| Wilmington,
NC – March 2014 / Newsmaker Alert / There’s no place like Wilmington,
North Carolina and its island beaches during the spring when millions
of azaleas are bursting with colorful blooms. The lush flowering landscape
provides an idyllic backdrop for an epic Southern-style celebration known
as the North Carolina Azalea
Festival, a Southeast
Tourism Society Top 20 Event. The 67th Annual North Carolina Azalea
Festival will be held April 9-13, 2014 in Wilmington, North Carolina.
As the stage is set in early
April, Wilmingtonians invite friends, family and visitors to help celebrate
the season with Southern hospitality, style and fanfare. An annual tradition
since 1948, the North Carolina Azalea Festival pays tribute to the rich
history, arts, culture and natural beauty of Wilmington,
North Carolina’s historic river district and the island beaches of
Carolina
Beach,
Kure Beach, and Wrightsville
Beach. Perennial festival highlights include the Cape Fear Garden Club’s
Azalea Belles who dress in hoop skirts to greet visitors and honor an era
past. There’s also an elaborate 3-hour parade on Saturday morning, complete
with azalea-laden floats, marching bands, clowns, show animals, local pageant
winners and celebrity guests, including Queen Azalea (TBA). This year’s
parade includes a “Best Entry” contest. There are also juried arts and
craft shows, a traveling circus, fireworks (Saturday night), and a street
fair (Sat./Sun.) with exhibits, vendors, live entertainment and kids’ activities.
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Signature associated events
include the Cape Fear Garden Club’s Azalea
Garden Tour, April 11-13, one of the South’s longest-running and most
popular garden tours. The 61st annual Cape Fear Garden Club Azalea Garden
Tour theme is “For the Love of Gardening.” This year’s tour showcases 13
private and public gardens that include a mix of established and new lovingly
tended landscapes. Garden tour price includes free admission to Airlie
Gardens on Saturday and Sunday. For details and tickets: www.capefeargardenclub.org/azalea-garden-tour.
Another time-honored sanctioned event is the Azalea
Home Tour, April 12 and 13, showcasing nine private homes and a church
of historical and architectural interest. Homes are chosen to represent
the wide variety of architectural styles found in Wilmington. For home
tour tickets: www.historicwilmington.org.
New this year is a N.C. Azalea
Festival App that makes it easier than ever for attendees to keep up with
event information by providing breaking entertainment news, behind-the-scenes
buzz, and insider tips (App details at www.ncazaleafestival.org).
Live music is a big part
of every N.C. Azalea Festival. This year’s headline acts include the quintessential
jam band Widespread
Panic and country artist Justin
Moore’s “Off The Beaten Path” tour with fellow musicians Randy Houser
and Josh Thompson.
Widespread Panic is an Athens,
Georgia rock band that’s risen to elite status among American jam bands
since its formation in 1986. The current lineup includes John Bell, John
“JoJo” Hermann, Jimmy Herring, Todd Nance, Domingo S. Ortiz, and Dave Schools.
Renowned for packed live performances, Widespread Panic is often compared
to jam band legends such as the Grateful Dead and Phish. Widespread Panic
will perform two concerts during the N.C. Azalea Festival on Friday, April
11th and on Saturday, April 12th. Both Widespread Panic concerts begin
at 8:00 p.m. and gates open at 6:00 p.m.
Justin Moore, a two-time
American Country Award nominee, released his third album “Off The Beaten
Path” last fall. His number one hits include “Small Town USA” and “Til
My Last Day.” On Thursday, April 10th, fans can enjoy Moore’s trademark
rowdy, sentimental performance with opening acts by up-and-coming country
artists Randy Houser (“How Country Feels”) and Josh Thompson (“Way Out
Here”). The Off The Beaten Path concert begins at 8:00 p.m.; gates open
at 6:00 p.m.
All headline concerts are
outdoors on the Miller Lite Main Stage at the Cape Fear Community College
Campus in Downtown Wilmington (411 N. Front Street). Concerts are rain
or shine; standing room only. Tickets for all concerts are available online
at www.ncazaleafestival.org
and at the N.C. Azalea Festival Office (5724 Oleander Drive, Ste. B7; Mon.-Fri.,
9am-5pm). Chairs, backpacks, umbrellas, coolers are not permitted inside
the venue. Chairs, food and beverage will be available for cash purchase.
Attending festivals and events
is a fun and affordable way to experience a region’s history and culture.
For a N.C. Azalea Festival schedule and concert tickets, visit www.ncazaleafestival.org
or call 910-794-4650, or stop by the Festival ticket office (5725 Oleander
Dr., Unit B7, Wilmington).
The coast is close. Wilmington,
N.C. and its island beaches are a convenient drive from Raleigh via I-40
and Charlotte via US 74. If you’re flying in to experience the N.C. Azalea
Festival, the Wilmington International Airport (ILM) offers daily flights
to major airline hubs. For a free 2014 Official Visitors Guide to Wilmington,
North Carolina and the island beaches of Carolina
Beach,
Kure Beach, Wrightsville
Beach, call 866-266-9690, email visit@wilmingtonandbeaches.com,
or visit www.GoWilmingtonAndBeaches.com.
Media
Contact:
Wilmington
and Beaches Convention & Visitors Bureau
Connie
Nelson
Communications/PR
Director
910-332-8751
866-266-9690
ext. 120
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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.
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