SOUTHEASTERN N.C. — Li’l Friday features dozen of ways for people to enjoy the weekend via theater, music, art, culinary happenings and more.
All events featured were scheduled as of Thursday; however, it’s wise to check in ahead of attending any one. Inclement weather, changes in schedules and unforeseen circumstances may shift for organizers at the last minute.
Thursday, April 10
Extension Master Gardener Plant Sale
NHC Arboretum, 6206 Oleander Dr. • Plants individually priced
If you’re still getting your garden prepared for the spring season or doing some pot-planting, let the NHC Cooperative Extension help with its master gardener plant sale this weekend.
It runs daily through Sunday, April 10-13, at the New Hanover County Arboretum and N.C. Cooperative Extension, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. except on Sunday, noon to 4 p.m.
There will be roughly 4,500 perennials, 3,400 annuals, and 600 hostas and ferns for sale. Plus, native plants will be available to support wildlife populations in southeastern North Carolina. A free seed swap will take place, so attendees are encouraged to trade labeled seed packets from the store or seeds harvested from one’s garden.
In addition to the varieties of plants, there will be master gardeners and staff available to provide guidance and assistance. There is limited parking, so carpooling is encouraged. Learn more here.
OTHER THURSDAY EVENTS
‘God of Carnage’ — Big Dawg Productions is hosting “God of Carnage” at the Ruth and Bucky Stein Theater. First published in 2008 by French playwright Yasmina Reza, the show provides dark humor in its reflection of contemporary issues in middle-class society and won the Laurence Olivier Award and Tony in 2009. It’s been translated by Christopher Hampston and follows two Brooklyn couples looking to settle a playground scuffle. However, niceties soon turn bitter as the argument escalates. Tickets to the show are $35 here and it runs through April 14, Thursday through Saturday at 7:30 p.m. and on Sunday at 3 p.m.
‘Tartuffe’ — French playwright Moliere’s “Tartuffe” is being performed by students in Cape Fear Community College’s theater program. The satire is best known for highlighting themes of religious hypocrisy, extremism and blind devotion, with a plot revolving around the charlatan, Tartuffe, who attempts to con a family by playing a pious, moral man. The show will be staged at the Studio Theater in the Wilson Center on April 9-12 at 7 p.m. and tickets are $5 to $12.
N.C. Black Film Festival — The 2025 festival takes place April 10-13 and will bring dozens of films from hundreds of submissions to the forefront, all created by Black filmmakers or telling stories that relate to Black culture. The opening reception is on Thursday for a cinemixer that allows attendees, filmmakers and honorary guests to mix and mingle at Wilson Center. Following will be three days of documentaries, shorts, and features screened at Jengo’s Playhouse and Cameron Art Museum. The festival, sponsored by the N.C. Black Arts Alliance and the Arts Council of New Hanover County and Wilmington, will honor Isiah Donté Lee with the 2025 Visionary Award in Cinematography and Bruce W. Smith with the 2025 Lifetime Achievement Award in Animation. Awards for Best Documentary, Best Short and Best Feature will be presented Sunday. Passes are available online here or at the door of each screening; see schedule here. (Check back for PCD’s full coverage of the event.)
Eggy —A jamband from New Haven, Connecticut, will be performing on Bowstring Brewyard’s stage Thursday evening, 7 p.m. Eggy consists of Alex Bailey (drums, vocals), Jake Brownstein (guitar, vocals), Mike Goodman (bass, vocals) and Dani Battat (keys, vocals). The band formed in high school in 2016 and has since toured 40 states and released its debut album, “Watercolor Days,” and last year’s “Waiting Game.” Tickets are $26 here.
Friday, April 11
Iron and Wine
Wilson Center, 703 N. Third St. • Tickets start at $34
After the show was postponed last summer, Sam Beam — better known as Iron & Wine — will be performing at Wilson Center.
The alternative and indie solo artist is best known for his singer-songwriter acoustic sound, since 2002’s release “The Creek Drank the Cradle” on Sub Pop. He gained attention for his cover of The Postal Service’s “Such Great Heights,” which became the B-side to the TPS’s original release.
Since the debut LP, Iron & Wine has released six more albums, with 2011’s “Kiss Each Other Clean” charting the highest, at number two in the U.S. He has also recorded nine EPs, one of the most popular being 2005’s “Woman King.”
Iron & Wine released a full LP in 2019 on “Years to Burn,” a collaboration with Tucson indie rockers Calexico, followed by 2022’s EP, “Lori.”
Beam dropped his seventh full-length album, “Light Verse,” last year. He had been recording it since coming off tour with Andrew Bird in 2022. The album features Fiona Apple on the track “All in Good Time,” and other contributing musicians include keyboardist Tyler Chester, bassist Sebastian Steinberg, guitarist David Garza, violinist Paul Cartwright, and percussionists Griffin Goldsmith, Beth Goodfellow, and Kyle Crane.
OTHER FRIDAY EVENTS
Shadowgrass and Clay Street Unit —Shows at Greenfield Lake Amphitheater are kicking off this weekend, with Shadowgrass and Clay Street Unit taking to the stage Friday. Shadowgrass, a young country-based jam band, has been hailed for its instrumental prowess; they’re opening for Denver, Colorado’s Clay Street Unit, also a Southern folk and Americana act, whose bluegrass sounds like it comes straight from the Appalachian hills. Tickets start at $31 here.
‘Blithe Spirit’ — The longest-running comedy in British theater is being hosted on UNCW’s campus. “Blithe Spirit” is a tug-of-war love story and comedy — only one half of the couple happens to be … a ghost. The events unfold after a novelist hires someone to host a séance in his home, which conjures his wife’s return from the afterlife. Only problem: his second wife isn’t so happy with the turn of events. Ed Wagenseller is directing the show and it runs April 10-13, with 7:30 p.m. shows Thursdays through Saturdays and 2 p.m. matinees on Sundays. The show will be staged at the Cultural Arts Building’s main stage theater on UNCW’s campus. Tickets are $5 to $14 here.
Five Door Sedan — Bougie Nights is putting the focus on progressive indie rock Friday night and welcoming Charleston, SC’s Five Door Sedan. The group has toured through towns like Athens and Savannah, Nashville and Charleston, and released their debut album “Detour” in the fall. Consisting of Dacota Muckey (guitar, vocals), William Sanders (bass), Bradley Palles (drums) and Kwame Newton (sax, keys), they’ll be joined by Wilmington’s own Bella Peadon. Peadon is a singer-songwriter, with roots planted in Americana, indie and pop. Tickets to the show are $13 here.
Saturday, April 12
Wilmington Dance Festival
UNCW Kenan Auditorium, 515 Wagoner Dr. • Tickets: $22.50-$25
Local dancers and choreographers are coming together to celebrate the art of movement as part of the Wilmington Dance Festival.
The show takes place at Kenan Auditorium on UNCW’s campus beginning at 7:30 p.m. and will highlight a diverse range of dance styles — ballet to contemporary, hip-hop to African dance. Founded in 2002, the festival not only features performances, but also offers workshops and masterclasses for dancers of all ages and skill levels.
Tickets are $22.50 and up.
OTHER SATURDAY EVENTS
Riverfront Farmers Market — The first market of the year will open in downtown Wilmington, featuring fresh produce, plants and more along Dock Street between Second and Water streets. From 8 a.m. to 1 p.m., folks can shop through vendors selling everything from locally caught seafood to seasonal fruits and vegetables, fresh baked breads, pasture-raised beef, herbs, micro-greens and more. Free to attend but wares are sold separately through vendors. Leashed pets are welcome and live music is often featured.
Curated on Castle Street — The vintage market on Castle Street takes place from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. in the 600 block. Visitors will shop through wares from Gravity Records, Second Skin Vintage, Jess James + Co., Threads By Sydney, The Vintage Cellar, Dots & Doodle, Holly’s Typewriter Poetry, and more. It’s free to attend but all items are individually priced.
Record Store Day — Time to celebrate vinyl specialty releases for 2025 Record Store Day. Plenty of local stores are getting in on the action this Saturday, carrying special Record Store Day titles, from old school limited runs such as Count Basie and His Orchestra’s “Best of the Roulette Years” and Chet Baker’s “Almost Blue + 2,” to exclusive releases like David Bowie’s “Ready, Set, Go!” live at Riverside Studios in 2003 and Joni Mitchell’s “Live 1976.” See the full list of Record Store Day releases here. Area stores celebrating include The Record Bar, School Kids Records (select records outside of RSD offerings will be $1-$2), Modern Legend, the Fuzzy Needle (three for $10 bin) and Yellow Dog Discs (10%-20% off selections).
Pink Full Moon Dance Party — The Beehive Blondes will be in Carolina Beach this weekend, spinning throwbacks on the needle from the ‘60s, ‘70s, ‘80s, ‘90s and today. The Wilmington DJs, Jess James and Lauren Jones, throw dance parties that are themed and encourage attendees to dress to the nines while they let loose all their best moves. The April 12 dance party is free and takes place at High Tide Lounge & Tiki Bar from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. Because it’s a pink moon night, they encourage everyone to dress in pink and there will be best dressed and best dancer prizes, plus tarot card readings from The Blonde Priestess.
Easter Egg Scramble —Easter is only a week away and Belville is getting in the spring holiday spirit. Families are asked to bring their kids, armed with their Easter baskets, for an egg hunt at the Belville Riverwalk Park. There will be more than 5,000 eggs to collect and the Easter Bunny and Peter Cottontail will be on hand for photos. Plus, there will be face-painting and food trucks, with Happy Face Funnel Cakes and Big Ralph Street Eats. Divided by three age groups: 0-4, 5-7 and 8-12, the egg hunts begin at 9:30 a.m., so arrive early prior to the scramble. It’s free to attend and no registration is required.
Carolina Beach Chowder Cookoff — It’s all about the “chowdah” this weekend in Carolina Beach, as people come together with their top-notch concoctions for judges to take a one-over to. The ninth annual event is free to enter and the winner receives a cash prize and trophy. Everyone who attends pays a $10 entry; hot dogs also will be available for anyone who isn’t a chowder fan. There will be games, drawings, a 50/50 raffle and auction, and entertainment will be provided by Steve Vaughn. It takes place at Good Hops Brewing, 811 Harper Ave., from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m.
Spring Market and Easter Egg Hunt on the Farm — Oak + Fennel Farms on Castle Hayne Road is having a spring festival, just in time to celebrate Easter. There will be dozens of local vendors set up, as well as food and beverages for sale, plus a flower truck to add color to your home in honor of the new blooms. The kids are welcome, too, as there will be three Easter egg hunts hosted and all time slots are filled on a first-come, first-serve bases. It’s $5 entry (kids 2 and under are free).
Sunday, April 13
Play It Forward Spring Jam
Eagle’s Dare, 1612 Castle St. • Admission: $10
A local nonprofit that gifts musical instruments to kids in need is hosting its springtime jam fundraiser. Nine bands are scheduled to perform on two stages starting at 1 p.m. at Eagle’s Dare at Third and Red Cross streets.
On the bill are the School of Rock youth band, Busted Radio, Street Clones, Rocket 77, Explainers, Speeding Kills Bears, Resurrector, Yule and 1 Hit Blunder. The cover is $10 (kids 12 and under are free) and proceeds help the Play It Forward team refurbish and purchase instruments.
Doors open at noon.
OTHER SUNDAY EVENTS
Lagerfest — Lagerfest returns to Wrightsville Beach Brewery (6201 Oleander Drive) at noon. Tickets are $25 and include easy-sipping lagers from nine local breweries, including WBB and its sister Leland brewery, Brunswick Beer and Cider, Broomtail, Front Street, Good Hops, Hi-Wire, Mad Mole, Outer Dunes, Waterline, and Wilmington Brewing. Music will be provided by Jenny Lynn Vaugh and Mike Blair. Food is sold inside the restaurant as well.
‘Mary Poppins’ — Everyone’s favorite nanny is taking the Thalian Hall stage by storm in “Mary Poppins,” produced by Thalian Association for Community Theater. The famed Disney classic is based on stories published by P.L. Travers, as well as the 1960s film, starring Julie Andrews and Dick Van Dyke. The story follows two children of the Banks family, who are introduced to a new, magical nanny, Mary Poppins. She takes the kids through fantastical adventures, singing along the way to classics like “Spoonful of Sugar” and “Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious.” The musical — with lyrics by Richard M. Sherman and Robert B. Sherman (the Sherman Brothers) and additional music and lyrics by George Stiles and Anthony Drewe, and a book by Julian Fellowes — opened on Broadway in 2006 and has had numerous revivals, as well as scored nominations for the Tony Award and Laurence Olivier Award for its UK tour. The local show stars Heather Setzler as Mary and Phillip Clyde Bernier as Bert, with Anna Williams and Bryce Brown as Jane and Michael Banks. The show is directed by Emily Graham. Tickets are $43 and the show runs through April 13 on Friday through Sundays, 7:30 p.m. except for matinees at 2 p.m. held on Saturdays and Sundays.
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