Thursday, Mar. 17
The Second City
UNCW Kenan Auditorium, 515 Wagoner Dr. • Tickets: $25-$35
From Chicago, the well-known Second City will be bringing humor to UNCW’s campus as part of the Lumina Festival of the Arts. Comedians from the conservatory — considered the Ivy Leaguers of humor, including alumni Bill Murray, John Belushi, Mike Myers, Eugene Levy, Steve Carell, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, among others — bring the best of improv and character-building to the stage.
The show will consist of two 45-minute acts, featuring scripted scenes, music, and improvisation involving social and political satire.
Tickets are $25-$35.
ST. PATRICK’S DAY HAPPENINGS
Ogden Tap Room — Live dance music with Resoul, green beer, and food specials from 7 p.m. – 10 p.m. at 7534 Market St.
Hoplite Irish Bar and Restaurant — There will be music all day long at 720 N. Lake Park Blvd., beginning at noon with Paige Bacon, followed by bag pipes (1 p.m.), Irish dancing (3:30), more bag pipes (4 p.m.), and closing out the night with rockabilly rockers the Phantom Playboys (5 p.m.). There will be specials on food — corned beef and cabbage, fish and chips — and drinks, such as Irish coffee, Guinness and Shamrock punch.
Flytrap Brewing — Dennis O’Hagan’s Great Brewery Tour will stop at 319 Walnut St., 6 p.m. – 9 p.m. O’Hagan will perform with Freak Mythology’s Brad Wehlitz. Both multi-instrumentalist, the musicians trade off on guitar, bass, mandolin, lap steel, bouzouki, harp, and percussion. They blend traditional Americana and Celtic tunes, performing original punk folk and eclectic covers. In between, they dish on details of their travels while on the road. Flytrap will release Nitro Irish Stout and Chrome Gnome food truck will be serving from 6 p.m. – 9 p.m.
Dubliner Irish Pub — Medicated Sunfish will perform its brand of funk rock at 6 p.m. and Grimm Burgers food truck will be on site. Dubliner is at 1756 Carolina Beach Rd.
Get Lucky Festival — Barzarre (1614 Castle St.) is hosting a special St. Patrick’s Day musical celebration on Thursday at 3 p.m. The show begins at 4 p.m. and will feature local artists and bands, such as Blue Footed Boobies, Narah, Free Drinks, Annalee and the Current, and more. Tickets are $20 and all who are 18 and up are welcome to attend the event. There will be two stages set up and bands will perform until 10 p.m.
Blarney Brogues — The local Irish band will perform on UNCW’s campus at the amphitheater at 11:30 a.m. before heading to Monkey Junction to play at Celtic Monkey (5607 Carolina Beach Rd.) at 5 p.m. There will be Irish food, whiskey and beer for sale at the Monkey Junction restaurant.
The Celtic Monkey — Celtic Monkey (5607 Carolina Beach Rd.) will open at 9 a.m. to serve breakfast until 11 a.m. Music is scheduled all day long: Asia Day 11 a.m. – 1 p.m., The Blarney Brogues 2 p.m. – 4 p.m., Bethany Manning, 5 p.m. – 7 p.m., and 2 Docs and a Box, 8 p.m. – 11 p.m. Drink and food specials all day.
Club Golf Indoor — A St. Patrick’s Day Golden Tee tourney will take place at Mayfaire’s Club Golf Indoor. Only 16 players can sign up (910-833-5877) for $20 cash buy in. Green attire encouraged; free raffle drawn at 7 p.m.
VFW Post 2573 Canteen — It’s the last weekend at the current VFW at 2722 Carolina Beach Rd. before the veterans’ organization relocates. Celebrations begin with a dart night St. Patrick’s party at 6 p.m.; sign-up takes place at 7:15 p.m. and darts will fly at 7:30 p.m. Friday, Mar. 18, will be the final night party featuring live music from Flying Stonzo’s at 7 p.m.
The Joyce — Leland’s Irish bar and pub will have bounce houses all weekend for the kids, as well as live music in celebration of St. Patrick’s Day. There will be Wilmington Pipes and Drums playing Thursday, along with Austin at 7 p.m. Friday night will feature Miles Atlas at 6 p.m., and Saturday Delia Stanley performs at noon with Sky Parlor taking the stage at 6 p.m. Green beer will be served!
The Harp — Known as “the biggest St. Patrick’s Day party in Wilmington,” The Harp will have a tent set up in the parking lot in addition to having the front patio and bar open. Food service begins at 10 a.m. and goes throughout the day and night, as live music and Irish dancers start at 4 p.m.
Friday, Mar. 18
Comedian Kate Willett
Dead Crow Comedy Room, 511 N Third St. • Tickets: $18-$28
Stand-up, New York comedian Kate Willett will perform both Friday and Saturday nights at 7 p.m. and 9:30 p.m. at Dead Crow Comedy Room. Willet, an actress, writer, and comedian touring internationally, has been featured on “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert,” Comedy Lineup, “The Jim Jefferies Show,” and has a comedy special on the Netflix original series, “The Comedy Lineup.”
Willett co-hosts the podcast “Reply Guys” with Julia Claire, which is declared to be the first politically left podcast hosted by women. She has stand-up specials that have been featured on Comedy Central’s “This Is Not Happening,” which was voted to be one of “2016’s Best Late Night Standup Sets,” according to Splitsider’s list.
Willett’s writing is described in her bio as “raunchy feminist storytelling, both smart and relatable.”
General admission tickets are $18, and VIP tickets are $28 for both showtimes. Doors open at 6 p.m. for the 7 p.m. show and at 9 p.m. for the 9:30 p.m. show.
MORE FRIDAY HAPPENINGS
The Great St. Paddy’s Day Pub Crawl —A day-long celebration takes place from 6 p.m. to midnight in downtown Wilmington at The Lookout, Lvl One and Coglin’s. The tickets are $12 and registration is from 6 p.m. – 7:30 p.m. at The Lookout (23 North Front St., 4th Floor). When checking in, there will be complimentary green beer, free pizza (first-come, first-serve), lucky charms and participants will get a drink ticket to redeem at Coglin’s. DJs and dancing throughout the night and a costume contest for most spirited holiday attire.
Dubtown Cosmonauts — Burnt Mill Creek (2101 Market St.) will welcome Wilmington’s band jam that is celebrating 10 years of bringing the funk to audiences. Beginning at 9 p.m., Dubtown will perform two sets of originals and covers from acts like The Grateful Dead, Talking Heads, Pink Floyd, String Cheese Incident, and The Beatles. There will be a cover charge.
Birding at Greenfield Lake — A free bird walk will take place at Greenfield Lake at 8:30 a.m. It will be guided by Becky Skiba, regional education specialist at NC Wildlife Resources Commission. Participants will meet at the Greenfield Lake Boathouse. Park near the tennis courts at 302 Willard St.
Brad Heller and the Fustics — Wilmington Americana rockers Brad Heller and the Fustics will play Waterline Brewing Co. (721 Surry St.) at 7 p.m. The band has released five albums including 2019’s “The Sentence,” which continues to tackle topics of personal and social justice.
Saturday, Mar. 19
Hairspray
Wilson Center, 703 N. Third St. • Tickets start at $25
Based on John Waters’ campy 1988 movie, “Hairspray,” the musical follows the story of Tracy Turnblad — a teenager in 1962 Baltimore who has a penchant for dance and social justice. When she makes it as a dancer onto “The Corny Collins Show,” she becomes an overnight sensation and puts her fame to work to change the show’s segregated rules.
The vivacious, spunky musical launched in 2003 and won eight Tony Awards, including Best Musical. Seventeen songs — “Welcome to the 60’s,” “Good Morning Baltimore,” “It Takes Two,” “Ladies Choice” — bring to life Turnblad’s world, with lyrics by Marc Shaiman and Scott Wittman, and book by Mark O’Donnell and Thomas Meehan.
Tickets start at $25. The show takes place Saturday and Sunday, at both 2 p.m. and 7:30 p.m.
MORE SATURDAY HAPPENINGS
Steel Pulse — Reggae will be at the forefront of celebrations at UNCW’s Lumina Festival of the Arts, which kicked off Wednesday. Saturday night welcomes Birmingham’s Steel Pulse — the first non-Jamaican band to win a Grammy for Best Reggae Album. The nine-person band has performed the style of music since 1978, rotating numerous band members across 12 studio albums. Four-piece Mystic Vibrations will open. Both sing of social justice and oppressed people’s tribulations with hope, love and unity. Tickets are $45.
Paws on Parade — The N.C. Azalea Festival will host its official dog garden “paw-ty” this weekend at Greenfield Lake Amphitheater. Gates open at 11:30 a.m. There will be a dog pageant for the official Azalea Court, plus live music from L Shape Lot. Tickets are $10 in advance or VIP is $40, which includes admission for two, $10 in food and beverage credits at the event, two garden paw-ty commemorative stickers, a dog bandana and dog bowl. Day-of entry is $15.
Starlight Speedway — A mix of garage rock, Americana, surf, soul and vintage country will come to Fermental’s beer garden on Saturday. Starlight Speedway — consisting of Sam Carradori, Jason Delamar, Steviemack Harrington, Callan Trippe, and Kevin Graham Wilson — will perform from 7 p.m. – 9 p.m. Live music is always free to watch at Fermental (7250 Market St.).
Beer, Bourbon and BBQ Festival — After being postponed a week due to last Saturday’s inclement weather, the Beer, Bourbon and BBQ Festival will return Mar. 19. Held at Live Oak Bank Pavilion (10 Cowan St.). Tickets ($42-$75) include a sampling glass for all-you-can-drink beer and bourbon. BBQ vendors are on site, selling pulled pork from whole hogs, ribs, brisket, chickens, sausages and all the fixins’. There will be live music and games, such as Connect Four, giant Jenga, cornhole, ping pong and more. Event takes place from 2 p.m. – 6 p.m.; early entry for VIP ticket holders at noon.
Spring Craft Market — Burgwin-Wright House and Gardens (224 Market St.) is hosting a free market featuring 30 local vendors, such as ADRIFT Earrings, BeSalty Pottery, Blue Cottage Designs, Byte Size, and more. Taking place 9 a.m. – 3 p.m., the museum’s historic house, art gallery, jail, and visitor center will be open for the public from 10 a.m. – 4 p.m. A diaper donation (baby diapers, adult pull-ups boxes, new wipes, etc.) is also taking place at the museum until Mar. 31.
St. Patrick’s Day Celebration — Broomtail Pub and Arcade has partnered with Lobster Dogs Food Truck Wilmington to host a St. Patrick’s Day event, 1 p.m. – 11 p.m. Music, food, games, green beer, and green wine slushies will be offered. Singer Scott Horner will perform from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m., followed by Slick Mahoneys at 7 p.m. Lobster Dogs will be available 1 p.m. to 4 p.m., and then Tacos El Jefe will roll in at from 5 p.m.
Sunday, Mar. 20
Low Country Boil and Oysters at Hi-Wire Brewing
Hi-Wire Brewing, 1020 Princess St. • Tickets: $10-$45
The Seaview Crab Company is hosting a Bayou-style low country boil this Sunday from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. at Hi-Wire Brewing on Princess Street. For $10 , attendees can enjoy a half-dozen oysters, $25 tickets come with a low country boil plate (shrimp, sausage, corn and potatoes), and $45 grant guests access to an all-you-can-eat country boil (shrimp, sausage, corn and potatoes), and one flagship of Hi-Wire beer.
The Sick Mahoneys will perform from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m., followed by the Mongerz, who will take over the stage at 5 p.m. Pre-sale tickets are available, which comes with a $5 coupon to use at Seaview Crab Company.
MORE SUNDAY HAPPENINGS
The Explainers, GRA, R77 — The Dubliner Irish Pub (1756 Carolina Beach Rd.) will amp up Sunday with punk-rock from The Explainers, Rocket 77, and Giant Robot Academy, 3 p.m. – 6 p.m. This “St. Pat’s Rock ‘n Roll Hangover Party” is free, but tips are encouraged for the bands. The show will take place on the outdoor patio.
Katie Pruitt — UNCW’s Lumina Festival of the Arts and the LGBTQ Center of the Cape Fear Coast is hosting Katie Pruitt live, 7:30 p.m., at the UNCW Kenan Auditorium. Tickets are $35 for the general public, $20 for UNCW faculty and staff, and $5 for UNCW students with ID. The up-and-coming country star will share her experiences on growing up as a queer woman in the South, being raised in a Catholic home, and the personal hardships she has faced with her mental health and love life.
Spring Equinox Sound Immersion — Terra Sol Sanctuary (507 Caste St.) will host sound therapist David Key from 2:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. Tickets are $20. Guests will relax to Key’s vibrant flute and wind instruments during a breath-based yoga session. Key is a clinical musician and sound therapist and focuses on sound vibrations to help create healing.
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