WILMINGTON — Li’l Friday features dozens of ways for people to enjoy the weekend via theater, music, art, culinary happenings and more.
All events below 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, July 23
Little Stranger
Greenfield Lake Amphitheater, 1941 Amphitheater Drive • Tickets: $29.50
Hip-hop and indie duo Little Stranger will hit up Greenfield Lake Amphitheater with special guest Wax on Thursday night.
Born in Philly but based in Charleston, South Carolina, Little Stranger’s Kevin and John Shields (unrelated) have been compared to Remi Wolf, Still Woozy, and Marc Rebillet, due blending melodic indie pop, hip-hop and reggae.
Both rap, while Kevin plays melodica and John is on guitar and keyboard. The group has been active for a little more than a decade, releasing three studio albums, including 2024’s “Sat Around Trippin.”
Tickets to their show start at $29.50 here.
OTHER THURSDAY EVENTS
OG Beehive Reunion — For the ultimate dance party, the Beehive Blondes are hosting a throwdown at Satellite Bar and Lounge this weekend. It also will be the original crew behind the tune selections, with Hannah Stewart-O’Hanlon and Jess James spinning tunes throughout the eras. Hannah resides in London but returns stateside to fill in some sets still, as James and her other Beehive Blonde Lauren Jones keep the party going. Satellite was the first spot Hannah and Jess debuted their dance parties back in 2017, so they’re returning to celebrate the reunion. It’s free to attend and takes place from 8 p.m. to 10 p.m.
Wrightsville Beach Concerts in the Park — Wrightsville Beach Parks and Recreation’s weekly concert at Wrightsville Beach Park features live, family-friendly music from local bands from 6:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. This week’s event will host The Cruise Brothers Band performing everything from Motown to classic rock to Nashville country. The event also includes food trucks, with beer and wine available for purchase. Attendees are encouraged to bring lawn chairs and blankets for an evening of live music.
Friday, July 24
Opera Wilmington
UNCW Mainstage Theater, 5270 Randall Drive • Tickets: $38 and up
Puccini’s “Suor Angelica” and Mascagni’s “Cavalleria Rusticana” is a double bill from Opera Wilmington continuing at UNCW this weekend. The two one act-operas will show July 24 and 26, at the mainstage theatre on campus.
Both are tragedies, loosely connected with religious themes, particularly portraying Catholic faith and culture. Though both take place in the same Italian village, one is based in a covenant, the other in an Italian village square, with two women facing different fates. One features a nun whose loss leads to grace and redemption, while another young woman faces heartbreak in a love triangle leading to a cycle of revenge.
The opera stars Shannon Kessler Dooley and Jamessa Yarborough, with the operas conducted by Daniel Brier. The July 24 performance is at 7 p.m., with a matinée performance at 3 p.m. on July 26. Tickets are available for $38 and above here.
OTHER FRIDAY EVENTS
Edwin McCain — Having come up in the 1990s with his Top 40 hits “I’ll Be” and “I Could Not Ask for More,” Southern rocker Edwin McCain is coming to Wilmington on Friday evening. Originally from Greenville, South Carolina, McCain released his first studio album, “Lucky,” in 15 years in 2025, co-produced with Lee Brice and Jerrod Niemann. The music includes multiple genres — soul, blue, rock, and folk — carrying on the performers’ penchant for rock ballads, as heard on “Love Me or Leave Me Alone.” Throughout the years, McCain has toured with Hootie & the Blowfish, Collective Soul, and Train. His music has been covered by artists like Justin Bieber, Charlie Puth and Kelly Clarkson. Tickets are $40 here and the concert takes place at Bowstring Brewyard, 1002 Princess St.
Backspin Social — Golf lovers in northern Brunswick County will have a new space to practice their swing. Backspin Social — a local bar and golf simulator lounge that opened in Wilmington in 2023 — is launching its second location in Leland this weekend. The space is opening at 9600 Ploof Road SE, which was once home two two different breweries, the most recent being MOBA. The grand opening takes place all weekend from July 24-26. Golf bays can be rented from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m., food from local food trucks will be on site, and varied activities are planned throughout the weekend. Live music also is on tap from Bill Marquardt on Friday (6 p.m.), Josh Starkey on Saturday (6 p.m.) and Amanda Grace on Sunday (noon).
‘Maximum Overdrive’ — A Steven King classic shot in Wilmington in 1985 is having a local screening in honor of the 40th anniversary of its release. “Maximum Overdrive” will show at the cinema art house Jengo’s Playhouse, also home to the Cucalorus Film Festival. The movie centers on a group of people taken hostage in a North Carolina truck stop … by a gang of 18 wheelers. Yep, that’s right machines come to life after a comet makes it rain radiation on Earth — and they’re dangerous, going on a murderous rampage. The only movie ever directed by King, the cult classic also helped cement Wilmington’s spot in the film industry. After the Jengo’s screening, local crew members who worked on the film will be hosting a discussion and storytelling session. Tickets are $10 here.
Zac Townsend — Having opened for heavy-hitting comedians like Shane Gillis, Bert Kreischer, and Steve-O, Zac Townsend is a Nashville-based comedian and writer who tours nationwide who is coming to Dead Crow Comedy Room this weekend. He cocreated the viral sketch collective “Paid Vacation,” now with more than 150 million views on social media. Townsend also has appeared on “Kill Tony,” CBS, Barstool Sports, and at the Nashville Comedy Festival and Bonnaroo. His observational and self-aware storytelling often includes punchy and clever social commentary, homing in on topics from dating to fitness. “I was on a first date recently with a woman,” he said in one clip, “and she leans over the table and says to me: ‘So are you cut or uncut?’ I was like, ‘This is a first date and you want to see my wrists already? That’s crazy — what?!’” Tickets are $24 to $30 here.
Tercel — Inspired by ‘90s indie and punk rock, Tercel is performing at Satellite Bar and Lounge (120 Greenfield St.) with Shelby Smoak at 8 p.m. Tercel is made up of Robin Wood (guitar), Savannah Wood (bass), Chris Vinopal (pedal steel) and Taylor Salvetti (drums) and have an EP on local label Fort Lowell Records available to listen to here before heading to the show.
Fourth Friday Gallery Nights — The fourth Friday of every month includes galleries and art spaces in downtown Wilmington staying open after hours, 6 p.m. to 8 p.m., to showcase exhibits by area artists. More than 20 galleries and creative spaces welcome the public to view works on display, from oils to acrylics, watercolors to pastels, metals to ceramics, mixed media, and more. The event is free and open to anyone via self-guided tours downtown, from ACME Studios to WHQR’s MC Erny Gallery, Bryand Gallery to Gallery Citrine, and more. This week ArtWorks will feature live music from Bill Kerr, with the “Summer Blues and Greens” exhibition on display featuring works from 50 artists or so. Burgwin Wright House and Gardens opens photographer Charlie Bagget’s “It’s Not Black and White: A Visual Tribute to the Complexity of American Military Service,” commemorating America’s 250th Anniversary of Independence via local military service people. Learn more here.
Moth Night — At Carolina Beach State Park, the North Carolina Wildlife Federation is celebrating National Moth Week with an educational event. Participants will learn about moths, identify rare and new species, and listen for nocturnal birds in the state park (1010 State Park Road). It takes place at 8:30 p.m. and registration is open here and it’s free.
Saturday, July 25
‘Come From Away’
Thalian Hall Historic Main Stage, 310 Chestnut St. • Tickets:
Opera House Theater Company is producing “Come From Away” — a phrase used to describe a newcomer or foreigner in areas like Newfoundland and Canada. “Come From Away” is a musical that takes place in Gander, Newfoundland, on 9/11.
Based on a true story of that fateful day in American history when 7,000 airline passengers were forced to land as airspace was closing in the U.S. due to the attacks on the World Trade Center and Pentagon. The passengers were stranded in Gander and the local islanders welcomed them.
The show, which takes a microcosmic look at compassion and generosity, was written by Irene Sankoff and David Hein, and has been widely acclaimed, with numerous Tony Award nominations and a win, as well as two Drama Desk awards and two Laurence Olivier awards. The music combines classic theater style with Newfoundland orchestrations and will be directed by Ron Chisholm, with music direction by Stephen Field and stage-managed by Riley Oates.
It will be performed Thursday through Saturday at 7:30 p.m., with additional 2 p.m. show on Saturday, and on Sunday at 2 p.m., and tickets are $30.
OTHER SATURDAY EVENTS
Cape Fear Pop Culture Fest — The Wilmington Elks Lodge hosts an event for pop culture fans, with 90 vendors peddling comic books, retro video games, Pokemon cards, anime and more. Door prizes will be given out every hour beginning at 11 a.m. There will be comic books, Legos, collective toys, retro video games, anime, and more. An adult and children’s cosplay event is also taking place, plus food trucks will be set up from LVL Up Coffee and Dirty Tacos & Mas. The event takes place from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. at 5102 Oleander Drive. Admission is $5, with kids 12 and under free with a paying adult.
Super Pickle Party — Cargo District’s Fermental is celebrating the briny, tart and popping pickle on Saturday, starting at 11 a.m. The Super Pickle Party highlights sippers containing the flavor. Beers, wines, cocktails, plus pickle-flavored cotton candy, peanuts, lollipops, sodas and more will be available. There will be a 2 p.m. pickle-eating contest, with live music starting at 4 p.m. from Max Levy and the Hawaiian Shirts, followed by Port City Ukoholics at 7 p.m. Food trucks will be on site including Glizzies On The Go! At 1 p.m. and Gunslingers Tex Mex at 5 p.m. Free parking is available in the area and the Fermental is located at 600 S. 17th St.
Community Day — Annually, Wilson Center hosts Community Day to offer a select quantity of $25 all-inclusive tickets for the 2026-2027 season. Productions include eight Broadway National Tours — such as “Waitress” and “Mystic Pizza.” Plus, a return of “The Book of Mormon” is slated after selling out a few years ago during its first run in town. Tickets on Community Day are available 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. only in-person at the box office, before opening to the greater public online.
Sunday, July 26
Jesse Wells
Greenfield Lake Amphitheater, 1941 Amphitheater Drive • Tickets: $52
An American folk singer-songwriter and guitarist from Ozark, Arkansas, Jesse Welles’ Red Tour is stopping in town on July 26, with special guest Steph Strings.
Welles gained popularity in 2024 on TikTok, with his music often criticizing corporate greed, the war in Gaza, and the fentanyl crisis. Having played music since 2018, he shifted toward more political topics after his father’s heart attack. Welles has performed on the late-night circuit, “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” and “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert,” and won the Spirit of Americana/Free Speech Award at the 2025 Americana Music Honors and Awards in 2025.
Between 2024 and 2025, he released eight albums and two EPs. He has previously opened for Dead Sara, Greta Van Fleet, Rival Sons, and Royal Blood.
Tickets are $52 here.
OTHER SUNDAY EVENTS
Boards, Beers and Brushes — A surf and skate show will be taking place at at Savard Beer & Board in downtown on Sunday. The drop-in event, from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., features multiple artists showing skate-inspired work, plus live surfboard shaping demonstrations. A portion of artwork sales and Savard’s “Pint for a Purpose” proceeds will benefit Wilmington’s domestic violence shelter, helping support survivors in our community. Savard is located at 121 S. Front St.
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