WILMINGTON — The 2017 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 70th annual North Carolina Azalea Festival Parade kicks off at 9:30 a.m. on Saturday, April 8th at the corner of Market and 3rd Streets. The route will travel straight North on 3rd Street and end at Bladen Street. The Parade will set a record with four balloons- two helium and two cold air. The North Carolina Azalea Festival is excited to have confirmation of attendance from eight high school bands and the Marine Corps Band. The Parade will also feature the Festival’s Multicultural March of Nations, sponsor floats with the Cape Fear Garden Club Azalea Belles® and local museums and organizations such as the Rotary and the Children’s Museum. This year to honor the 70th Anniversary we will have a tribute float with past Azalea Festival Scholarship Pageant Princesses from each decade beginning with the 50’s.

Pre-Parade entertainment consists of a Parade Mile along the Parade route (starting and ending in front of the Reviewing Stand) at approximately 9:00 a.m.. The Parade itself will kick off at 9:30 a.m. 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 along the Parade route.

Parking is available in all public parking decks downtown; access to the decks is on Chestnut Street only, and only until 8:15 a.m.. 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 a.m..

STREET FAIR PRESENTED BY WELLS FARGO

The Street Fair Presented by Wells Fargo begins Friday, April 7th and continues through Sunday, April 9th. The Street Fair is a free, family-friendly event located in downtown Wilmington on Water, Front, Second, and Market Streets. This year the Street Fair will feature over 330 arts and crafts, commercial and food vendors, multicultural music and dance performances, a Street Fair Hunt, and a Children’s Area with bounce houses and interactive activities from local museums, organizations, and businesses. The Street Fair will also have free meet and greets with celebrities, pilots, and children’s characters such as Peppa Pig!

Geico Lounge with the Bandit Flight Team

Join us at the Geico Lounge featuring AzaleaFestival merchandise and information! Sit and relax or pick up your new favorite Festival swag.

Pilot Meet and Greet: Meet the Pilots of the Bandit Flight Team from 12-1 p.m. on Saturday in the Geico Lounge. The Bandit Flight Team will be doing the Parade Flyover directly after the National Anthem on Parade morning. The team is composed of highly-trained experienced formation pilots combining their love of flying and adding a lasting impression to any event.

Paint the Town Community Art Project

Join Wine & Design at the North Carolina Azalea Festival Street Fair on the corner of Front and Market Streets to create a collaborative masterpiece. Guests of all ages will have a unique opportunity to enjoy a hands-on art experience. Each participant will contribute to a giant mural displayed on the street. Show your community spirit by participating with our artist team to complete a Wilmington work of art.

Children’s Area

The Children’s Area will feature interactive exhibits and crafts with local musuems and organizations, bounce houses and Cotton Exchange store vendors on Saturday and Sunday. On Saturday a special aerial acrobatic rig for kids to participate in will be open from 1-5 p.m. Also on Saturday, catch special appearances from Sid the Science Kid and Peppa Pig.

Sid the Science Kid Meet & Greet

In the Children’s Area in the Cotton Exchange

Saturday April 8th Only: Noon – 2:30 p.m.

Peppa Pig Meet & Greet

In the Children’s Area in the Cotton Exchange

Saturday April 8th Only: 12:30 – 3:00 p.m.

Children’s Stage Presented by Wilmington Health

Come watch children’s performances on Saturday April 8th and Sunday April 9th from 2:30 -5:00 p.m.at the Children’s Stage Presented by Wilmington Health. Local dance troupes and other organizations will be showcasing their best youth dancers.

Children’s Stage sponsored by Wilmington Health

Saturday April 8th

12:30-1:00 Miss Brunswick County Queens

1:00-1:30 Wilmington Area Queens

1:30-2:00 DanZquest

2:00-2:30 Evolution Dance Complex

2:30-3:00 Pleasure Island Dance Company

3:00-3:30 South East Dance Academy

3:30-4:00 GAFA

4:00-4:30 TACT

4:30-4:45 PHJC

4:45-5:00 G.I.R.L.S

Sunday April 9th

12:30-1:00 TBA

1:00-1:30 Wilmington School of Ballet

1:30-2:00 Wilmington Conservatory for Fine Arts

2:00-2:30 Dance Express Hampstead

2:30-3:00 Dance Express Wilmington

3:00-3:30 Dynamic Footworks

3:30-4:00 Snow Productions

4:00-4:30 Cripple Creek cloggers

4:30-5:00 TBA

Celebrity Meet & Greet with PARIS BERELC

At the tent on the corner of Water and Princess Streets (110 N. Front Street)

Saturday Only, April 8th 1:00 – 3:00 p.m.

“SKYLAR” FROM LAB RATS: ELITE FORCE

This is a FREE event!

Azalea Bonsai Styling Seminar

Hosted by Bonsai Curator Arthur Joura

Saturday April 8, 2017 from 4-6 p.m.

Located at the corner of Water and Princess Streets

The Cape Fear Bonsai Society is pleased to host Arthur Joura for the styling of a Satsuki Azalea Bonsai. Arthur is the bonsai curator for the North Carolina Arboretum in Asheville, North Carolina, and has been since 1992. We are fortunate in North Carolina, as we have a state collection of Bonsai Trees that are maintained and regularly on display at the Arboretum in Asheville. The Cape Fear Bonsai Society, now in its 17th year, meets once a month to participate in the Japanese art of miniature trees.

Signature Vendors

The Azalea Festival will be highlighting special hand-selected vendors this year at our Signature Row located on Market Street between 2nd and Front Streets. Some of these vendors will include local artist Allison Ester, Local Jeweler Macon Thornton, Potter Mallorie Terranova with Jars of Dust, pearl and leather jewelry from Sweet Carolina Pearls, and glass blower Colin O’Reilly from Terrane Glass Designs (Garden & Gun Magazines Best of the South winner)

Helicopter Tours

This year take a ride with High Tide Helicopters. The tours will start at $40 per person for a tour around the USS NC Battleship and along the Wilmington Riverfront.

Location: A short drive south of the Street Fair located at 712 Surry St near the Cape Fear Memorial Bridge.

Street Fair Music Stage

Liverpool: Beatles Tribute Cover Band

Friday, April 7th, 7-10 p.m.

Liverpool, The Beatles Experience is a five-member band paying homage to the music of the Beatles. Liverpool performs mainly at major festivals and corporate concerts and is known for perfect harmonies. The Beatles recorded with and used Vox amps for their true authentic sound…so does Liverpool. The Beatles recorded and played guitars from Hofner, Rickenbacher, Casio, Epiphone, Fender and Gretsch…so does Liverpool. The Beatles recorded and played with Ludwig drums and Zildjian cymbals…so does Liverpool. You will be singing to the first song you hear!

Caroline Dare and Band

Saturday, April 8th, 7-8:50 p.m.

Caroline Dare is a 15-year-old NC/Nashville, TN based ASCAP songwriter and CMA member. She has been recognized by the Nashville Songwriters Association International (NSAI) as “One to Watch” for being a songwriter on the rise. In April 2015 and June 2016, she was featured as the Taylor Guitars “Player and Video of the Week”. She performs both acoustically and with her full band primarily in NC, SC, and Nashville and has played notable venues such as Downtown Disney (Orlando, FL), The Bluebird Cafe & The Commodore Grille (Nashville, TN), Eddie’s Attic (Atlanta, GA), MerleFest (Wilkesboro, NC), The Evening Muse, Whisky River, The Coca Cola 600 Speed Street Festival (Charlotte, NC), Johnny & June’s (Winston-Salem, NC) and the NC Seafood Festival (Morehead City, NC). Caroline is involved with many charitable events including Tunes for Tots, March of Dimes, and her local Children’s Hospital and Humane Society.

Fireworks Sponsored by AARP

Saturday, April 8th at 9:00 p.m.over the Cape Fear River.

Jack Jack 180

Saturday, April 8th, 9:30 -11 p.m.

Wilmington based Jack Jack 180 is a multi- genre musical group that specializes in performing a blend of high-energy party, pop, rock covers. The band consists of four members from different locales, musical backgrounds and eras who combine their ideas and talents to showcase a variety of exciting, fun, and energetic music to bring any event to life! At a Jack Jack 180 show you will typically hear a wide variety of music from classic Motown to rock, country, and pop that spans many decades. Jack Jack 180 is a high-energy surprise!

Multicultural Stage Sponsored by Piedmont Natural Gas

Join us Saturday and Sunday April 8th and 9th, 12:30 – 5 p.m. for a FREE two-day multicultural family-friendly celebration which will showcase different cultures, all flourishing here, in the Greater Cape Region. You will marvel at the authentic costumes, dance and music of some of our best ethnic performing groups and bands. Enjoy the sounds, food, and arts and craft booths from around the world!

Performers and band members, dressed in authentic ethnic costumes will infuse the city with their rich dance and music. Our Street Fair Multicultural Stage and Parade lineup spans the genres of marchers, contemporary and classical music from countries such as China, Middle East, Mexico, Polynesia, Hawaii, Japan, Latin America, Ireland, Southern Cloggers, and many more.

Multicultural Stage // Saturday, April 8th

12:30 p.m. Multicultural Stage Opening Remarks

12:40 p.m. OMNI Percussion Ensemble

1:15 p.m. Ballet Folklorico Guadalupano-Dances from the State of Jalisco

1:40 p.m. Aloha Ka’naka- Hawaiian Dance Group

2:05 p.m. Ballet Folklorico Guadalupano-Dances from the State of Chiapas

2:20 p.m. TACAS Cloud Faeries & Chinese American Culture Association

2:40 p.m. Walsh Kelley School of Irish Dance

3:00 p.m. Polynesian Fusion Dance group

3:20 p.m. Clog Carolina

3:40 p.m. Ruikyukoku Matsuri Daiko

4:00 p.m. Samra Middle Eastern Dancers & Axiom Band

4:20 p.m. Cape Fear Chordsmen

Multicultural Stage // Sunday, April 9th

12:30 p.m. Multicultural Stage Opening Remarks

12:45 p.m. PAMOJA! Band

1:20 p.m. Polynesian Fusion Dance Group

1:45 p.m. Wilmington Chinese American Culture Association

2:00 p.m. TACAS Cloud Faeries

2:25 p.m. Ballet Folklorico – Soul & Heart of Mexico: Dances from the State of Nuevo Leon

2:45 p.m. UNCW Slainte Irish Dance Club

3:15 p.m. Ballet Folklorico-Soul & Heart of Mexico: Dances from the State of Sinaloa

3:30 p.m. Aloha Ka’haka-Hawaiian Dance Group

4:00 p.m. Middle Eastern Dancers

Street Fair Hunt

The North Carolina Azalea Festival Street Fair Hunt is a social media scavenger hunt with participating Wilmington businesses in the street fair zone. The registered hunters will be given a Street Fair Hunt card with participating businesses listed. Along with visiting the businesses, there will be instructions for hunters to complete a social media task for each business. After completing the social media task, the hunter will receive a promotional item and stamp on their card for completion. Upon completion of the entire Street Fair Hunt card, the participants will be entered into a raffle to win prizes donated by the participating businesses. The Street Fair Hunt is an untimed event – thus, we encourage participants to take their time and look around and shop during the hunt.

Open Mic Night

Saturday, April 8th, 6-10 p.m. (Cotton Exchange Parking Lot)

Join us at the Street Fair Children’s Stage Presented by Wilmington Health for an exciting Open Mic Night! Six singers/bands will perform for Street Fair guests from 6-10 p.m. (with a break for the Fireworks, of course!).

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.

For more information on the upcoming 70th Annual North Carolina Azalea Festival, visit www.ncazaleafestival.org or contact Executive Director Alison Baringer at [email protected] or (910) 216-9400.

Pictured is the final piece for the ‘Paint the Community Art Project’ at the Azalea Festival.
https://www.clintonnc.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/web1_Azalea-Festival-Mural-1-002-1.jpgPictured is the final piece for the ‘Paint the Community Art Project’ at the Azalea Festival.