Wilmington,
NC – February 2018 / Newsmaker Alert / While a trip to the coast
is most often associated with summertime, visitors to Wilmington,
North Carolina and its island beaches during the winter months will
find there’s no shortage of things to do. In fact it’s a favorite time
of year for locals like Gwenyfar Rohler, an author and bookstore owner,
who shares what she enjoys most about winter in Wilmington in a recent
blog: Loving
Life like a Local in the Off-Season. For those who prefer to “winter”
with an ocean view, there’s plenty
to do at nearby beaches where ocean sunrises and dolphins greet the
day, and uncrowded beaches invite walking, running and shell-seeking.
A variety of enticing events
take place during February and March, starting with two signature events
held in Wilmington’s walkable River District during the first weekend in
February. By day visitors can indulge in decadent tastings at the Wilmington
Wine & Chocolate Festival (Feb. 2-4), then by night be entertained
by all-star jazz artists during the 37th Annual North
Carolina Jazz Festival (Feb. 1-3). Dozens more events include beach
music and craft beer gatherings, home shows, arts and cultural happenings,
races and family-friendly activities.
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Here’s a sampling of
midwinter events from the river to the sea: (see
links to events here)
Feb. 1-3: North Carolina
Jazz Festival. One of the largest traditional jazz festivals in the
Southeast, this STS Top 20 Event features more than a dozen traditional
and swing jazz musicians who perform for three evenings in an intimate
cabaret-style setting. Admission charge. For hotel reservations and festival
rates, contact the Hilton Wilmington Riverside: 910-763-5900
Feb. 2-4: Wilmington Wine
& Chocolate Festival. Fri. 7pm-10pm; Sat. 11am-6pm & Sun. 12pm-4pm.
Friday’s Grand Tasting features hors d’oeuvres, live jazz, artisan exhibits,
craft beer lounge and comedy show. On Saturday and Sunday, a European-style
marketplace with 50+ ‘shops’ provides a tasting tour of Carolina wineries
and signature chocolatiers. Live acoustic music, specialty foods, artisan
products, cooking demonstrations and kids’ activities. Tickets required.
Coastline Conference & Event Center, Wilmington.
Feb. 8-10: East Coast
Shag Classic. Beach music lovers along the East Coast travel to Wrightsville
Beach for a weekend of shag-dancing, live concerts, a silent auction, social
mixers, complimentary dance lessons and more. Tickets required. Holiday
Inn Resort, Wrightsville Beach.
Feb. 24: Tidewater Camellia
Show & Sale: 10am-5pm. With a reputation as one of the largest
and best attended shows in the U.S, more than 1,000 blooms will be evaluated
by the American Camellia Society judges. Expert growers will answer camellia
questions. Free. New Hanover County Arboretum, Wilmington.
Feb. 24: Wilmington Wine
& Beer Walk. Self-guided tasting tour of downtown restaurants and
drinking establishments. Tickets required. Begins at Front Street Brewery,
Wilmington.
March 10: Cape Fear Beer
& Wine Festival. Top quality beers and wines made by the world’s
most enthusiastic and enterprising brew masters and vintners. Tasting,
sampling and education is at the core of the CFBWF experience with over
125 brews and wines, live music and more. Wilmington Convention Center,
Wilmington.
March 17: Wilmington St.
Patrick’s Day Parade & Festival. Come join the music, dance and
fun with Wilmington Police Pipes & Drums, The Blarney Broughs, The
Molly Malones, The Walsh Kelley School of Irish Dance, Slainte UNCW Irish
Dance Club and more! Parade starts at 11:00 am at Red Cross and N. Front
Street. The annual St. Patrick’s Day Festival begins at noon. Riverfront
Park, Wilmington.
March 23-April 1: Cape
Fear Craft Beer Week. A weeklong showcase of local breweries, bottle
shops, restaurants, and craft-centric businesses. Events highlight beer
brewed in the Cape Fear region and venues where craft beer is served. Various
venues, Wilmington, Carolina Beach, Wrightsville Beach.
March 24: Coastal Living
Show. This STS Top 20 Event features 60-plus home and garden vendors
with products and services for seaside living. Wilmington Convention Center,
Wilmington.
March 29-April 4: Encore’s
Wilmington Spring Restaurant Week. Choose from more than 30 restaurants
during this seven-day event featuring prix fixe menus at a special price
for breakfast, lunch, dinner and dessert.
March 31: Cape Fear Craft
& Cuisine. A premiere food and beer event in an elegant coastal
garden setting that pairs fine cuisine prepared by local chefs with local
and N.C. craft beer. Airlie Gardens, Wilmington.
And that’s not all…There’s
music, theatre, art, dance, museum exhibitions, Weeki Wachee Mermaids,
Dinosaurs and more!
Family Fun (see
links to events here)
Feb. 9 & 10: Hugs
and Fishes Valentine’s Lock-in. Overnight event, ages 5-12. Preregistration.
NC Aquarium at Fort Fisher, Kure Beach.
Feb. 11: Autism Friendly
Day. A day of discovery designed for people living with autism. NC
Aquarium at Fort Fisher, Kure Beach.
Feb. 10: Civil War Battle
Lecture & 2-Mile Hike. Carolina Beach State Park.
March 1-4 & 8-11:
Weeki Wachee Mermaids. The world-famous sirens return! These specially
trained, underwater entertainers swim, twirl and flip alongside sharks,
rays, eels and schooling fish. Additional mermaid activities include a
scavenger hunt, crafts, photo ops and autographs. NC Aquarium at Fort Fisher,
Kure Beach.
March 10: Battleship FirePower
Tour. Battleship NORTH CAROLINA, Wilmington.
March 19-Sept. 30: Dinosaurs!
Animatronic dinosaurs roar, spit and wow visitors in a natural garden setting.
NC Aquarium at Fort Fisher, Kure Beach.
Ready, Set, Race! (see
links to events here)
Feb. 10: Wrightsville
Beach Valentine Run. 5K, 10K, 15K. Wrightsville Beach Park.
Feb. 17: Special Olympics
Polar Plunge. Oceanfront Park, Kure Beach.
March 17: Steve Haydu
St. Patrick’s Lo Tide Run. 5k, 10k. Carolina Beach Boardwalk.
March 17: US Open Fat
Bike Championships (STS Top 20 Event) Blockade Runner, Wrightsville
Beach.
March 16-17: Wrightsville
Beach Marathon. Start: Wrightsville Beach Park to UNCW.
Live Theatre; Film (see
links to events here)
Feb. 2-3; 9-10; 16-17:
Senior Moments, TheatreNOW, Wilmington.
Feb. 8-11; 15-19; 22-23:
Buyer and Cellar, Thalian Hall Center for Performing Arts, Wilmington.
Feb. 18 & March 18:
Shakespeare Brunch. TheatreNow, Wilmington.
Feb. 1-4; 8-11; 15-18:
Who Am I This Time? Cape Fear Playhouse, Wilmington.
Feb. 9-11; 16-18: Oliver!
Musical. Thalian Hall, Wilmington.
Feb. 12-14: Oscar-Nominated
Shorts (2018). Thalian Hall, Wilmington.
Feb. 20-21: Cabaret (Broadway
musical). CFCC Wilson Center, Wilmington.
Feb. 23-24; March 2-3;
9-10; 16-17; 23-24: The Weir. TheatreNOW, Wilmington.
Feb. 28-March 4; March
9-11: NINE. Thalian Hall, Wilmington.
March 8-11, 15-18 and
22-25: Fences by August Wilson. Cape Fear Playhouse, Wilmington.
Concerts & Dance (see
links to events here)
Feb. 2: The Birdland All
Stars featuring Tommy Igoe. Thalian Hall, Wilmington.
Feb. 2-3: Divine Divas
II. 2nd St. Stage, Hannah Block Historic USO/Community Arts Center,
Wilmington.
Feb. 3: Wilmington Symphony
Orchestra-Dance of the Coin & Polovtsian Dances. Wilson Center.
Feb. 6: Art Garfunkel.
The Wilson Center, Wilmington.
Feb. 8: Jazz at the CAM
with Jo Gore. Cameron Art Museum.
Feb. 8: NC Symphony: Daphnis
and Chloe. Wilson Center, Wilmington.
Feb. 14: LaBouche – Valentine
Show. CFCC Wilson Center, Wilmington.
Feb. 15: An Evening of
Valentines with Emile Pandofi and Dana Russell. Thalian Hall, Wilmington.
Feb. 17: The Great American
Songbook Live: The Oscars. UNCW Kenan Auditorium, Wilmington.
Feb. 22: Scott Bradlee’s
Postmodern Jukebox. Wilson Center, Wilmington.
Feb. 25: The Temptations
& Four Tops. Wilson Center, Wilmington.
Feb. 28: Celtic Tenors.
Wilson Center, Wilmington.
March 1: Jazz at the CAM
with Light Under the Sun. Cameron Art Museum.
March 2: The Midtown Men.
Wilson Center, Wilmington.
March 8: Henry Cho in
concert. Thalian Hall, Wilmington.
March 15: Daughtry in
concert. Wilson Center, Wilmington.
March 16: The National
Symphony Orchestra of Cuba. Thalian Hall, Wilmington.
March 24: Symphony POPS!
Wilson Center, Wilmington.
March 26: Rockin’ Road
to Dublin. Wilson Center, Wilmington.
Art Shows (see
links to events here)
Feb. 17-18: Art For All.
Marketplace
with 60+ local artists. Brooklyn Arts Center, Wilmington.
Feb. 23 & March 23:
Fourth Friday Gallery Walk. Various venues, 6pm-9pm.
March 31-April 1: Handmade
in NC 2018. 50+ vendors. Brooklyn Arts Center, Wilmington.
Museum Exhibitions (see
links to events here)
Cape Fear Museum:
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Photographs by Hugh Morton:
An Uncommon Retrospective. Wilmington native Hugh Morton’s (1921-2006)
photographs span eight decades, showcasing his love for NC’s people, events,
landmarks, nature, sports and tourism.
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Playtime! (March 16 through
Sept.) Explore how we play, create and use imagination through a selection
of objects from the museum’s historic toy collection and hands-on activities.
Cameron Art Museum Exhibits:
-
Art Exhibit: Created By Light
(through February 11). Examines the evolution of photography highlighting
the medium and the connections between featured NC artists and institutions.
-
State Of The Art/Art of The
State (through July 8). Contemporary art by more than 630 artists currently
living in, or native to, the state of North Carolina.
Expo 216 Gallerium:
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Death & Dying. This
exhibit covers many aspects of death and dying, from funeral practices
and mourning stages to cultural traditions and personal choices, explored
via art and fashion.
About Wilmington and its
Island Beaches
Stray off course and see
where the water takes you! From the island beaches of Carolina
Beach,
Kure
Beach and Wrightsville
Beach to Wilmington’s river district, visitors will find festivals,
art and cultural events, museums and outdoor activities that are sure to
cure the winter blues. For special offers and seasonal highlights, click
here. For a Free Official Visitors Guide, call 866-266-9690 or email
visit@wilmingtonandbeaches.com.
Find us on Facebook at Facebook.com/CapeFearCoastNC
and Twitter and Instagram,
@WilmingtoNCoast.
Insider Tips: Event
details often change without notice and/or sell out in advance, so please
confirm event date, time, place before traveling any distance.
Media Contact:
Wilmington
and Beaches Convention & Visitors Bureau
Connie
Nelson
Communications/PR
Director
910-332-8751
866-266-9690
ext. 120
The
New Hanover County Tourism Development Authority d/b/a Wilmington and Beaches
Convention and Visitors Bureau is the official destination marketing organization
of New Hanover County, North Carolina that stimulates economic development
through the promotion of travel and tourism. |