New Venue for Main Stage Concerts
Here in the city of Wilmington we are thrilled to celebrate the launch of the new Live Oak Bank Pavilion @ Riverfront Park. This project has been in the planning stages since 2012. It is built on a 6.6-acre tract of land and located along the Cape Fear River near the Isabel Holmes Bridge. The […]
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 […]
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 […]
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, […]
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 […]
Queen Azalea and Invited Guests Named
The North Carolina Azalea Festival is excited to announce the 74th Queen Azalea, the Azalea Festival Princess, and Invited Guests of the 2021 Azalea Festival. Says Festival President, Deirdre McGlone-Webb, “It is exciting to highlight our invited guests, who all have ties to the wonderful city of Wilmington. While it will be a different experience, […]
Parades to Porches
What do Mardi Gras and the North Carolina Azalea Festival have in common? Well, more than you would think! Both festivals, although founded almost 250 years apart, were created to celebrate the beautiful cities in which they occur. Mardi Gras is known for its numerous elaborate street parades which are scheduled throughout the festival. People […]