North Carolina Azalea Festival 2026: Schedule, Parking, Tips & What To Know

Azalea Festival 2026 Dates & Details

• Dates: April 8 to 12, 2026.
• Location: The majority of the festival will be held in downtown historic Wilmington with the concerts being held at the Live Oak Bank Pavilion. There are a few other events at other venues throughout Wilmington.
• Cost: Most of the festival events during the weekend, like the parade, street festival, and Tunes & Blooms concert are free to attend. The main stage concerts — Lil Jon and Dustin Lynch are playing on the Azalea Festival Main Stage at Live Oak Bank Pavilion at Riverfront Park — require tickets.

Parking + Road Closures

Where To Park

There are a few public lots in downtown Wilmington (including the Convention Center at 10 Convention Center Drive and Skyline Center parking deck at 155 Brunswick St) and they’ll be a $10 flat rate for the festival.

The city, which runs the lots, said the 2nd Street lot will be closed for festival use, but didn’t specify if it’s the lot off Princess Street or off Grace Street.

Be really careful that you’re parking in the public lots if you want that rate. There are a ton of private lots downtown and those are really expensive.

Street parking is free all weekend, beginning at 6:30 pm on Friday. Street parking is always free higher than 3rd Street (unless marked as permit parking).

Road Closures

The Azalea Festival’s street fair is on Front Street between Orange Street and Red Cross Street with the Children’s Area and Performing Arts Stage in the parking lot on 2nd Street between Market Street and Dock Street.

Because of it, there will be the following road closures from 7 am on Friday to 6 pm on Sunday:

• Front Street from Orange Street to Red Cross Street
• Market Street from N. Water Street to N. 2nd Street
• Dock Street from N. Water Street to N. 2nd Street
• N. 2nd Street between Market Street and Dock Street

The Azalea Festival parade is Saturday from 9:30 am to 11:30 am. It runs along Third Street from Market Street to Brunswick Street. Because of it, every street along that path from 2nd Street to 5th Street will be closed at that time. So if you’re planning on driving downtown for it, you want to come early or make sure you park on 6th Street or higher.

Best Reasons To Attend The North Carolina Azalea Festival

The Azalea Festival’s schedule is long (you’ll see that later) and it’s really hard to get to everything. So, to make it easier, we’re listing out favorite reasons to visit the festival here.

Eat The Street Food

My favorite reason for going to the Azalea Fest is to get a corn dog. I tend to limit my corn dog consumption to street fairs in Wilmington and rest stops on long road trips.

That’s not the only food available, though.

Each year, there are food vendors selling ribbon fries, gyros, sausage and pepper sandwiches, snow cones, deep fried cookies and candy bars, soda, ice cream, and more. It’s all your favorite street fair food.

Shop The Street Fair

A ton of food and vendor tents make up the street fair. There are some salesy vendors — like the local newspapers and banks — but there are also artists. It’s amazing to see the creations they can make. I’m crafty, but these people are on another level.

Every year, I end up walking away with something special and unique. A few years ago, it was a hand painted sign for my aunt’s beach house. A few years after that it was a watercolor print for our bathroom.

Check Out The Bands

This year, there are two concerts on the main stage: Lil Jon and Dustin Lynch. Those are ticketed concerts, which will be held at the Live Oak Bank Pavilion.

We had pit tickets for the T-Pain and the Chase Rice concerts a couple years ago, and those were amazing. I’ll be honest, though. That venue is really bad when you sit on the lawn. So, if you’re going to go, the more expensive tickets are better.

But you don’t need to shell out money for a big ticket to enjoy some tunes.

The Tunes & Blooms Music Festival on Sunday at Greenfield Lake Amphitheater and is free to the public and filled with 10 hours of music from local bands.

Watch The Azalea Festival Parade

The Azalea Festival Parade gets crowded. We went a few years ago for the first time, and parking was crazy. But the parade is so good, and you get to see the festival Queen at the end, so it’s worth it.

If you don’t want to go, you can actually stream the parade live town website, so that’s much easier. You’ll just miss out on the opportunity to catch candy thrown from cars and floats (which you’ll miss out on anyway, honestly, if you’re an adult).

Play In The Children’s Area

If you’re bringing the kids, they can’t run through the festival unattended. There are so many people, it’s just not safe for them.

When they’re ready to run, find the Street Fair Children’s Area. There are bounce houses, arts and crafts, touch-a-truck with the Wilmington Fire Department, mini golf, and more.

Marvel At The Fireworks Show

On Saturday night, there will be fireworks shot over the Cape Fear River. You can get a great view of them for free anywhere on Water Street, so be sure to keep an eye out for them.

If you want to get a better seat, you can buy tickets to watch from the Battleship as part of the Battleship Boom & Bloom. Ticketholders have access to sit at the Battleship and watch the show from there.

See The Belles

This is an honorable mention.

In the past, when you took the Garden Tour, you were greeted at each garden by the Azalea Belles. The belles were dressed in antebellum attire (those beautiful huge dresses that you associate with Southern Belles). To see the Belles in real life at the gardens, or standing at the gardens, it’s so special.

A few years ago, the Cape Fear Garden Club decided to end the Azalea Belles program, much to the dismay of a lot of the residents of Wilmington. There are some details about that here.

Full North Carolina Azalea Festival 2026 Schedule

This schedule is in alphabetical order, by day. So, just scroll down to the day that you’ll be at the Azalea Festival and you’ll see what events are happening that day.

Saturday, Janury 31

Chefs’ Showcase: A 5-course meal with wine pairings and light entertainment will be held at Hotel Ballast at 1 pm.

Thursday, April 9

Juried Art Show: The Wilmington Art Association’s juried art show will be held at the Hannah Block Historic USO/Community Arts Center.

Lil Jon: The recording artist’s concert begins at 7 pm at Live Oak Bank Pavilion. The Ying Yang Twins are opening. This is a ticketed event.

Friday, April 10

Airlie Luncheon Garden Party: Celebrity Reception: A private event for festival sponsors, the Azalea Queen, and others at Airlie Gardens. The event starts at 11 am.

After Garden Get Down: The official after-party of the Airlie Luncheon Garden Party. This event is held at Bluewater Grill starting at 2 pm and is open to the public.

Azalea Festival Garden Tour: A self-guided tour of home gardens. Tickets are required and are $50. Self =-guided tours are allowed between 10 am to 5 pm.

Dustin Lynch: The concert begins at 7 pm at Live Oak Bank Pavilion. Noah Rinker is opening. Fun fact: We saw Dustin Lynch play the Grand Ole Opry last year and he was amazing.

Juried Art Show: The Wilmington Art Association’s juried art show will be held at the Hannah Block Historic USO/Community Arts Center.

Queen’s Dance Party: A ticketed event held at the Embassy Suites Hotel at 6 pm.

Street Fair: A street fair with over 250 vendors will be set up in on Front and Water Streets in downtown Wilmington. Hours: 6 pm to 10 pm (food vendors).

The Wizard of Oz: The play will be performed at Thalian Hall in conjunction with the Azalea Festival. This is a ticketed event taking place at 7:30 pm.

Saturday, April 11

America250: One Day Wonder: The one-day exhibition featuring North Carolina’s constitutional history will be presented at the Cape Fear Museum from 11 am to 4 pm. Admission is free.

Azalea Aviation Static Military Displays: Displays will be set up at the Wilmington International Airport from noon to 5 pm. Food trucks will also be on site.

Azalea Festival Garden Tour: A self-guided tour of home gardens. Tickets are required and are $50. Self-guided tours are allowed between 10 am to 5 pm.

Azalea Festival Home Tour: A self-guided tour of various homes. Tickets are required. Self-guided tours are permitted from 12 pm to 5 pm.

Azalea Festival Parade: The parade will begin at 9:30 am. It runs on Third Street, starting between Dock and Market Streets and ending on Bladen Street.

Battleship Boom & Bloom Bonanza: You can watch the fireworks from the USS Battleship North Carolina. Tickets are required and do include a pink folding chair that you can keep, popcorn, a self-guided deck tour, and more. This starts at 7:30 pm.

Boxing Tournament: The boxing tournament is free for spectators and starts at 2 pm.

Coin Show: There will be a coin show at the Elks Lodge from 10 am to 5 pm.

Fireworks: Fireworks will be shot off over the Cape Fear River at 9 pm.

Juried Art Show: The Wilmington Art Association’s juried art show will be held at the Hannah Block Historic USO/Community Arts Center.

Patron’s Party Gala: The party for the festival’s sponsors will be held at the Cape Fear Country Club at 7 pm.

Street Fair: A street fair with over 250 vendors will be set up in on Front and Water Streets in downtown Wilmington. Hours: 10 am to 10 pm (food vendors).

Street Fair Performing Arts Stage: A stage will be set up near the street fair. It will host performances from different musical and performance groups from noon to 5 pm.

Street Fair Royalty Performances: The Azalea queen and royal court will be performing their talents on stage at 1 pm. This should take about an hour.

The Wizard of Oz: The play will be performed at Thalian Hall in conjunction with the Azalea Festival. This is a ticketed event taking place at 2 pm and 7:30 pm.

Sunday, April 12

Azalea Aviation Static Military Displays: Displays will be set up at the Wilmington International Airport from 10 am to 3 pm. Food trucks will also be on site.

Azalea Festival Garden Tour: A self-guided tour of home gardens. Tickets are required and are $50. Self-guided tours are allowed between 10 am to 5 pm.

Azalea Festival Home Tour: A self-guided tour of various homes. Tickets are required. Self-guided tours are permitted from 12 pm to 5 pm.

Boxing Tournament: The boxing tournament is free for spectators and starts at 2 pm.

Cape Fear Corvette Club Car Show: The show will take place at 9 am at Jeff Gordon Chevrolet.

Coin Show: There will be a coin show at the Elks Lodge from 10 am to 5 pm.

Juried Art Show: The Wilmington Art Association’s juried art show will be held at the Hannah Block Historic USO/Community Arts Center.

Street Fair: A street fair with over 250 vendors will be set up in on Front and Water Streets in downtown Wilmington. Hours: 10 am to 5 pm.

The Wizard of Oz: The play will be performed at Thalian Hall in conjunction with the Azalea Festival. This is a ticketed event taking place at 2 pm.

Tunes & Blooms Music Festival: A free music festival from noon to 10 pm at Greenfield Lake Amphitheater. Food and drink will be available for purchase.

Visitor’s Tips

Transportation

Wilmington doesn’t offer a lot of public transportation options, like you get in large cities. So, your best bet is to drive yourself to the festival. Just leave early because parking fills up quickly.

You can take a rideshare service, but know that those are limited and you’ll have to pay surge pricing because of the festival.

Weather Tips / What To Wear

The weather in Wilmington in April is really unpredictable. It goes from lows in the 40s in the mornings to highs of 80 in the day. So, you’ll want to dress in layers and bring a light jacket.

The Azalea Festival gets really crowded, so we suggest you wear closed toe shoes in case people drop things or step on your feet accidentally. Good sneakers are recommended because the festival is a lot of walking.

And, since you’ll be outside, make sure to put on sunscreen. No-see-ums are a problem in Wilmington, and the only thing we’ve found to work is Buggins spray, so you’ll want to use that too.

The festival and concerts are rain or shine. The concerts have been delayed for weather before and may start really late, so keep that in mind if you have tickets.

What To Bring

If you’re going to the parade, you’ll want to bring a chair to set up on the sidewalk. There is some bleacher seating, but you need to reserve that for a fee ahead of time.

You’ll want to bring cash, as some vendors charge a 3% fee for credit card purchases. We have seen portable ATM machines downtown for the festival, but those will charge fees. Some vendors may only accept cards, though, so bring your whole wallet.

Nearby Restaurants

If you don’t want to eat greasy fair food, there are a ton of local restaurants around the festival. Fun fact: Chains aren’t allowed on the first few streets in Wilmington, so downtown is filled with mom and pop shops.

We have a huge list of Wilmington restaurants and another with Wilmington breweries to help decide where to eat and drink.