Azalea Festival 2025: Here’s What You Need To Know.
Published on March 28, 2025
The 78th annual North Carolina Azalea Festival is happening next week, and organizers are expecting about 100,000 people to descend on downtown Wilmington to take part in a full slate of events, including the street fair and parade (and fireworks!).
Here’s what you need to know before you head out.
Click here for a full list of events.
Street Fair
The Street Fair will take place Friday, April 4, through Sunday, April 6. (Specific times are noted below) and features lots of vendors, live entertainment, a performing arts stage and children's activities area. The street fair runs along Front Street between Orange and Red Cross streets. A map, which includes specific vendors and staging areas, can be found here.
Street Fair event times:
- Friday, 4/4 – 6:00 pm to 10:00 pm
- Saturday, 4/5 – 10:00 am to 10:00 pm (some food vendors until 2 am)
- Sunday, 4/6 – 10:00 am – 5:00 pm
Road closures:
The follow streets will be closed beginning 7 am Friday, April 4, and lasting until 6 pm Sunday, April 6:
- Front Street between Red Cross Street & Orange Street
- Dock Street between Water Street & Second Street
- Second Street between Market Street & Dock Street
- Market Street between Water Street & Front Street
Azalea Festival Parade
The Azalea Festival Parade will take place on Saturday, April 5, from 9:30 am to 11:30 am. The parade will begin at the intersection of Third and Market streets and move north along Third Street, ending at Brunswick Street.
A map of the parade route can be found here.
Road closures for the parade are as follows:
- Front Street (Between Orange Street & Castle Street)
- North Front Street (Between North Third Street/ Davis and Walnut streets) **Late closure 9 am to noon.
- Second Street (Between Orange Street & Castle Street)
- Third Street (Between Davis Street, North Front Street, & Castle Street)
- Fourth Street (Between Red Cross Street & Castle Street)
- Harnett Street (Between Fourth Street and North Front Street)
- Bladen Street (Between Fourth Street and Second Street)
- Brunswick Street (Between Fourth Street and Second Street)
- Hanover Street (Between Fourth Street and Second Street)
- Campbell Street (Between Fourth Street and Second Street)
- Red Cross Street (Between Fourth Street and Second Street)
- Walnut Street (Between Fifth Avenue and Second Street)
- Grace Street (Between Fifth Avenue and Second Street)
- Chestnut Street (Between Fifth Avenue and Second Street)
- Princess Street (Between Fifth Avenue and Second Street) **Late closure 9 am to noon.
- Market Street (Between Fifth Avenue and Second Street)
- Dock Street (Between Fifth Avenue and Second Street)
- Orange Street (Between Fifth Avenue and Second Street)
- Ann Street (Between Fifth Avenue and Second Street)
- Nun Street (Between Fifth Avenue and Second Street)
- Church Street ((Between Fifth Avenue and Second Street)
- Surry Street (Between Church Street and Castle Street)
Parking for the weekend events
- On-Street metered parking will be free all weekend, beginning at 6:30 p.m. Friday, April 4.
- All parking decks will be $10 flat rate beginning Friday evening, all day Saturday and Sunday, excluding Riverplace
- Convention Center and 929/Skyline parking decks will also be $10 for the Thurs/Friday concerts (+all weekend)
- 2nd St parking lot will be closed for festival use
- Hannah Block parking lot will be posted daily rates