The North Carolina Azalea Festival has been throwing the best party in the south for over 70 years!
The Azalea Festival has several events that cover a period of five days – April 1st- 5th. Events include street fairs, concerts, coin shows, boxing matches, art shows, a parade, and tours of homes and gardens. The main event of the festival is the garden tour that highlights the Wilmington area’s most beautiful gardens.
The Azalea Festival began in 1948 as an idea of Dr. W. Houston Moore, M.D. Dr. Moore held a meeting in Wilmington’s Chamber of Commerce with leading civil club representatives to discuss and begin planning for the first Azalea Festival. The festival would take place in April 1948 and would serve the purpose of showcasing the beauty of the local gardens such as Airlie Gardens, Orton Gardens, and Greenfield Gardens. The first sidewalk show was also held in 1953 and has continued as a tradition since.
A unique tradition held by the Azalea Festival is the Belles. The belles are young ladies serve as hostesses and guides to the gardens in the area. They wear antebellum attire and serve as a traditional accent of the NC Azalea Festival. To become an Azalea Belle, one must apply for the position; however, precedence is given to those girls who are either daughters or granddaughters of Cape Fear Garden Club members. The number of belles needed for each year is dependent upon the size of the gardens in the tour.
The Azalea Festival is a local favorite of Wilmingtonians and visitors alike. There’s an event for everyone. This year’s festival begins on April 1st and goes through April 5th. Tickets and more information can be found on the Azalea Festival’s website www.ncazaleafestival.org
Featured Concerts:
Aaron Lewis
Throughout his more than two-decade career, whether topping the charts as frontman of hard Rock heroes Staind, or his second act as a No. 1 artist on the Country charts as a solo artist, Aaron Lewis has always been painfully honest in his music.
Known for his outspokenness, impassioned live show and Outlaw Country tunes, Aaron Lewis is back with a new album STATE I’M IN (The Valory Music Co.). Lewis wrote six of the 10 tracks, which also features cuts by acclaimed songwriters Dan Tyminski and the late Keith Whitley, among others. STATE I’M IN is the follow-up to SINNER, which went No. 1 on Billboard’s Top Country Albums, Top 200 Albums, and Top Digital Albums Charts upon release chart and blasts through today’s Country music doldrums like a shot of 100-proof whiskey.
Lewis, who fronted the wildly-successful Rock group Staind, has sold 13 million albums worldwide and four consecutive top three debuts on Billboard’s Top 200, including the single “It’s Been Awhile,” which remains the most-played rock song of the decade.
April 2 @ 7:00 pm – 11:00 pm
Ticket Price: $40
Day of Show GA Ticket Price: $50
Sublime with Rome | Michael Franti & Spearhead
The Azalea Festival is proud to be presenting Sublime with Rome | Michael Franti & Spearhead at the Main Stage for the 73rd North Carolina Azalea Festival on Friday, April 3rd!
Sublime with Rome
Sublime With Rome was formed in 2010 by lead-singer/guitarist Rome Ramirez, bassist Eric Wilson, and drummer Carlos Verdugo. The band is currently on tour in support of their hit 2019 album BLESSINGS with singles WICKED HEART and LIGHT ON making a splash at alternative radio. BLESSINGS is the band’s third studio album, and it was helmed by Rob Cavallo, the producer behind Green Day, My Chemical Romance, Linkin Park, and more. In 2020 Sublime With Rome is dominating the rock and alternative music charts as well as headlining 5K+ capacity rooms and major festivals worldwide.
With fan-favorite hits such as WRONG WAY, SANTERIA, BADFISH, WHAT I GOT, CARESS ME DOWN, 40oz TO FREEDOM and many more, the band’s concerts are pure sing along enjoyment from beginning to end.
Michael Franti & Spearhead
Michael Franti is a musician, humanitarian, filmmaker, and activist who is recognized as a pioneering force in the music industry. He believes that there is a great battle taking place in the world today between cynicism and optimism, so he made his most recent album, Stay Human Vol. II, his highest charting album to date, to remind himself – and anyone who’s listening – that there is still good in the world and that it is worth fighting for. The songs on Stay Human Vol. II were inspired by Franti’s new self-directed documentary, Stay Human, which released in January and won an array of awards at film festivals worldwide. Throughout his multi-decade career, Franti has earned four Billboard #1 singles with triumphantly hopeful hits such as “Sound of Sunshine” and “Say Hey (I Love You),” 5 Top 30 Hot AC singles, eight Top 25 AAA Singles and four Billboard Top 5 Rock Albums and topped multiple charts with his latest release. Michael owns Soulshine Bali, the leading yoga retreat hotel in Ubud, Bali, and co-founded Do It For The Love with his wife, Sara Agah Franti, a wish granting organization that brings people living with life threatening illnesses, children with severe challenges, and wounded veterans to any live concert anywhere in the world. To date, they have granted over 2,000 wishes!
April 3 @ 7:00 pm – 11:00 pm
Ticket Price: $50
Day of Show GA Ticket Price: $60
The Avett Brothers
The Azalea Festival is proud to be presenting The Avett Brothers to the Main Stage for the 73rd North Carolina Azalea Festival on Saturday, April 4th! The Avett Brothers? made mainstream waves with their 2009 major-label debut, ?I and Love and You?, landing at No. 16 on the ?Billboard? Top 200 and garnering critical acclaim. 2012 saw ?The Carpenter? hit No. 4 on the ?Billboard ?Top 200 and was followed by ?Magpie and the Dandelion(2013) which debuted at No. 5 on ?Billboard’s ?Top 200 and saw the band appear twice on ?Jimmy Kimmel Live! True Sadness? (2016) achieved The Avett Brothers’ highest career debut to date hitting No. 1 on ?Billboard’s? Top Albums Chart, No. 1 Top Rock Albums Chart, No. 1 Digital Albums Chart, No. 3 on ?Billboard? Top 200, and scoring two GRAMMY?® ?nominations. In the same year, the band was inducted into the North Carolina Music Hall of Fame.
April 4 @ 7:00 pm – 10:00 pm
Regular GA Ticket Price: $60
Day of Show GA Ticket Price: $70
Complete Schedule of Events:
Paws on Parade
Children’s Tea Hosted by the Cape Fear Volunteer Center
The North Carolina Azalea Festival Youth Art Contest is an annual art contest showcasing the amazing artistic talents of the youth in our community. Each year over 300 area public, private, and home-schooled elementary, middle school, and high school students submit their artwork to the contest, illustrating the traditions of the North Carolina Azalea Festival that mean the most to them. The winning artists (and second and third place) in all divisions receive various notable prizes, and some schools are even treated to a visit from the Azalea Festival Official Artist. Top place artists in each division will have their work showcased on the Azalea Festival website, and are invited to Raleigh to attend the Governor’s Press Conference with the Azalea Festival entourage. The Top 15 entries in each division are exhibited during the Azalea Festival at the Community Arts Center in the Historic Hannah Block USO Building. The Youth Art Gallery inside of the USO building will be on going from March, 27th @ 5pm until April, 30th 2020.
Juried Art Show and Sale
Azalea Sweep
Azalea Festival Pops
Queen’s Coronation
Azalea Festival Comedy Show
Join the North Carolina Azalea Festival, Cabineer’s Promotions, and the Brooklyn Arts Center for the Azalea Festival Comedy Show! Two shows for your enjoyment – 7:00 PM for a family-friendly show, and 9:30 PM for a Mature Audience.
Brigade Boys & Girls Club Community Visit
Celebrity Reception
Hospital Visit
Elton John & Tim Rice’s AIDA Performed by Thalian Association Community Theatre
Airlie Luncheon Garden Party
Cape Fear Garden Club Azalea Garden Tour
Waterfront Street Fair
The 73rd Waterfront Street Fair will be April 3-5, 2020. The Waterfront Street Fair provides an array of shopping and food opportunities with over 250 Vendors along the streets of historic downtown. The Waterfront Street Fair will also feature plenty of entertainment with special areas such as the Children’s Area, Multicultural Area, and the Wilmington Grill Music & Beer Garden!
After Garden Get Down
Chalk Challenge
Wilmington Grill Music & Beer Garden
Boxing Tournament
Coin Show
Historic Home Tour
Patrons’ Party Gala
Waterfront Street Fair Multicultural Stage
The Multicultural Stage is a FREE multicultural, family-friendly celebration that showcases different cultures flourishing here in the Greater Cape Fear Region. You will marvel at the authentic costumes, dance, and music of some of our best ethnic performing groups and bands. Our Waterfront Street Fair Multicultural Stage line-up features contemporary and classical music from China, the Middle East, Mexico, Polynesia, Hawaii, Japan, Latin America, Ireland, and many more.
MGC Parade Mile
Parade Presented by United Rentals
Waterfront Street Fair Children’s Area
Riverwalk Shag Contest…on the Banks of the Cape Fear
Fireworks
The North Carolina Azalea Festival is Wilmington’s annual community celebration and the largest festival of its kind in the state. Founded in 1948, the Azalea Festival has emerged as Wilmington’s premier event. Each April, a full week of natural beauty, big-name entertainment, festive galas, fun family events, and Southern hospitality come together to showcase the charms of the Wilmington area. For community pride and springtime pageantry, the North Carolina Azalea Festival has no equal!
Visit The Website for More Information
