April 2-6, 2025

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Attend the Azalea Festival and Also Enjoy Wilmington’s Beaches!

So you may be planning to attend the annual North Carolina Azalea Festival which is packed with many activities for the old and young alike. However you may want to add a few extra days to your visit and explore Wilmington’s beautiful area beaches. The Wilmington area is home to many beautiful beach areas but […]

The Return of the NCAF as an Economic Driver

What a difference a year can make.  In March of 2020 the alarm was sounded throughout the world as the unwarranted pandemia, Covid -19 had made its way to the United States. Our city, along with the nation, was in shock and disbelief.  We had no idea what we were up against and how our […]

Decades of Queens…Where are They Now?

The North Carolina Azalea Festival has been honored to have over seven decades of Azalea Festival Queens. We thought it would be interesting to choose one queen from each decade to see where they are today.  Let’s begin with our very first queen from 1948… Jacqueline White, 1948 Jacqueline White is 98 yrs old and […]

You, Your Pup, in a Park with a Parade!

Imagine enjoying the afternoon with your pup in a park with all things centered around your four-legged best friend?! Does this sound heavenly to you and only something you dream about while doing household chores or sitting behind your desk at work? Our lives get so busy that we forget to take the time to […]

A Look Back at the BEST WEEK EVER!

First off let me just say… BEST WEEK EVER!!  Got to kick off the week with the Azalea Sweep! The volunteers, fellow princesses, and I got to give Greenfield Lake a little makeover. Cleaning up our beautiful town of Wilmington is such a simple act of service that gave me so much joy. I also […]

The Azalea Festival is on TikTok!

Of course we are and so are 65.9 million other users in the United States. According to https://www.statista.com/. This figure is projected to increase by 22 percent year-over-year, reaching 73.7 million users by the end of 2021. So where did it all begin? In 2014 a Chinese based media company launched an app Musical.ly. A […]

So How Did a Flowering Shrub Get Its Own Festival?

In our beautiful state of North Carolina you can find the native azaleas plants growing wild from the Blue Ridge Mountains to just before our sandy shores. According to Southern Living, the azalea is the number one must-have plant in the South. Rhododendrons and azaleas are the south’s favorite shrubs.Both belong to the genus Rhododendron, […]

Pin Pal Program Presented by Wilmington Grill

All of us like to support our local schools, colleges, and professional sports teams by wearing their logos and colors. It gives us a sense of pride and allegiance. One could say we feel bonded through a common support system resulting in a sense of community. Now we have the opportunity to exercise our allegiance […]

The Airlie Garden Party…”It Always Went On”

Many of us have had the privilege of attending the Airlie Luncheon Garden Party, also known as just the “Garden Party” to the locals. Not only are the flowers in bloom but so is the attire. The ladies show up dressed in floral sundresses, big hats, and colorful sandals. The men, not wanting to be […]

Rashad and Ripa, Past Queen Azaleas

The North Carolina Azalea Festival began in 1948 with a huge fanfare of festivities. One of the main events was the crowning of Jacqueline White as the very first Azalea Festival Queen Azalea. Although there would be many queens to come, Jacqueline set the standards high and paved the wave for all future queens. One […]