WILMINGTON, N.C., March 21, 2016—The 2016 North Carolina Azalea Festival would like to invite visitors to two of our most popular, family-friendly, and free events of the Azalea Festival – the annual Parade and Street Fair Presented by Wells Fargo!
PARADE
The 69th annual Azalea Festival Parade kicks off at 9:30 am on Saturday, April 9th at the corner of Market and 3rd Street. The route will mirror last year’s new route, traveling straight North on 3rd Street and ending at Red Cross Street. New this year will be the Azalea Festival’s first helium balloon, “Abby Cadabby!” We also have confirmation from 13 high school bands from across the state, a Multicultural March of Nations, and Cape Fear Garden Club Azalea Belles on hand to welcome in the weekend of festivities.
Pre-Parade entertainment consists of a Parade Mile being run directly on the Parade route (starting and ending in front of the Reviewing Stand) at approximately 9:00 am. The Parade itself will kick off around 9:25 with the National Anthem, a flyover by the Bandit Flight Team Presented by Wilmington International Airport (ILM), and a ribbon cutting at the corner of Market and 3rd Street to start the Parade!
Viewing areas will be along 3rd Street, from Market Street to Red Cross Street. Viewing along the route is always free, though reserved Festival bleacher tickets are available for purchase at the North Carolina Azalea Festival Ticket Office for $5-8 in advance, $7-10 day of.
Parking is available in all public parking decks downtown; access to the decks is on Chestnut Street only, and only until 8:15 am. Once in the parking deck, cars will not be permitted to leave until after the Parade is over. ADA parking is on the corner of Chestnut and 3rd Street, and is accessible via Chestnut Street until 8:15 am.
STREET FAIR PRESENTED BY WELLS FARGO
The Street Fair Presented by Wells Fargo kicks off Friday, April 8th and continues through Sunday, April 10th. The Street Fair is a free, family event with over 330 arts and craft vendors, 50 food vendors, 2 stages, an interactive children’s area and a whole lot of fun! The Street Fair is located in downtown Wilmington on Water, Front, and Market Streets.
The fun starts on Friday night, April 8th with the Music and Multicultural Stage hosting the City RockFest Tour Presented by McDonalds and McAnderson’s. The stage show starts at 6 pm at the corner of Princess and Water Streets. Food vendors will be open as well on Friday night.
The fun continues on Saturday from 10 am – 10 pm, and Sunday 10 am – 6 pm. Entertainment will be on stages both days, food and arts and crafts vendors will be open, and roving street performers will abound.
On Saturday, come out to the free Meet and Greet Presented by Wells Fargo to see “Bella” Brec Bassinger from the hit Nickelodeon show, Bella and the Bulldogs. She will be signing autographs from 1-3 pm. Make sure you also stop by the Belk Lounge to hear recent winners of the Belk Southern Musician Showcase who will be performing at various times throughout the weekend. You can find the Belk Lounge on the corner of Market and Front Streets. You also won’t want to miss the Wells Fargo Stagecoach and their interactive booth throughout the Street Fair, or the Children’s Stage Presented by Wilmington Health! There will also be an RV Show featuring RV’s from Rex and Sons, as well as the Michael Shumacher Race Car Sponsored by the US Army.
Over 200,000 people enjoy the Street Fair each year. The arts and craft booths cover the entire stretch of the Street Fair and there is something for everyone. There are old favorites like face painting, jewelry (made from sea glass to antique buttons), t-shirts, and photography but there are also new vendors offering wine, hot sauces, candles, and local honey.
The food vendors have the staples- funnel cakes, fresh made lemonade, gyros, kettle corn and ice cream but if you’re looking for something more adventurous; a deep fried Oreo or an eight-pound gummy bear will be sure to hit the spot!
Music and Multicultural Stage
Friday Night Concert – Friday, April 8th at 6:00 PM
City Rock Fest Tour 2016 with Seventh Day Slumber, Decyfer Down, Children 18:3 and Spoken, Disciple
Presented by: McDonalds/McAnderson’s Inc.
Biography: Were it not for the resiliency of front man Joseph Rojas, Seventh Day Slumber’s story might be far different. In the early days, he knew his band needed a way to build awareness and name recognition, so he started his own label, signed his own band, and managed to get a single added on just two radio stations. Undeterred, Rojas launched a radio tour, wound up in the top ten, booked 30 shows, and got a distribution deal. The band’s first independent release, “Picking up the Pieces,” sold 40,000 units out of the gate and word of this scrappy Christian rock band was getting around.
Tooth and Nail Records came calling with an offer to sign the band to BEC, and since then Seventh Day Slumber has not only found chart success and a string of top ten singles, they’ve seen the Power of music and the gospel to change lives. “The stories we hear are amazing,” says Rojas. “Emails that say, ‘I was on the verge of pulling the trigger, and I heard your song on the radio, and it gave me hope, and I put the gun down.’ It’s just crazy to me, that a guy once filled with so much pain and hurt could write songs that touch people’s lives and make them feel like they can go on.”
Biography: If there were a music industry award for a tireless, endless work ethic and perseverance throughout trying times, it would unequivocally go to Columbia/INO Records’ Grammy nominated Decyfer Down. The North Carolina-bred band toured endlessly through the last half of the 2000’s, opening for national bands such as Crossfade, Breaking Benjamin, Skillet, Disciple and Theory of a Dead Man. Add in “Fight Like This,” a charting active rock single which was featured as a promotional song for UFC, Fading, a charting CHR single, Crash, which was featured in WWE Smackdown montage, and 7 Christian rock number ones, and you can see how God has used this band and their music to push through boundaries in both music genre and ministry.
Biography: Disciple…Kevin Young, Josiah Prince from Philmont and Andrew Stanton from I Am Empire on guitars, Jason Wilkes from High Flight Society on bass and vocals (since the guy was an amazing lead vocalist for his band), and Joey West from After Edmund on drums. It’s Disciple’s best lineup ever. They have the perfect combination of being great players and performers, and are ridiculously talented songwriters,” says Young. “One of my favorite things about these guys is that they have embraced where Disciple has been and love to play the classic songs for our fans, as well as have put every ounce of their souls into trying to take Disciple higher than we’ve ever been. I think our fans have embraced them for that in return.”
Biography: Spoken is Matt Baird – Vocals, Scoop Roberts – Guitar, Isaiah Perez – Drums, with both heavy vocals and heavy guitar work. Matt Baird, the lead vocalist for Spoken, said this about their sound: we have a lot of diversity. 2015 marks eighteen years since the band’s debut release, however Spoken has yet to let up and is currently preparing to release its biggest and best album yet. On the Billboard Christian Rock charts and gaining momentum with Active Rock stations around the country, there’s no telling the heights the band will reach with the newfound blood and inspiration, but the future is looking bright.
Biography: An American Christian punk band from Morris, Minnesota. Formed in 1999, the band consists of homeschooled siblings David (vocals/guitar), Lee Marie (vocals/bass), and Seth Hostetter (drums).[1][2][3] Since signing to Tooth & Nail Records in 2007, the band has released four albums, Children 18:3 (2008), Rain’s a Comin’ (2010), On the Run (2012), and Come In (2015). You hear classic song structure, guitar crunch, and fast driving beats. Just the right blend of melody and muscle, exchanged between the male and female voices onstage, to make this bit more universal than simple two-dimensional aggression. You hear songs, not just riffs with outfits. Rock songs you can grab a hold of, yet completely raw in presentation. And finally, the words are defiant, poetic, and communal. Just the type of thing a starving musical climate needs: A reminder of everything that was once right about punk and rock nʼ roll.
Music and Multicultural Stage Day Events
We invite the public to join us for a unique family-friendly multicultural experience on Saturday and Sunday, April 9th and 10th. The kick-off of the multicultural festivities goes global beginning on Saturday at 9:30 am with the “Multicultural March of Nations Float” at the Azalea Festival Parade. Enjoy the spectacle of a kaleidoscope of international flags on the float and multiple ethnic marchers dressed in authentic traditional costumes on the Streets of historic downtown Wilmington.
The Street Fair Multicultural celebration continues at the Multicultural Stage on Saturday and Sunday. Groups and community organizations work together to present an array of diverse ethnic performers and bands who will infuse the City with rich music, and their cultural traditions.
The Street Fair Multicultural Stage experience includes contemporary and classical music from Polynesia, Hawaii and Tahiti, Mexico, Japan, China, Burma, Latin America, the Middle East, Ireland, Southern Cloggers, and many more.
Join us for a FREE two-day multicultural celebration and enjoy the music and dance of some of our best ethnic performing groups and bands while you savor the Street Fair food and visit the arts and crafts booths.
Street Fair Music & Multicultural Stage Schedule
Saturday April 9th
12:00-12:30 CFM Science Demonstrations
12:30-1:00 Area queens
1:00-1:30 Evolution Dance Complex
1:30-2:00 Abundance/Dreams
2:00-2:30 DanZquest
2:30-3:00 SEDA
3:00-3:30 Dance Arts Conservatory
3:30-4:00 G.I.R.L.S.
4:00-4:30 GAFA
4:30-5:00 RBA Vikings
5:00-5:30 CFM Science Demonstrations
Sunday April 10th
12:30-1:00 CFM Science Demonstrations
1:00-1:30 Wilmington School of Ballet
1:30-2:00 Cripple Creek Cloggers
2:00-2:30 Dance Express Hampstead
2:30-3:00 Dance Express Wilmington
3:00-3:30 Dynamic Footworks
3:30-4:00 Thalian Association Community Theatre’s youth production of The Secret Garden
4:00-4:30 Snow Productions
4:30-5:00 CFM Science Talent
Children’s Stage Presented by Wilmington Health Events and Stage Performers
In the Cotton Exchange Lot
UNC-TV – Syd Science Kid –will be holding meet and greet events on Saturday
NC Aquarium – Out Reach Program – will bring an interactive exhibit from the aquarium on Saturday and Sunday.
DMV – will provide ID cards to individuals
Airplay Events – Inflatables
Children’s Stage Presented by Wilmington Health
Saturday April 9th
12:00-12:30 CFM Science Demonstrations
12:30-1:00 Area queens
1:00-1:30 Evolution Dance Complex
1:30-2:00 Abundance/Dreams
2:00-2:30 DanZquest
2:30-3:00 SEDA
3:00-3:30 Dance Arts Conservatory
3:30-4:00 G.I.R.L.S.
4:00-4:30 GAFA
4:30-5:00 RBA Vikings
5:00-5:30 CFM Science Demonstrations
Sunday April 10th
12:30-1:00 CFM Science Demonstrations
1:00-1:30 Wilmington School of Ballet
1:30-2:00 Cripple Creek Cloggers
2:00-2:30 Dance Express Hampstead
2:30-3:00 Dance Express Wilmington
3:00-3:30 Dynamic Footworks
3:30-4:00 Thalian Association Community Theatre’s youth production of The Secret Garden
4:00-4:30 Snow Productions
4:30-5:00 CFM Science Talent
Music and Multicultural Stage
Saturday Night Concert – Saturday, April 9th at 6:00 PM
Performances By: Clark Beckham, Mike Blair and the Stonewalls, Norlina, and Villa*Nova
Clark Beckham first started singing in a gospel trio with his mother and father when he was 8 years old. He started playing Instruments around the same age. Today, he is as much of a profound instrumentalist as he is a vocalist. In 2015, his soulful, bluesy vocals and along with his incredible talent on the piano and guitar took America by storm and Beckham finished as American Idol’s Season 14 runner up. Since then he has performed with the Nashville Symphony, written with Brian McKnight and been nominated for a Teen Choice award as Music’s Next Big Thing. Before Idol, Beckham made his money playing and singing on the street, coffee shops, churches and college events. Whether practicing scales, learning songs, or just listening, he considers music the most major part of his life. In regards to music, Beckham states, “I think it, I speak it, I live in and around it, I make it and I do it.” He continues “I feel like music is as much a part of me as my own heart.”
Mike Blair and the Stonewalls Website
Mike Blair and the Stonewalls are a local Wilmington band that has been making music together since 2010. A heartbreak brought the band together and they’ve been producing music and touring ever since. The members are Mike Blair, lead vocals and on guitar, Keith Butler Jr. on drums, Sean Howard on bass and Michael Graham on electric guitar. The group has opened for artists including Brandi Carlile and Rayland Baxter. To describe their sound, this is how the band puts it:”The Stonewalls surround Mike Blair like the perfect fitting sports coat with tight, clean sound that showcases the talented musician’s soulful voice. The sound is powerful, surrounding the vocalist/guitarist, Mike Blair, with a richness that permeates the room. Blair approaches his songwriting with a vulnerability that translates on stage. “We are excited to have such a talented local band playing on the Music Stage during this year’s festival!
Norlina is a country band from the Piedmont Triad area of North Carolina. They are rocketing into the public spotlight, powered by limitless energy, passion, creativity, and cutting edge originals. In their first year together they shared the stage with Brett Eldredge, Chris Lane and others as well as released their first EP, “Dixieland Dreams” and signed with Buddy Lee Attractions and Bent Note Records out of Nashville, TN. The band members include Johnny Mont as the lead vocalist/acoustic guitarist, Tyler Galloway, as their lead guitarist/harmony vocalist, Andre Stewart as the drummer, and David Eskridge as the band’s bassist/harmony vocalist.
This group attracted a great crowd to the Music Stage last year during the 2015 Azalea Festival and we are very honored to have the band back again this year after all of their recent successes and achievements!
Villa*Nova turns rock ‘n’ roll upside down. Hailing from Columbia, SC, the band distills elements of funky pop and rock into a hypnotic hybrid. Villa*Nova prides itself on making music with solid grooves and soulful, dynamic lyrics provided by vocalist, guitarist, and song writer BC Villa*Nova, fluid and funky bass lines by Bobby Dredd, rock solid drummer and backing vocals by Young Sean, harmony vocals and rhythm guitar by Brandon Hooker, and turntable wizardry and keyboards by DJ Able One. The band has shared the stage with bands such as Korn, Evanescence, and AWOLNATION.
Villa*Nova played in Wilmington last year at Legion Stadium with Panic at the Disco to a sold-out crowd so we are looking forward to bringing them back to Wilmington for an exciting show!
About the North Carolina Azalea Festival
Since its inception in 1948, the North Carolina Azalea Festival has blossomed into an extended weekend celebration that attracts more than 300,000 people and generates more than $51 million for the local economy. The Festival showcases our community’s rich array of artwork, gardens, history and culture through recreational, educational and family-oriented events.
The North Carolina Azalea Festival Thanks Its Sponsors
Belk
Miller Lite
Hilton Wilmington Riverside
Wells Fargo
Duke Energy
LM Restaurants
New Hanover Regional Medical Center
R.A. Jeffreys
UNC Wilmington
BB & T
Wilmington Health
BlueCross and BlueShield of NC
Coastal Carolina Neonatology/Coastal Children’s Services
Coca-Cola
Corning
Live Oak Bank
MassMutual Financial Group
NewBridge Bank
North Carolina Ports
ONEHOPE Wine
Parkway of Wilmington
PNC
PPD
SEPI Engineering & Construction
