Are you ready to embrace the vibrant spirit of spring? Look no further than the annual Azalea Festival in Wilmington, NC! While the festival may be named after the beautiful azalea flower, its allure extends far beyond floral beauty. From delectable cuisine to captivating performances, the Azalea Festival offers an unforgettable experience for all.
Dates and Highlights
Mark your calendars for this year’s Azalea Festival with the official festival dates set for April 3rd to April 7th. Get ready to immerse yourself in a myriad of exciting events and activities throughout this period.
Event Highlights:
Queen’s Coronation – April 3rd @ 3pm; Join us for the grand kickoff of the Azalea Festival as the reigning Azalea Queen is officially coronated amidst pomp and pageantry. Mingle with invited guests and local dignitaries as we usher in a week of festivities.
Rocky Point Elementary School Visit- April 4th: Each year the Azalea Festival chooses a school to visit, bringing Queen Azalea, the Queen’s Court and Cadets, Invited Guests, and other officials out into the community. The school’s children, teachers, administrators and parents work hard all year long to prepare for this vi
sit. This truly is a magical part of Festival week where the Festival spirit shines the brightest! The School Visit is a closed event due to space and safety considerations.
Celebrity Reception- April 4th 11:30am: The Celebrity Reception is a luncheon held at the Cape Fear Country Club on Thursday of the Festival Week. The event provides sponsors of the Festival a close and personal opportunity to see and meet Queen Azalea, Invited Guests, and other Festival Dignitaries. The Celebrity Reception is a private function for partners and sponsors of the Azalea Festival. Click below for more information on how you can help support the Azalea Festival, and join in on VIP experiences!
T-Pain in Concert-April 4 @ 7pm: We are excited to announce T-Pain for our 2024 North Carolina Azalea Festival Thursday Night Concert! T-Pain is a rapper, songwriter, and record producer. With a string of hit singles, T-Pain has 12 Grammy nominations. He’s won two Grammy Awards: his first with Kanye West for “Good Life” and his second with Jamie Foxx for “Blame It”. In addition, T-Pain was featured as a guest performer on over fifty commercial singles from 2006 to 2010.
Boxing Tournament- April 5th thru April 7th: The North Carolina Azalea Festival Boxing Tournament will be held Saturday, April 6 – Sunday, April 7 from 2 pm – 5 pm, with weigh-ins on Friday, April 5. The event showcases some of the finest boxers from the National and International level of competition & from the military branches. Boxers age 8-16 and 17-34 and Master Boxers 35-up compete in six divisions from 55lb-201lb+. Participation in the past has come from North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Florida, New Jersey, Maryland, Washington D.C., Pennsylvania, and more from around the country. This is a USA Boxing Sanctioned Tournament.
Beauty and The Beast presented by Thalian Association- April 5th thru April 14th: Step into the enchanted world of Broadway’s classic, Disney’sBeauty and the Beast, an international sensation that has been produced in 37 countries worldwide. Based on the Academy Award-winning animated feature, the stage version includes the wonderful songs written by Alan Menken and the late Howard Ashman, along with new songs by Mr. Menken and Tim Rice. The classic story tells of Belle, a young woman in a provincial town, and the Beast, who is really a young prince trapped under the spell of an enchantress. If the Beast can learn to love and be loved, the curse will end, and he will be transformed into his former self. But time is running out. If the Beast does not learn his lesson soon, he and his household will be doomed for all eternity.
2024 Azalea Garden Tour- April 5 thru April 7th:The Cape Fear Garden Club’s 2024 Azalea Garden Tour, April 5th through 7th, will open at 10am – 5pm each day. The garden tour theme is “Beyond the Garden Gate”. Plein Air Artists will be painting in the 10 private gardens all weekend. Airlie Gardens will be open on Saturday and Sunday only during the tour. Proceeds from the Azalea Garden Tour will be given away as grants to local nonprofit organizations for beautification, conservation and educational projects in New Hanover County.Since 2003, over 1.4 million dollars has been awarded to the local community from the Cape Fear Garden Club Azalea Garden Tour
Airlie Luncheon Garden Party – April 5th Don your finest spring attire and join us for the Airlie Luncheon Garden Party, the premier event of the festival. Indulge in culinary delights amidst the lush surroundings of Airlie Gardens while supporting a worthy cause.
After Garden Get Down- April 5th: The After Garden Get Down at Bluewater is a fun, FREE waterfront party open to the public immediately following the Airlie Luncheon Garden Party. Guests are invited to Bluewater’s waterfront bar & patio to enjoy live music, food and drink specials, and the best view on the Intracoastal. Attendees also receive a special guest appearance by
Queen Azalea herself!
Official Azalea Fest Pre and Post Chase Rice Concert Party at the Eagle’s Dare: April 5th: Join us for an outdoor parking lot Honky Tonk at The Eagle’s Dare before the show at Live Oak Amphitheater! Live music, line dancing, and food trucks. Family friendly! After the show the party keeps going in the Wanda Jackson Room with DJ Ruby! Admission: FREE with optional donation for wristband to purchase alcohol.
Queen’s Dance Party-April 5th: Join us for a night of dancing and mingling with Azalea Festival Royalty! Tickets include heavy hors d’oeuvres and dancing…and memories to last a lifetime! This special celebration of visiting queens and friends will be held Friday, April 5th from 6:00-9:00 pm. In attendance will be Queen Azalea, Miss North Carolina, the Azalea Festival Queen’s Court and the Azalea Festival Princess and her Court.
Chase Rice in Concert- April 5th: We are excited to announce Chase Rice for our 2024 NC Azalea Festival Friday Night Concert! With more than 2.4 million albums sold and over 2.5 billion total streams, plus a legion of passionate fans at his high-energy concerts across the globe, Chase Rice has established himself as a powerful force in Nashville and beyond. Chase consistently sells out venues, including the recently-wrapped Way Down Yonder Tour in support of his new music, and will join both Jelly Roll and Old Dominion for arena shows later this year. This is a concert you’re not going to want to miss!
Street Fair- April 5th thru April 7th: The Street Fair provides an array of shopping and food opportunities with over 250 Vendors along the streets of historic downtown. The Street Fair will also feature plenty of entertainment with special areas such as the Children’s Area and a Performing Arts Stage featuring multicultural and children’s performances!\
Azalea Festival Parade Presented by the U.S. Army: The 77th North Carolina Azalea Festival Parade will take place on Saturday, April 6, 2024 along 3rd Street downtown – we hope to see you there!
Children’s Area at the State Fair- April 5th: The Street Fair Children’s Area is a FREE, family-friendly part of the Street Fair made just for kids! Guests enjoy family-friendly vendors, hands-on activities, and performers on the Performing Arts Stage. Held at the Ligon Flynn Lot at the Corners of Market and 2nd Streets.
Coin Show- April 6th and April 7th: A fun-filled, family event! Children are given free foreign coins to learn about currency and foreign countries, and more than 30 dealers from several surrounding states are on hand to appraise, buy, sell and trade coins, currency, and other numismatic items. If you have a special coin, medal, gold, silver, or paper money that you want to know more about, or you just want to see some of the beautiful coins on display, come visit the coin show, have fun and find out!
Performing Arts Stage- April 6th and 7th: The Performing Arts Stage is located at the Street Fair next to the Children’s Area in the Ligon Flynn Lot and features multicultural performances as well as children’s performances. This is a FREE, family-friendly showcase of different styles of performances. You will marvel at the authentic costumes, dance, and music from some of the regions best ethnic performing groups and bands. You will enjoy the styles of many children’s performers and more. In addition to multicultural performances held at this location, we also have a Multicultural element in our Parade on the streets of historic downtown Wilmington on Saturday morning of the Festival. Look for the “Multicultural March of Nations” which features multiple ethnic marchers, performers, and band members dressed in authentic traditional costumes and a float draped with International flags.
Tunes and Blooms- April 6th: The Tunes & Blooms Music Festival is the “must be” place to catch great LOCAL AND REGIONAL music all day. Entry is FREE! Beverages are available for purchase and outdoor games are on site. Listen to your favorite local and regional musicians playing a variety of rock, blues, and folk.
Historic Wilmington Foundation Azalea Festival Home Tour- April 6th thru April 7th: Think of your Azalea Festival Home Tour ticket as a key, unlocking and welcoming you inside homes you’ve long admired, as well as some stunning hidden gems! From the quaint to the grand, step inside to explore our community’s past. As you wander through Wilmington’s charming Westbrook-Ardmore National Register Historic District, surprise awaits: the complement of new and old, the charming interplay of architectural styles. Expect the unexpected and delight in pristinely preserved architectural treasures as well as uniquely repurposed and upcycled elements. Get inspired and get excited: The only home tour special enough to be part of the legendary Azalea Festival is coming soon!
Got It From My Momma Live Podcast Taping- April 6th @2pm: We are thrilled to announce what just might be our FIRST EVER live podcast taping during the Azalea Festival!! Join us Saturday, April 6th at 2 pm at Station No. 2 for a live taping of Festival Invited Guest, Jennifer Vickery Smith record “Got it From My Momma” with country singer Chase Rice’s mother – Connie Rice! We could not be more excited for this new addition to the Festival lineup! We have very limited tickets – only 70 – so get yours while they last! Tickets include being a part of the studio audience and light snacks. A cash bar will be available.
Delta Foundation of the Cape Fear Fundraiser- April 6th @4pm;We are so excited about the Delta Foundation‘s Celebration of African American Arts and culture. There will be multiple different acts that will be performing throughout the event. This will be an event that will honor the legacy of the African American experience through the arts…Groit, Gospel, Classical, Dance, Spirituals, and Jazz. Tickets on sale now!
Patrons’ Party Gala- April 6th @7pm: The Patrons’ Party Gala is the grand finale for sponsors of the Azalea Festival. A black-tie event filled with wonderful food displays and dancing to the sounds of the hottest national party bands, this is our chance to thank all of our sponsors for their continued support.
Battleship Boom & Bloom Fireworks Bonanza- April 6th @7:30Pm; Come enjoy the 2024 Azalea Festival Fireworks Presented by the Battleship North Carolina ON the Battleship fantail! Ticket Price includes a take-home pink folding chair for your seat, bag of popcorn, music and dancing, a self-guided deck tour, and the premiere firework viewing spot! Snacks and drinks will be available for purchase. No outside food or drink permitted.
Fireworks Present by Battleship North Carolina- April 6th @ 9pm; Come out and join us for the Fireworks Presented by Battleship North Carolina. Fireworks will be displayed over the Cape Fear River downtown Wilmington.
Mini Golf Party with Alex Highsmith Presented by Perry’s Emporium at Jungles Rapids- April 7th @9am; Attend a Mini Golf Party with NFL Pittsburgh Steeler and Wilmington hometown celebrity, Alex Highsmith! Each player receives 18 holes of mini golf at Jungle Rapids; at one of the holes Alex Highsmith will be available to take photographs, sign autographs, and putt around with you! You also will receive a $5 Jungle Rapids Arcade Card and fun swag! Ticket price is the same for adults or children; children must be supervised by a parent/guardian at all times. Only individuals with paid tickets will have access to the course. Adults must purchase a ticket to chaperone their children.
42nd Annual Juried Spring Show and Sale presented by the Wilmington Art Association- April 7: Join us Saturday, March 30, 2024 through Saturday, April 6, 2024 from 10:00 am to 5:00 pm and Sunday, April 7, 2024 from 10:00 am to 4:00 pm. This is a FREE event!
Azalea Festival Recovery Brunch at the Bluewater Waterfront Grill- April 7@ 11am: Join our friends at Bluewater Waterfront Grill for the close-out event of Azalea Festival week – the Recovery Brunch! Savor in a generous portion of brunch dishes, including shrimp and grits, Chicken and Waffles, seasonal quiches, among other dishes, and antioxidant beverages to help recover from a weeklong of festivities. Tickets are $50 per person, and include gratuity. Purchases via Eventbrite will include tax included in the feeEnjoy live music while you dine, sip and mingle. Ticket admission includes a brunch buffet, along with an antioxidant beverage station, and live music.
Don’t Miss Out on the Fun!
With an array of events catering to every interest and age group, the Azalea Festival promises a springtime celebration like no other. Whether you’re a fashion enthusiast, art aficionado, or simply looking to soak up the festive atmosphere, there’s something for everyone to enjoy. Come join us and experience the magic of spring at the Azalea Festival in Wilmington, NC!