Join Us For The Pre-Festival Party
While it can be difficult to conjure the sweet fragrance of spring during the winer months, the North Carolina Azalea Festival is providing a taste of springtime celebration at the annual Pre-Festival Party. The event is a much-anticipated kick-off of the 70th North Carolina Azalea Festival, complete with an outdoor fire lounge, signature cocktails, and of course, first-class entertainment: The Imitations.
Mike Merritt, George Hobbs, Richard Collier, Mike Miller, and Tony Creech are celebrating 20 years together as The Imitations. Known as the “Party Band of the Carolinas”, The Imitations will be performing their signature beach, soul, and rock n’ roll music at the Pre-Festival Party.
The North Carolina Azalea Festival will be hosting the Pre-Festival Party on Friday, January 20th at the Hilton Wilmington Riverside from 7PM – 12AM. Tickets are $42 and include beer and wine, appetizers, and party music for the evening. Tickets are available here.
Attendees also have the opportunity of purchasing a Hotel Package for $140. The package includes two tickets to the Pre-Festival Party, a hotel room at the Hilton Wilmington Riverside, and a continental “Breakfast with the Board” with members of the 2017 Festival Board. Hotel Packages are available (in limited quantity) here.
For attendees interested in going to the event with friends, the Festival is offering a Table Sponsorship Package for the Pre-Festival Party. For $600, guests receive two hotel rooms at the Hilton Wilmington Riverside, eights tickets to the Pre-Festival Party, a reserved table with table service, and signature cocktails on-the-house. To purchase, contact the Azalea Festival Ticket Office at (910) 794-4650 or info@ncazaleafestival.org.
The Temptations featuring Dennis Edwards At Kenan Auditorium
The North Carolina Azalea Festival will be bringing The Temptations featuring Dennis Edwards to Kenan Auditorium on the campus of UNC-Wilmington on Wednesday, April 5th. According to rollingstone.com; “The Temptations is the most consistently commercially successful and critically lauded male vocal group in rock history. Yet unlike most other living institutions, The Temptations remain a vital, hitmaking group, with the double-platinum Phoenix Rising from 1998 living up to its name.”
“It is a privilege to welcome The Temptations featuring Dennis Edwards to the North Carolina Azalea Festival,” says Jean A. Lawler, 2017 Azalea Festival President. “Truly it’s a tribute to the history of shag in and around our Port City that makes their performance so significant.”
The Temptations provide an opportunity for the Azalea Festival to showcase some of the best Carolina shagging music, while giving attendees an intimate, sit-down concert experience. Music lovers of other genres can still look forward to the North Carolina Azalea Festival announcing multiple nationally-headlining acts for the Main Stage Concert Series in 2017.
Tickets to The Temptations featuring Dennis Edwards are $45 and can be purchased here. The show starts at 8PM, and doors will open one hour prior to showtime.
The Riverwalk Shag Contest Making A Comeback
In honor of celebrating 70 years, the North Carolina Azalea Festival is re-introducing the Shag Contest to the Schedule of Events for 2017. The Shag Contest was a popular long-standing event for the North Carolina Azalea Festival and is coming back after a five-year hiatus.
“The shag community and beyond are thrilled that 2017 President Jean A. Lawler and the North Carolina Azalea Festival Board have embraced the ‘Riverwalk Shag Contest’,” says Pat Smith, Co-Chair of the event. “It’s back, and the 24 amateur couples (12 adult and 12 juniors) will be prepared to showcase their unique styles and steps with grace and finesse. The two-day contest will be entertaining, fun-filled, and will ‘wow’ those who love the dance and new-comers experiencing the dance of the South for their first time!”
The Riverwalk Shag Contest will take place Saturday, April 8th – Sunday, April 9th at the Hilton Wilmington Riverside Ballroom. Open Dancing will be from 11:00AM – 12:00PM, and the Shag Contest will begin at 12:30PM with multi-awardwinning DJ Fred Rouse as Master of Ceremony. Entry to the event is a $1 donation and includes access to raffles, vendors, shag demonstrations, line dancing, and more.
The Riverwalk Shag Contest will feature 24 amateur couples, 12 Adult and 12 Junior. Registration is open here.
Want To Join Us For All Three Events?
1) Beach Blast ($80): Includes one ticket to the Pre-Festival Party on January 20th, one ticket to the Temptations featuring Dennis Edwards on April 5th, and one ticket to the Riverwalk Shag Contest (entry for both Saturday and Sunday) April 8th – April 9th. CLICK HERE to purchase.
2) Shaggin’ Beach Blast with Hotel Package ($234): Includes two tickets to the Pre-Festival Party on January 20th with a hotel room at the Hilton Wilmington Riverside, two tickets to The Temptations featuring Dennis Edwards on April 5th, and two tickets to the Riverwalk Shag Contest (entry for both Saturday and Sunday) April 8th – April 9th. CLICK HERE to purchase.
