SOUTHEASTERN N.C. — Li’l Friday features dozens 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, June 18
Lord Huron
Live Oak Bank Pavilion, 10 Cowan St. • Tickets: $26
Lord Huron, which formed in 2010, is best known for its 2015 released album, “Strange Trails,” with the song — and single — “The Night We Met” going platinum thrice. The song has been featured in the Netflix television series, “13 Reasons Why,” and has also gone platinum in the U.S., Belgium, and the United Kingdom.
The album and song celebrated its 10-year anniversary in 2025, where the band sold out its spring show, and “The Night We Met” is one of Spotify’s top 25 most streamed songs of all time with over three billion views.
Categorized as indie-folk music, Lord Huron is known for representing a diverse taste in music, with albums blending rock, country, and alternative sounds. The newest album, “The Cosmic Selector Vol. 1,” released in 2025, has been labeled “cosmic” folk rock, and even psychedelic rock.
They’re performing in Wilmington Thursday night — with tickets here.
OTHER THURSDAY EVENTS
Wrightsville Beach Concerts at the Park — If you’d rather go to a free concert at Wrightsville Beach Park, the municipality is hosting Overtyme Band at 6:30 p.m. All shows take place at 321 Causeway Dr. and attendees are welcome to bring chairs and blankets. Food trucks are on site and a beer garden is open serving wine and beer; no outside alcoholic beverages are allowed.
Boogie to the Beat — If you’d rather get your dance on, a line dancing class is being taught at Leland’s The Barn at Rock Creek at 6:30 p.m. It’s $10 a person and all levels are welcome, from beginners to seasoned dancers. The best part — no partner is needed. The Barn is located at 5900 Rock Creek Rd.
Friday, June 19
Darius Rucker
Live Oak Bank Pavilion, 10 Cowan St.
On tour with George Bird and Austin Williams, Darius Rucker will bring his country and pop sounds to Live Oak Bank Pavilion on Friday evening.
The South Carolina artist started his career in music in the mid-’80s as founder of Hootie and the Blowfish. The band, consisting of his friends from University of South Carolina. charted the Billboard 100 with numerous hits throughout the mid-’90s. The group released six albums throughout the years, with its debut “Cracked Rear View” charting No. 1 in the U.S., Canada and New Zealand.
Rucker has since transitioned to a solo country music career — also the first Black artist to chart in the genre since Charley Pride in the mid-’80s. Rucker has released eight albums since 2002, including his latest, 2023’s “Carolyn’s Boy.” It’s a tribute to his mother who passed away in the early 1990s before Rucker’s career took off.
He has won numerous Grammys, for Best New Artist and Pop Artist in the mid-’90s with the Blowfish, and for country music’s Best New Artist, Best Country Solo Performance and British CMA International Album of the Year.
Check for tickets here.
OTHER FRIDAY EVENTS
‘Gypsy’ — Often called the greatest American musical, “Gypsy” is directed by Suellen Yates, with music direction by Brian Whitted and choreography by Bradley Barefoot at Thalian Hall weekends through June 28. The classic tells the story of ambition, show business, and family, with Broadway classics like “Everything’s Coming Up Roses,” from Sondheim. Gypsy tells the classic story of Mama Rose and her daughters.This production stars Tony-nominated and Grammy-winning Broadway star NaTasha Yvette Williams as Mama Rose and will star Tony-nominated and Grammy-winning Broadway star NaTasha Yvette Williams as Mama Rose. Tickets are $36 to $48.
‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream’ — Caylan McKay is directing a classic as part of Cape Fear Shakespeare on the Green with “A Midsummer Night’s Dream.” The comedy is set in Athens and takes on multiple plots revolving around the marriage of Theseus and Hippolyta. The play is famous for its magical elements, including the mischievous fairy Puck, who uses a love potion to prompt chaos among lovers. The show starts at 8 p.m., is free, and takes place June 19-21 and 26-28, with gates opening to Greenfield Lake Amphitheater at 6:30 p.m. Picnics welcome.
The African American Experience Tour — As part of the Juneteenth weekend celebrations, Thalian Hall is hosting complimentary tours regarding the relationship between the historic theater and the African American community from 1858 through modern day. It will cover internationally renowned artists such as Marian Anderson and Caterina Jarboro, alongside local figures who shaped Wilmington’s cultural landscape. Get tickets here for free.
Saturday, June 20
N.C. Blueberry Festival
Downtown Burgaw, 100 Wright St. • Free
Magic shows, live music, car show, farm tour, arts and crafts vendors, and blueberries galore — that’s what’s in store in Burgaw this weekend as the annual North Carolina Blueberry Festival gets underway.
It kicks off Friday with a blueberry stomp and recipe contest, with live music from Freddy Tripp at 5:30 p.m. and Landslide tribute to Fleetwood Mac at 7:30 p.m.
On Saturday the fun kicks off in downtown Burgaw from 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. Vendors will align the streets, selling arts and crafts and all blueberry-flavored items. Plus, there will be a 5K or 1-mile run and walk (register here for $30 to $40) or Tour de Blueberry bike ride.
Bands perform on the stage in front of the courthouse and include Band of Brothers (9:45 a.m.), The Pink Slips (11:30 a.m.), Carl Newton’s Review (3 p.m.) and The Embers featuring Craig Woolard (7 p.m.).
To see all events and learn more information, check out the official festival website here.
OTHER SATURDAY EVENTS
Tapyard Pride Art and Music Fest —Pride month continues this June and Tapyard has an all-day event planned. Multiple artists and musicians are going to take the stage, including a Stonewall open mic poetry event at 4 p.m., followed by Research Triangle at 5 p.m., Cool Jerk at 6 p.m., and Simple Plan B at 8 p.m. Arts vendors include Cold Crew Carvers, Vas Moschouris, Lauren Barach, Addie Wuensch, Sip n Stitch Coop, Jessica Mansfield and others. The event takes place from 4 p.m. to 9 p.m. at 502 S. 16th St.
Belville Riverwalk Food Truck Rodeo — Food truck lovers should head to the Belville Riverwalk for the annual Food Truck Rodeo, taking place from noon to 2 p.m. More than 15 food trucks will offer a variety of flavors, whether craving barbecue, tacos, seafood, or desserts. The beer and cider garden is hosted by Brunswick Beer & Cider! There also will be some boot scootin’ boogies with Wilmington NC Line Dancing — all levels welcome. The event is free and family-friendly, taking place at 580 River Rd.
Trae Crowder — Rescheduled from January’s winter storm, comedian Trae Crowder will perform at Wilson Center this weekend. In 2016, Crowder gained attention for his porch rant videos leading to his best-selling “The Liberal Redneck Manifesto.” A Tennessee native, Crowder has had many sold-out shows nationwide, as well as appeared on “Real Time with Bill Maher” and in the “Veronica Mars” reboot as Chattanooga Charlie. Currently, he co-hosts the WellRED, Evening Skews and Puttin’ On Airs podcasts. In his 2025 full-comedy special “Trash Daddy,” Crowder, with his heavy Southern drawl, quipped about doing shows in various venues, some even unexpected: “Earlier this year I did standup at a lawyer’s conference in Miami and I don’t know why either. I guess they were like, ‘This guy has felons in his family. He knows lawyer’s stuff, probably. … Honestly, there was a point and time in my life where I thought I may want to be a lawyer when I grew up. I got it in my head that lawyer is only one of the white collar jobs you can have when talking like a racist banjo.” Tickets to his Wilson Center show start at $35 and go up to $148.
JuneteenthNColor Festival at Seabreeze — Seabreeze was once the African-American beach that vacationers flocked to in the mid-20th century before the civil rights movement. Known as the Historic Beach of North Carolina, Seabreeze and Freeman Beach were two beach resorts for Black vacationers during the Jim Crow era, situated on a portion of 100-plus acres of land, purchased in the mid-1800s by a free Black and Indigenous couple, Alexander and Charity Freeman. The resorts were established in southern New Hanover County — today, known as Carolina Beach — in 1922 and 1951, respectively, and were rife with hotels, amusement rides, restaurants and juke joints that brought in well-known musicians who stayed there and played, from Chuck Berry to Dinah Washington, Little Richard to Fats Domino to James Brown. The Freeman family and WilmingtoNColor is celebrating its history as part of Juneteenth. There will be food vendors, fire-breathing performances, arts activities, face painting, and historical exhibits on Wilmington, Seabreeze and Freeman’s Beach. The event takes place from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. Pay-what-you-can tickets are available here.
Sunday, June 21
Boogie in the Park
Kure Beach Ocean Front Park, 105 Atlantic Ave. • Free
Bring your lawn chairs and picnic baskets and enjoy the ocean breeze as Bacon Grease takes the stage as part of Kure Beach’s Boogie in the Park.
Bacon Grease is led by frontman and guitarist Jared Michael Cline who blends rock with funk, reggae with folk and everything in between, performing covers and originals.
The concert is free and takes place from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m.
OTHER SUNDAY EVENTS
‘End Days’ — The Brunswick County Little Theater is opening “End Days” which runs through June 28 on weekends at 7:30 p.m., except for Sunday matinees at 3 p.m. The story follows a 16-year-old, Rachel Stein, whose father remains in his PJs since 9/11 and whose mom has found Jesus and awaits the Apocalypse’s arrival … on Wednesday. Rachel reacts by shielding herself with sarcasm and black eyeliner and has a crush on a classmate who dresses like Elvis. The show was written by Deborah Zoe Laufer and is directed by Victor Gallo; it covers themes of science, faith, and meaning. Tickets are $28 here.
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