Entertainment
Entertainment in Wilmington means making some hard choices; we’re here to help
Welcome to the weekly Port City Life newsletter brought to you by me, StarNews reporter John Staton.
Oftentimes during summer in Wilmington we’ve got to make some hard choices. For me, Wednesday night was all about, should I see the rock show at Fuzzy Needle in the Cargo District? Or drive to Carolina Beach to see James Tritten and Tracy Shedd do a vinyl DJ set at The Sandspur? (I’m writing this on Wednesday afternoon, so I probably went to Fuzzy since Tritten and Shedd will be doing Wednesday evening DJ sets at Sandspur all summer long.)
On Sunday, will I see Cape Fear Shakespeare’s “Much Ado About Nothing” at Greenfield Lake? Or check out the Woggles at the Ocean Grill & Tiki Bar in Carolina Beach? Might be a game-time decision.
The choices never get easy, but I’m here to help you and me navigate as best we can. Let’s get started.
Weekend weather outlook
It’s gonna be a warm weekend. Highs in the upper 80s with a chance of showers on Friday, but Saturday could be a potentially glorious beach day, with mostly sunny skies giving way to some cloud cover Sunday.
Go | See | Do
It’s a busy weekend for events in the Wilmington area, especially in terms of live music.
Not only does the Cape Fear Blues Festival hold court all weekend at Fifth Avenue juke joint The Rusty Nail, but classical music from the Port City Music Festival will be performed at various venues around town. Plus, concerts return to the Ocean Grill & Tiki Bar in Carolina Beach, and there’s theater at Thalian Hall, Greenfield Lake and in Southport.
See below for the full list.
Happenings: 14 things to do in the Wilmington area this weekend, including 2 music festivals
The Dish with Port City Foodies
Food writer Allison Ballard has a big ol’ roundup of 18 restaurant, food truck, bar and coffee shop openings and closings in the Wilmington area.
Plus, a look at four top dishes from Italian restaurant Rosalie’s Trattoria, and we’ve got a list of food, drink and restaurant events for June.
Getting to know Sokoto House
Since forming back in 2021, self-described “community hub” Sokoto House has played an active but under-the-radar role in trying to combat the violence and lack of opportunity that has affected Wilmington’s Black communities for decades.
Sokoto House director Abdul Hafeedh bin Abdullah talks about the group’s struggle to get funding, and his take on the controversy around embattled New Hanover County agency Port City United.
Sokoto House: With Port City United’s future uncertain, another local group continues to combat violence
News you can use
“The Waterfront,” a new TV series from Kevin Williamson — best known for creating the teen drama “Dawson’s Creek,” which shot here in the late ’90s and early 2000s, and horror franchise “Scream” — has opened offices at Wilmington’s Cinespace Studios and will go into production later this year.
Plus, a global aerospace firm and data storage company will bring hundreds of jobs to Wilmington, and more housing units are coming to southern Brunswick County.
Let’s get social
For more Port City Life news, including updates to food and entertainment stories, follow us on Facebook at Facebook.com/MyPortCityLife.
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