the free October festival returns in 2027. · 4 min read Restaurants Where to eat in Wilmington: lists by category Every Wilmington food list in one place: wings, pizza, Mexican, barbecue, breakfast, burgers, sushi, desserts, bakeries and patios inside the city limits. · 3 min read Wings Where to get wings in Wilmington: downtown, Market and Oleander Nine places with wings on the menu inside Wilmington's city limits, from downtown pubs to Market Street, South College Road and Masonboro Loop. · 5 min read Pizza Where to get pizza in Wilmington: downtown, Oleander and Mayfaire Fifteen pizza places, 22 locations, inside Wilmington's city limits: downtown, Oleander Drive, Mayfaire, the Cargo District and South College Road. · 7 min read Mexican food Mexican and Tex-Mex restaurants in Wilmington Eleven Mexican and Tex-Mex places, 18 locations, inside Wilmington's city limits: downtown, Oleander Drive, College Road, Market Street and 17th Street. · 6 min read Patios Patios and outdoor dining in Wilmington: downtown and Midtown Ten Wilmington places whose own sites name a patio, garden, beer garden or outdoor seating: downtown, the Cargo District, Midtown and Lumina Station. · 5 min read Barbecue Where to get barbecue in Wilmington: Oleander and College Road Four barbecue restaurants inside Wilmington's city limits: two on Oleander Drive, one on South College Road and one on Patriot Way in Pine Valley. · 3 min read Breakfast Breakfast and coffee in Wilmington: downtown, Midtown and Lumina Seventeen breakfast spots and coffee shops inside Wilmington's city limits, most downtown on Front Street, with more in Midtown, Mayfaire and Lumina Station. · 6 min read Burgers Where to get burgers in Wilmington: downtown and the Cargo District Nine places with burgers on the menu inside Wilmington's city limits, 11 locations, mostly downtown, plus the Cargo District, College Road and Masonboro. · 5 min read Sushi Sushi and Asian restaurants in Wilmington Eight sushi, hibachi, Thai and Vietnamese restaurants inside Wilmington's city limits: downtown Front Street, Market Street, College Road and Barclay. · 4 min read Ice cream Ice cream and desserts in Wilmington: the Riverwalk and beyond Six ice cream, gelato and dessert shops, eight locations, inside Wilmington's city limits, most on the downtown Riverwalk, plus The Forum and Barclay. · 4 min read Bakeries Bakeries in Wilmington: downtown, Mayfaire and University Square Four bakeries and doughnut shops, five locations, inside Wilmington's city limits: downtown, Racine Drive, Mayfaire, Military Cutoff and Kerr Avenue. · 4 min read