SOUTHEASTERN N.C. — Li’l Friday features plenty of ways 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, Nov. 6
The Revivalists
Greenfield Lake Amphitheater, 1941 Amphitheater Dr. • Tickets here
A New Orleans band is bringing its alternative rock and soul-bending sounds to Greenfield Lake Amphitheater Thursday evening.
The group has performed in town before, including with SUSTO in 2021, and opened for The Rolling Stones. They have released five albums to date — the last, “Pour Into the Night,” tracked number one on the AAA charts. They also released a single, “Zombie (Wild Coming Out),” last year.
The tickets to Thursday’s show are sold out but verified resales are available here; $1 per ticket is donated to Rev Causes, a fund that supports the essential work of organizations dedicated to reviving and investing in communities, health, and environment.
OTHER THURSDAY EVENTS
Millie Palmer — Bottega at 723 N. Fourth St. hosts a songwriter series and from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. it welcomes Millie Palmer. The Wilmington–based singer-songwriter blends Southern soul grit with Americana storytelling. The show is free.
Friday, Nov. 7
Cape Fear Kite Festival
Fort Fisher State Recreation Area, 1000 Loggerhead Road • Free
The annual Cape Fear Kite Festival is returning to the skies this weekend on Pleasure Island, kicking off Friday. From noon to 2 p.m., professional displays will be up at the Kure Beach pier.
That evening Aglow takes place at the Carolina Beach Beach Boardwalk. Kites of all shapes, sizes, colors and styles take to the sky at nightfall, glowing with LEDs and swaying along the shoreline. There will be a DJ and family-fun and it’s free to attend.
The free festival will continue on Nov. 8 and 9, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., at Fort Fisher Recreation Center, featuring hundreds of kites. There will be live music, children’s activities, food trucks, and craft vendors both Saturday and Sunday. The event is free for all, with food and drinks available for purchase. Free shuttles run from Blakeslee Air Force Recreation Area to the festival as well.
OTHER FRIDAY EVENTS
Groove and Grub — Dreams of Wilmington will hold a special event at 9 Fanning St., featuring a seafood boil from Chef Keith Rhodes of Catch. The food fundraiser helps provide arts classes to underprivileged youth, with tickets available for $100 for dinner for two. For those who only want to catch live music from DRAM Fam Jam Band, $30 tickets are available as well. Gates open at 6 p.m.
Veterans Day USO Show and Dance — Though Veterans Day is officially Nov. 11, the USO in downtown Wilmington is getting into the spirit early. A show takes place at the Hannah Block Historic USO/Community Arts Center at 7 p.m. featuring 1940s-style dancing and songs. A free swing dance lesson from Cape Fear Swing Dance Society kicks off the evening, welcoming participants. The USO show begins at 7:30 p.m., with a special tribute to The Andrews Sisters, known as The Sweethearts of the Armed Forces Radio Service. Thereafter, the floor opens for swing dancing until 10 p.m. Tickets are $20 here, on sale at or 910-341-7860. Wine and beer will be available for purchase and all proceeds benefit the Historic USO Building Preservation Fund.
Festival Latino — On Nov. 8 and 9 at Ogden Park, multiple organizations, vendors, food trucks and more will come together to celebrate the culture of Latin America. There will be live music, dance lessons, exhibitors and a kids fiesta area. It’s free to attend and open daily from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Heart Brigade — Love Ann and Nancy Wilson? A tribute act to the ‘70s rockers Heart is planned for Bowstring Brewyard on Friday. Heart Brigade is out of Raleigh and brings to life the female musicians’ layered talent in songs like “Magic Man,” “Dreamboat Annie” and “Crazy on You.” However, the group — consisting of Tina Langevin as Ann Wilson, Susan Darney on guitar as Nancy Wilson, Jay Rusnak on lead guitar, Susan Beach (Beachy) on bass, and Amy Hall on drums — also performs Led Zeppelin classics. Vocal about the Brit rockers’ influence on Heart, Ann and Nancy Wilson inducted Led Zeppelin into the Kennedy Center of Honors, and gave a chilling rendition of “Stairway to Heaven,” complete with a choir and orchestra. Heart Brigade includes the song in their lineup, along with other Zep hits like “Whole Lotta Love,” “Kashmir,” “Rain Song,” and more. Tickets to the show start at $20 here.
‘From the Mountains to the Sea’ — Cameron Art Museum is opening two new collections on Friday: “Cameron Art Museum: The Collection” and “From the Mountains to the Sea.” The latter explores the work of artists who have lived through hurricanes, floods, and wildfires, and transform grief into hope after enduring the natural disasters. The exhibit specifically is a reflection on the devastation left behind in the western portion of North Carolina from last fall’s Hurricane Helene landfall. The work in the show explores the relationship between humanity and the natural world, with western NC artists including Julyan Davis, Erika Diamond, Bill Green, and Selene Plum, along with other regional creators, such as John Beerman, Elizabeth Bradford, Susan Brenner, Gene Felice, Greg Lindquist, Thomas Sayre and others. Fort Lowell Records will spin music in the galleria from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m., to include songs from the EP “This Water is Life,” highlighting new hip-hop and indie-rock music from artists in southeastern North Carolina. The music complements the exhibitions but also the installation on display, “Living Waters,” which calls its viewers to consider the fundamental significance of water to human life. End of Days Distillery will be at the event offering free samples of its locally made spirits. It’s free for members or $15 for nonmembers; students and educators are admitted free as well. “From the Mountains to the Sea” will be on display through May 10.
Port City Blitz — An annual festival continues to amp up its output celebrating rock n roll, as Port City Blitz prepares to host two days of live music, featuring 50 bands. There also will be food trucks and a punk flea and vendor market. The event takes place at Waterline Brewing on Nov. 7 and 8, featuring Superchunk, Tercel, Temp Agency and more on Friday, followed by Weedeater, Dead Cool and Green Jelly on Saturday. Five to six stages are set up both days, with the full list here and tickets also on sale for $41.
‘Minnie Evans: Draw or Die’ — A Wilmington artist revered for her mandala-style illustrations, created in pencil, graphite, oils and wax, in vivid color will be celebrated on the big screen at Thalian Hall this weekend. Evans is well-known as the gatekeeper of Airlie Gardens back in the late 1800s and began drawing late in life, creating around 3,000 pieces without formal training, but which appear in museums and permanent collections nationwide. Local filmmaker Linda Royal of By the Brook Productions has created a one-hour documentary, “Minnie Evans: Draw or Die.” In 2022, Royal told Port City Daily she had begun researching Evans after seeing the documentary “The Angel That Stands By Me,” which came out more than 40 years ago. “With today’s production values, and maybe a longer length film, the story could be told in a way that I think would really bring a much greater awareness to her and her artwork that she deserves,” Royal said. The documentarian’s research took her deep into Evans’ work and life, inspired by conversations she listened to from the 1960s and 1970s between Evans and photographer Nina Howell Starr. They will be highlighted in the film, as will interviews with Evans’ living descendants. The film’s name was inspired by Evans’ famed quote — “Why don’t you draw or die?” — something she said she spiritually heard upon waking up one morning and compelling her to create. Tickets to the screening, which also will feature a post-show panel discussion moderated by consulting producer Annette Freeman, Beverly and Wayne Evans, great-grandchildren of Minnie Evans, and co-producers Royal and Elizabeth Penton. Tickets are $15 here.
Saturday, Nov. 8
Veterans Day Parade
Downtown Wilmington • Free
Veterans, active duty military members and reservists will be honored in the 11 a.m. parade in downtown Wilmington on Saturday.
There will be military units, high school bands, veteran organizations, classic military vehicles, and special honorees. The parade kicks off at the corner of Hanover and North Third streets, heading south through downtown and concluding at Market and North Third streets. It’s free!
OTHER SATURDAY EVENTS
NC Writers’ Conference — Celebrating and promoting the art of the written word, the North Carolina Writers’ Conference takes place all weekend at Holiday Inn Resort in Wrightsville Beach. The conference brings together writers across North Carolina, including local penman such as novelist Clyde Edgerton, John Jeremiah Sullivan, David Gessner and Jason Frye. The keynote address on Friday evening is from Ben Fountain, a New Bern novelist and who will release “Rasputin Swims the Potomac” in spring 2026 by Flatiron Books. Classes and workshops are scheduled all weekend. There will be creative nonfiction from Gessner, who teaches at UNCW; a poetry master class from Melissa Crowe, chair of UNCW Creative Writing Department; and even how to draft a creative nonfiction book proposal from Sullivan, who has published multiple works and is planning to release “The Prime Minister of Paradise,” forthcoming from Random House. It takes place at the Holiday Inn Resort, Wrightsville Beach; registration is here.
Curated on Castle — Monthly, along Castle Street, a vintage market takes place that features one-of-a-kind vendors and businesses in the district. The market takes place across from Modern Love Vintage, 10 a.m. – 3 p.m. Visitors will be able to shop through wares from Gravity Records, Second Skin Vintage, Jess James + Co., and more.
Barks, Bowties and Brews — Broomtail Brewing (6404 Amsterdam Way) is hosting an event with NC Seaside Animal Rescue from noon to 4 p.m. There will be local vendors, live music, raffles, games, prizes and more, all in support of Seaside, which is a foster-based rescue working towards the goal of saving as many cats and dogs as possible. There will also be cute animals up for adoption.
Smart Start Family Festival — A family festival at Long Leaf Park, 314 Pine Grove Dr., is set to take place from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday. Kids up to age 8 are welcome to the 11th annual Smart Start Family Festival to enjoy hands-on activities, live performances by the Broccoli Brothers Circus and Scooter the Story Yeller, raffle prizes, and more.
Sunday, Nov. 9
Tab Benoit
UNCW Kenan Auditorium, 515 Wagoner Dr. • Tickets: $36 and up
Grammy-nominated artist Tab Benoit is performing at UNCW on Sunday. Benoit, from Louisiana, has been hailed for his guitar playing and Otis Redding timbre, evident in his Delta blues music.
For more than three decades Benoit has performed with multiple artists, including the Neville Brothers and Big Chief Monk Boudreaux, and has won multiple Blues Music Awards, including BB King Entertainer of the Year. He has released 19 albums, with 2006’s “Brother to the Blues” scoring a Grammy.
His new self-produced album, “I Hear Thunder,” from his own Whiskey Bayou Records, showcases his artistic output and commitment to environmental advocacy, a legacy that extends beyond the stage into the heart of the land that inspires his bluesy soul. Benoit founded Voice of the Wetlands, which works to protect Louisiana’s coastal environment.
Tickets are $36 to $51 here.
OTHER SUNDAY EVENTS
Wilmington Coup D’etat — Nov. 10 will mark the 127-year anniversary of the Wilmington coup and massacre, as white supremacists took over a biracial government and killed and ran out of town multiple Black residents. Cape Fear Museum Historian Dr. Jan Davidson will explore how an elected local government was overthrown and curator Heather Yenco will also display the museum’s rare copies of The Daily Record, the Black-owned newspaper, whose building was torched and burned down, after editor Alexander Manly wrote an August 1898 editorial in response to a speech promoting lynching of African American men. He noted history of rape against African American women during slavery and disputed racially-charged fear mongering. White supremacist rallies raised outrage about the editorial in following months. Over two dozen local businessmen signed an October 26th editorial in the Wilmington Messenger titled “The Chamber of Commerce Declares Against Negro Domination.” It described Manly’s article as “an attack on the virtue of the womanhood of our Southland.” The event is free and takes place at 2 p.m. at the new library building, 230 Grace St.
