The End of Summer Doesn’t Mean The End of Fun for Wilmington!

Maggie Dowicyan

As a coastal area, one might think that there’s not much to do once the tourists pack their bags and kids return to school, but that could not be further from the truth. Wilmington and the surrounding beach areas have an array of festivals, performances, athletic events, and everything in between that continue throughout autumn.

Throughout the summer, Wilmington, Wrightsville Beach and the other surrounding beach towns have held weekly concerts and movie nights, which will continue through the fall as well. Another continuous event is the Fourth Friday Gallery Walk in downtown Wilmington, which is year round, where guests can visit the participating galleries downtown and enjoy local art, live music, wine and hors d’oevres.

The two big events in September are the YMCA Triathlon at Wrightsville Beach and the Wilmington Wine and Beer Walk, both held on September 27^th. All of the athletes out there will love the YMCA Triathlon. It is the largest single-distance, one-day event from Virginia to Florida with 1400 participants expected this year. The Triathlon includes a 1500 meter swim, 12 mile bike ride and a 5k run. For those who aren’t as athletic, but love going out on the town, the Wine and Beer Walk is perfect for you. This event is a self-guided tour of the participating downtown bars, nightclubs and eateries with 2 beer or wine samples at each.

October hosts some of Wilmington’s biggest events of the year. The 36^th Annual Riverfest takes place downtown October 3^rd-5^th and has over 200 craft and food venders, 2 entertainment stages, a Great Waiters Wine Race and Invasion of the Pirates, just to name a few. ARTBlast, held downtown, is Wilmington’s largest outdoor art show that showcases art, film, music and theater festival and featuring local one-of-a-kind pieces. Also held in October, is the Brits on the Beach Car Show in Wrightsville Beach with the British Motor Club on October 11^th, The Pleasure Island Seafood, Blues & Jazz Festival in Kure Beach on October 11^th and 12^th and the PPD Beach 2 Battleship Iron Distance Triathlon, one of the “Top 5 Iron Distance Triathlons in the World” according to Triathlete Magazine.

There is so much more happening this October including a Wine and Beer Festival, Halloween Festival, and a tasting of the delicious food and drink on Wrightsville Beach. All of these exciting events are what make Wilmington and the surrounding areas unique and full of culture. Thousands of people travel to the area just to take part in our festivals and events, so don’t miss out on the excitement! For more information check out whatsonwilmington.com and wilmingtonandbeaches.com.

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