WILMINGTON — Wilmington celebrates flowers and food pretty well every spring, with two festivals bringing in myriad people to the city to revel in good vibes and warming temperatures along the coast. Now, the North Carolina Azalea Festival and Feast Wilmington are up for a readers’ choice award for cultivating these efforts.
USA Today’s 10Best highlights nationwide events, places and happenings in travel, leisure and lifestyle. The Azalea Festival and Feast are nominees in 2026 for the categories of “Best Flower Festival” and “Best City Food Festival,” respectively.
READ MORE: ‘Get Low’ with Lil Jon, headlining the 2026 Azalea Festival
Should the festivals rank at the top of the national poll, it brings publicity to the Wilmington area overall by continuing to attract people and business.
The Azalea Festival is celebrating 79 years in Wilmington and takes place on April 8-12, featuring concerts from national touring artists (Lil Jon is confirmed so far this year), garden and home tours, a street fair, parade and the Azalea Queen coronation, among other events. It brings in roughly 250,000 people to the region annually.
Feast started in 2024 with 3,000 participants flocking to Live Oak Bank Pavilion, and has continued to grow in popularity. This year features 70 chefs and culinarians and 20 breweries coming together to celebrate all-things that are foodie fabulous about the Port City. Presented by Wilmington Media and Marketing (Wilma, Wilmington Business Journal), the event takes place on March 28 and 29 and features Craft Cuisine, Pier Party and Brunch Elevated.
Currently, on the USA Today’s 10Best poll, the Azalea Festival is tracking 12th out of 20 for Best Flower Festival, with Texas’ Blue Bonnet Festival in the lead. Feast is coming in at 8th for Best City Food Festival, with Bite of Seattle as the frontrunner among 20 contenders.
The public can vote daily through March 2 and can learn more about the poll here.
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