Entertainment
Let’s get saucy: Starting off 2025 in Wilmington on the right foot
Welcome to the weekly Port City Life newsletter brought to you by me, StarNews reporter John Staton.
First off, I hope everyone had an amazing New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day. I certainly did.
Got to see a couple of great Wilmington bands at Satellite Bar & Lounge, which was packed to the gills for sets by trumpet-wielding indie rockers Leslie Blowup Band and dreamy shoegazers Lauds, who delivered a mix of starry originals and reworked covers.
New Year’s Day had me at the movie theater checking out Bob Dylan biopic “A Complete Unknown,” which is excellent. Oscar season is coming up, and if it doesn’t get a best picture nod, and a best actor nom for Timothée Chalamet as Dylan, I’ll be shocked.
OK, let’s see what’s going down for the first weekend of 2025.
Weekend weather outlook
After some unseasonably spring-like weather over the holidays, it looks like we’re back to winter for now. Highs on Saturday and Sunday just in the mid to upper 40s, with lows dipping down below freezing. At least it should be nice and sunny.
Go | See | Do
With New Year’s Eve coming on a Tuesday this year, the first weekend of 2025 is a predictably quiet one in Wilmington.
Even so, there are a few events worth checking out, starting with “Cabaret,” the classic musical from Opera House Theatre Co. that opened at Thalian Hall on New Year’s Eve.
Plus, Phoenix-spawned, New York based comic Aldo Campana comes to downtown’s Dead Crow Comedy Room, and there are even a couple of events that will help get your head straight for the new year, including the Floating Lantern Ceremony at Cameron Art Museum.
Link to full events list below.
The Dish with Port City Foodies
A popular Wilmington cafeteria has closed, and StarNews food writer Allison Ballard has a look at more than two dozen other area bars and restaurants that closed in 2024.
On the other hand, we’ve also got a look at more than 100 bars and restaurants that opened last year.
Getting to know those we lost
An NFL superstar. A Tony- and Emmy-nominated writer and actor. And the youngest tennis player to compete in the U.S. Open.
They’re among the notable people from the Wilmington area we lost in 2024.
News you can use
The new year is already off and running, and we’ve got a big ol’ list of upcoming concerts you’ll want to know about.
Plus, a local bridge that’s made appearances in many local film and TV productions is being torn down, and we look back at some Wilmington civil rights pioneers who helped push for change.
Let’s get social
For more Port City Life news, including updates to food and entertainment stories, follow us on Facebook at Facebook.com/StarNewsMedia.
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