Listen up all you "shaggers" and beach music aficionados, this is your chance to dance barefoot on the strand or just sway to the beat while standing in the surf. Held the first Saturday in June, the Beach Music Festival hosted by the Pleasure Island Chamber of Commerce is billed as "the biggest and only beach music festival actually held on the beach on the North Carolina coast." You can access this festival via the Carolina Beach Boardwalk. Beach music starts at 11 AM and ends around 6:30 PM. No carry-in alcohol or pets are permitted. Beverages, including beer, are available for sale.

June 13 & 27, 2009.  The Pleasure Island Chamber of Commerce hosts its free Summer Concerts at the Fort Fisher Air Force Recreation Area located along the Cape Fear River. The concerts are held on the second and fourth Fridays in June, July and August (weather permitting). Grab the children, bring a chair or blanket and prepare to sit back, relax and enjoy some great music from 6 to 8 PM. Attendees are welcome to bring their own food, but no alcoholic beverages or pets are permitted. Beverages are for sale on site.

June 20, 2009. If you love blueberries and it's June, head to the Blueberry Festival in historic downtown Burgaw. The locally grown blue beauties are celebrated with a blueberry recipe contest and cook-off. There are food vendors, arts and crafts, a 5K run/walk, a Car, Truck & Motorcycle Show, an Antique Show & Sale at the Historic Depot, live entertainment and a beer and wine garden.

July 3, 2009. At the Bald Head Island Conservancy Benefit Picnic, dinner includes barbecue, chicken, fixin's, dessert, beer, wine and sodas. Bring the kids for games and crafts. Adults will enjoy a bluegrass band, silent and live auctions, and a raffle.Tickets can be purchased at the Maritime Market or at the conservancy.

People turn out by the tens of thousands on July Fourth for Wilmington's best fireworks of the year, a spectacular pyrotechnical display launched from Battleship Park known as the Battleship Blast. Primary viewing for the fireworks is from the downtown Wilmington riverfront. This breathtaking show, which starts at 9:05 PM, is free. Please note: The entire Battleship complex on Eagles Island closes at 6 PM that day and all cars must depart by 6:30 PM. You'll want to come early for the entertainment downtown (see prior listing).

June 22 –July 18, 2009 / June 21–July 17, 2010. Franklin Square Gallery hosts the new Summer Regional Show, a juried show presented by the Associated Artists of Southport. Artists from all over the region submit two-dimensional or three-dimensional artwork from which only the best work is chosen by the professional judges. If you love art, this is an exhibition not to be missed. Admission to the gallery is free. Artwork is for sale.

July 1–4, 2009 / July 1–5, 2010. People come from all over the state of North Carolina (and other states as well) to participate in this old-fashioned, small-town, family-oriented celebration. The population swells and traffic is heavy, but most folks are happy to wait a bit in order to be involved in the event. There is a parade, of course, with bands and clowns and horses. There are also firemen's games, which are quite wet, plus arts and crafts vendors and food vendors. And then there are fireworks over the water. But, most importantly, there is the naturalization ceremony, in which people of varying nationalities become citizens of the USA.

July 3, 2009. Get the jump on your July Fourth celebration with a summer concert and fireworks display at Surf City's beautiful soundside park on the Intracoastal Waterway. Bring your blankets and lawn chairs. Fireworks begin at dark following the concert.

July 4, 2009. Celebrate our nation's independence with food, entertainment and a street fair on the riverfront in historic downtown Wilmington. Featured entertainment performs on the main stage along Water Street. Festivities run from 5 to 10 PM, with a not-to-be-missed fireworks display scheduled at 9:05 PM.

July 4, 2009. The Holly Ridge Municipality Park on Sound Road is a wonderful setting for the annual fireworks display. Children can enjoy the playground equipment while waiting for the fireworks, and the spacious grounds allow room to spread a blanket for an old-fashioned picnic supper. Bring your own picnic or purchase hot dogs and drinks at the concession stand (a fund-raiser for Holly Ridge Parks Department). Entertainment precedes the fireworks, which start at approximately 9:15 PM. Admission is free.

July 3, 2009. Do you love fireworks but can't get there on the Fourth? The Pleasure Island Chamber of Commerce gives you a chance to enjoy them early, on July 3. This fantastic fireworks show is held on the beach strand in front of the Courtyard Marriott in Carolina Beach.

The most memorable car show of the summer takes place under big old shade trees at Historic Poplar Grove Plantation. Cars and trucks 1980 and older compete for top awards. A Country Flea Market spreads front to back on this old peanut farm. Vendors offer handmade crafts, furniture, jewelry, gently used goods and more. Take a break from the summer heat with an ice cream sundae in the air-conditioned barn. Show-goers can treat themselves to real Southern barbecue sandwiches, hot dogs, beverages, funnel cakes and, of course, peanuts!

July 24–26, 2009. Presented by the Cape Fear Blues Society, this popular summer music festival offers local, regional and national blues musicians an opportunity to show their stuff to enthusiastic audiences. It's held in Wilmington during the last weekend in July. Events during this blues-filled extravaganza begin with Friday night's not-to-be-missed Cape Fear Blues Cruise on Wilmington's riverboat, the Henrietta III, and a free Blues Musicians' Workshop on Saturday morning. Join in with thousands of devoted blues listeners for the Saturday afternoon outdoor Festival Concert and the free All-Day Blues Jam at noon on Sunday. Hosting other artists, downtown restaurants and lounges participate as well, usually beginning late afternoon and evening. Advance tickets and sponsor/patron packages are available. Due to frequent sellouts, early bookings for the Blues Cruise are highly recommended.

July 8, 2009. Turtle Patrols from Sunset Beach and Ocean Isle Beach participate to help raise awareness and educate the public about sea turtles that nest on area beaches. The event features turtle races and crafts, and a $10 donation will get you a Turtle Day T-shirt designed by a local artist. Proceeds from a silent auction are donated to the Karen Beasley Sea Turtle Hospital on Topsail Island. A special loggerhead guest from the hospital is available for viewing.

July 25, 2009. The Wooden Boat Race was designed a number of years back by Russ Ferris to separate the sailors from the boys. Each year he is invited back to start the race with his claw hammer. The entertainment rivals that provided by the Three Stooges, as sails and people end up in the water, boats drag anchor lines and dinghies run aground, into pilings and into each other. Don't miss the fun!

Held annually in August, the Castles and Scoops Contest is a day full of family fun in the sun. Local businesses, families, student and civic groups and area architects are among the competitors building awesome sand sculptures for awards in five different categories, including Public Favorite. The "scoops" of the contest refers to the ice cream sundaes built by the contestants while the judges make their decisions. Proceeds from this event benefit the Wilmington Children's Museum.

July 31, August 1 & 2, 2009. In 2006 the Old Baldy Foundation instituted The Pirates are Coming! in celebration of National Lighthouse Day. Traditional activities include a pirate costume contest, a treasure hunt, singing of pirate chanteys with Rusty Cutlass, an invasion of the island by Captain Horatio Sinbad and his pirates, a live booty auction, a Castaway Carnivale and a pancake breakfast with the pirates. The 2009 event will include an authentic pirate encampment and live music. It's usually held the weekend before National Lighthouse Day (August 7).

August 8-9, 2009. For 39 years the Sneads Ferry Shrimp Festival has been paying a tasty homage to the area’s local shrimping industry. Always on the second weekend in August, the festival begins with a parade on Saturday at 10 AM at the corner of Old Folkstone and Peru roads then winds through town and ends at Fulchers Landing Road. The famous Shrimparoo dinner, consisting of mouth-watering local fried shrimp, french fries, cole slaw and hush puppies, is served in the Sneads Ferry Community Building. There is a charge for festival admission, with children younger than 12 admitted free. A two-day pass is also available. There is also a charge for the Shrimparoo dinner and the carnival rides.

August 8, 2009. This annual race, held at Spring Lake in Boiling Spring Lakes, is fun for participants as well as spectators. The 4 x 8 rafts, self propelled by at least two persons, must be homemade. Neither commercially manufactured hulls nor inner tubes are allowed. Participants are required to propel their rafts around buoys in the Big Lake. Awards are presented to first and second place as well as to the most imaginative raft design. Put your imagination to work and come on out to join the fun!

On an August weekend each year, Wilmington recognizes and celebrates the African-American community during the African-American Heritage Festival. Centered around an overall theme, the event honors those individuals whose lives impacted history in one way or another. Storytelling, food, music and dance highlight the festival, which features performing arts from various cultures. The park is located on Eighth Street, between Ann and Castle streets. Please call the number above for details.

The National Women in Blues (NWiB) Festival in Wilmington started as an idea in the fall of 2006. Women from all around the country came to play that first festival. Since then it has become an annual event, bringing established and up-and-coming blues acts from coast to coast to southeastern North Carolina for a weekend of soulful solos, blues jams and a celebration of the contribution of women to this uniquely American musical genre. The festival opens each year with the region's Grandmother of Blues, Mrs. Rose Lucas, backed by her husband, Charlie Lucas. Events are held at various locations throughout the city. Tickets for the whole weekend or for individual nights can be purchased through the festival's website (www.nationalwomeninblues.com). Proceeds from ticket sales benefit local charities.

September 5, 2009 / September 4, 2010. This festival, always the Saturday before Labor Day, is a celebration of local and regional artists and craftspeople who display and sell their goods, all within sight of the ocean (or nearly so). Proceeds from the festival are used toward grants for local high school students. The day-long fair is held from 9 AM to 4 PM and is free. Food is available at concession stands.

September 26-27, 2009. The 46th Annual Spot Festival in Hampstead offers an opportunity to enjoy a dinner of spot, one of the area's best-tasting fish, along with generous helpings of cole slaw and hush puppies. The festival also has amusement rides, a variety of bands, and arts and crafts. Admission to the festival is free, but there is a charge for food and amusement rides.

September 17, 2009 September is National Literacy Month, and Cape Fear Literacy Council celebrate each year with its Spelling Bee for Literacy. The fun-filled evening includes audience participation games and prizes for Best Team Name, Best Team Costume, Best Cheering Section, and of course, the trophy for the winning team. Businesses and individuals are invited to put together a team and enter the friendly competition. A limited number of teams will be accepted. This community event is Cape Fear Literacy Council’s fall fund-raiser and helps raise awareness about literacy and the power of words.

October 9, 2009. Enjoy a family favorite film on the fantail of the Battleship, just like her crew did many years ago. Tickets cost $1 and are available at the door only (cost does not include a tour of the ship). Fresh popcorn and sodas cost only $1. Show time is 8:30 PM. For information call (910) 251-5797 ext. 2049 or visit the website.

October 2-4, 2009. Riverfest is a wonderful family celebration of the area's rich heritage. It features river events, an enormous street fair with food and crafts, music, stage shows, live arts performances, music, fireworks and more. Special events include the annual Great Waiter's Wine Race, boat rides, military exhibits and a handmade self-powered Riverfest Raft Regatta. For landlubbers, there's the Annual Run the River 8K Race (Sunday at 8 AM) and a Classic Car Show. A kids' area set up in the Cotton Exchange parking lot (Saturday and Sunday) offers face painting, interactive games, arts and crafts activities, entertainment, rides, displays, a petting zoo and more. The events are free. Riverfest is traditionally held the first weekend of October.

October 10 & 11, 2009. When the weather's warm, the sun's shining and the ocean breezes are fluttering, the Pleasure Island Seafood, Blues and Jazz Festival is the place to be. Always held the second weekend in October, this popular event is held at the Fort Fisher Air Force Recreation Area, right on the Cape Fear River. Music lovers revel in two days of non-stop jazz and blues performed by nationally and regionally recognized musicians on two stages. Seafood lovers enjoy scrumptious seafood from some of the area's best restaurants. There's plenty of shopping at booths hosted by crafters and local shop owners, a fine-arts plaza and a wine tasting. For the kids, there is a special KidZone with inflatable amusements, magicians, face painters and much more. No coolers or pets are allowed. Hours are Saturday 11 AM to 10 PM and Sunday 11 AM to 6 PM.

October 24, 2009 The Battleship NORTH CAROLINA has been featured on numerous paranormal programs, and now you can pilfer for poltergeists on your own during Ghost Ship. Staff and volunteers will lead you through the cavernous bowels of the ship and regale you with numerous tales from the ship's legendary history. Cost is $10 per person.

Mid-October is an exciting time for area filmmakers who've submitted entries in this annual competitive event. Generally, several hundred film entries are submitted. The festival takes place at various locations selected each year. Hosted by The Cape Fear Independent Film Network, a non-profit organization dedicated to education and promotion of the arts, the film festival is an opportunity for showcasing selected works. The organization likes to focus on first-time filmmakers and those from the Carolinas, especially this area. Call for information on submission and festival details.

October 29–November 7, 2009. For 10 days beginning the last Thursday in October, the Cape Fear Fair & Expo comes to town. Ever popular for family-style fun, the fair seems to get bigger every year. A midway offers approximately 40 rides plus food and games. You'll enjoy the livestock exhibits and competition, an agricultural tent, animal shows and live entertainment. Admission, which includes parking, exhibits, entertainment and all rides, is $13 Sunday through Thursday and $14 Fridays and Saturdays ($12 advance purchase). Children younger than 2 get in free. Hours are from 5 to 11 PM weekdays; Fridays are 5 PM to 2 AM; Saturdays are from noon to midnight; and Sundays are from 1 to 11 PM.

Each year the Dreams Center for Arts Education holds its Cabaret Fundraiser to support their mission of providing free arts education and opportunities for Wilmington's youth in need. The Cabaret features a fabulous silent auction of visual art by local artists, as well as live performances by some of Wilmington's most talented performing artists. But it's the kids who steal the show, displaying the skills they've learned from their teachers at Dreams. The event occurs in October. Call for more information.

The Halloween Festival is a popular, spooky event for the brave and faint-hearted alike. Planners guarantee that you will get totally scared from the haunted barn and haunted hayride that goes deep into the dark, dark woods. If this isn't your taste, there is a not-so-scary hayride along with carnival games and rides. A costume contest is offered for children of all ages (including adults).

October 10, 2009. Open auditions on September 28, 2009, for Brunswick’s Got Talent are free and open to all Brunswick County residents 13 years of age and older. Please call to set up an audition time. Finalists present the show, and winners are announced afterward. A cash prize of $500 is awarded in the adult category (age 20 and older) and $250 is awarded in the teen category (age 13 to 19). Come and be amazed at the talent in Brunswick County!

October 24 & 25, 2009. Thousands of people are discovering this festival centered on a traditional Halloween carnival for the island's children. Live music performed at the Holden Beach Pavilion fills the air both days. There's a parade on the causeway and a huge outdoor festival beneath the bridge with food and crafts booths. Contests on the beach include sand sculpture and a horseshoe toss. For the children you will find face painting, rides and amusements. The fleet of feet may participate in the 1K, 5K or 10K races (for a nominal fee). Admission to the festival is free, and all proceeds benefit Holden Beach's volunteer groups and community projects. It's always held the last full weekend in October.

October 17–18, 2009 / October 16–17, 2010. The N.C. Oyster Shucking Championship at this Oyster Festival is hard to beat. A champion oyster shucker is selected to compete in the national oyster-shucking competition with hopes of going to the international competition in Ireland. Folks love it so much there's even an amateur division. Featuring mountains of the South Brunswick Islands' favorite food, in season at this time, the festival also offers continuous live music, arts and crafts vendors, delicious food, activities for the kids, a 5K, 10K and 1-mile fun run, an oyster stew cook-off and more.

October 17–18, 2009. Hosted by the Historical Society of Topsail Island, this fall festival features a juried Artists' Court with many regional artists displaying and selling their works. There is live music, a variety of food vendors, a beer and wine garden, and games and rides for kids. The Missiles and More Museum, housed in the Assembly Building, is also open throughout the festival. On Saturday, activities begin at 10 AM with entertainment starting at 11 AM. On Sunday, activities begin at 11 AM and entertainment starts at 1 PM. A Saturday night concert at 7 PM features a beach music band. Admission is charged.

October 31, 2009. This fun regatta has some unusual rules. All participants are required to be turned out in buccaneer costumes and act like pirates while the regatta is in progress (though there is no law against continuing during the celebratory time after the race is complete). Spectators should arrive by 1 PM. Boats have assigned start times beginning at 1:10, designed to bring the entire fleet home at the same time.

November 7-8, 2009. Come on out and be amazed at the talent in this Vaudeville-style showcase of Brunswick County residents who are age 55 or older. It benefits the Brunswick County Habitat for Humanity. Don't miss the fun!

November 11-15, 2009. For more than 14 years this fearless festival of independent film has brought a wide variety of movies and their makers to the Port City. A non-competitive showcase for the best that creative filmmakers can offer, Cucalorus prides itself on a maverick approach to the festival concept. Organizers group like-minded shorts together in tidy blocks and screen first-run features that often include Q&A with filmmakers and stars alike. Numerous festival-affiliated celebrations and concerts show off the face of the Port City to visiting industry types, and the event's noted reputation has helped make Wilmington a thriving indie film town. Cucalorus offers something for everyone, including family-friendly daytime screenings and programs for youth filmmakers. Screening emotional documentaries, naughty short films and hilarious and contemplative features, Cucalorus runs the gamut from experimental to mainstream, always managing to keep its cool.

November 27–29, 2009 Selected as one of the top 20 "Must See Events in the Southeast", this illuminated boat parade, held each year on the weekend following Thanksgiving, captures the imagination of young and old. The event begins on Friday with the Christmas tree lighting ceremony with Santa and friends, followed by dining and dancing at the Blockade Runner Resort. The Saturday Festival in the Park features more than 80 arts and crafts vendors, games and attractions for children, and an antique and classic car show, all available from 10 AM to 4 PM. At 6 PM Saturday evening the boat parade with brightly lit and wildly decorated watercraft motors down the waterway into Motts Channel and Banks Channel. A spectacular fireworks display caps off a weekend for all to remember.

November 27–28, 2009 / November 26–27, 2010. Original artwork can be purchased at this two-day Art League Thanksgiving Show. Every year a portion of the proceeds is donated to a different non-profit organization based on the island. The league is comprised of Bald Head Island residents and property owners, and full-time employees (older than 18 years of age) of the island. Artists and art enthusiasts are welcome.

November 27, 2009. Topsail Island's Holiday Boat Flotilla is a great way to add a little island vibe to the holiday season. The annual parade of decorated and lighted boats sails down the Intracoastal Waterway past Topsail Beach. Revelers can watch the flotilla from the Assembly Building.

The Island of Lights Festival on Pleasure Island features a number of weekend events, most of them free, beginning with Light Up The Lake on the Friday evening following Thanksgiving. A fabulous Christmas Parade begins at 7:30 PM the next Friday night; that Saturday evening, the popular Holiday Flotilla, featuring boats of all sizes in full seasonal regalia, runs from Snow's Cut to Carolina Beach boat basin and back. The Island of Lights Tour of Homes, held the following Saturday, features refreshments and Southern hospitality on a self-guided tour of some of Carolina and Kure Beach's elegant homes. The festival ends with fireworks. This year's display will be held at Carolina Beach. For more information on these events or ticket prices for the Tour of Homes, contact the number listed above.

Each Christmas season the talented performers in the Wilmington Ballet Company take to the stage for their annual performance of The Nutcracker. The Wilmington Ballet Company was founded in 1999 to perform professional quality ballets in the Wilmington area. For tickets to this performance, call Thalian Hall at (910) 343-3664.

November 28–December 25, 2009. Capture the holiday magic at Airlie Gardens by visiting the Holiday Light Show. This elaborate show of landscape lighting and colorful lighted displays runs nightly from Thanksgiving weekend through Christmas. Musical entertainment is included, and refreshments are available for purchase. Call for times and admission fee.

December 5, 2009. On the first Saturday in December, come to this warm, friendly church any time between 10 AM and 2 PM to enjoy a tour of the church, a brief explanation of Moravian history, spiced tea or sweet Moravian coffee with cookies, and demonstrations of traditional Moravian crafts. See the putz (Nativity scene), which has a special sound and light show, then go to the crafts area where you'll see traditionally garbed men and women making Moravian stars, beeswax candles, Advent wreaths and Moravian cookies. These items plus crafts and carvings are available for you to take home.

December 4–20, 2009 / December 3–19, 2010. A colorful holiday parade on Oak Island begins a nearly month-long celebration in the Southport-Oak Island area. Home tours, band and choral concerts, and two lighted boat parades are some of the events. Contact the Southport-Oak Island Chamber of Commerce at the numbers listed above for a schedule.

December 7, 2009. The annual City of Wilmington Holiday Parade is held in historic downtown Wilmington, traveling down Front Street and up Water Street. Join schools, bands, businesses and community groups as they celebrate the holiday season.

December 4, 2009 – January 6, 2010 As part of Historic Downtown Wilmington’s annual holiday light celebration, the Battleship NORTH CAROLINA is dressed in lights strung from bow to stern and up the masts. Enjoy the Holiday Lighting of the Ship nightly from dusk to 11 PM. You can see the view for free from Downtown Wilmington.

December 3, 2009. The lighting of the World's Largest Living Christmas Tree, an enormous live oak, has been a Wilmington tradition since 1928. On the first Thursday in December, the town turns out with Santa, the mayor, a brass band and a chorus, and the festivities begin at 5:35 PM. At 6:15 PM, the tree is lit to the sounds of music and voices raised in song, and everyone joins in. The tree remains lit nightly from 5:30 to 10 PM until New Year's Day. Hilton Park is near the intersection of Castle Hayne Road and J.E.L. Wade Drive in Wilmington.

December 5 & 6, 2009. This is one of the most popular and atmospheric of the holiday home tours. Each year, about 20 of Wilmington's most historic homes, churches and businesses are opened to guests for two days on the first weekend in December. Stroll into Christmases past and see how yesterday's lifestyles have been adapted to modern times. The tour is self-guided. Times are Saturday from 4 to 8 PM and Sunday from 2 to 6 PM. Call for ticket information and a list of homes on the tour.

Few places evoke the Southern charm of bygone days as well as Poplar Grove Historic Plantation, especially at holiday time. Decorated in Victorian style, the manor house will be aglow with an old-fashioned Christmas. Bring a cozy blanket for cuddling on the moonlit hayride.

December 11-12, 2009. For 16 years the folks in Sneads Ferry have been ushering in the holiday season with Winter Fest. Winter Fest begins with a Friday night tree lighting ceremony at 7 PM. Christmas trees decorated by area clubs add to the festive decorations. Children are invited to a pancake breakfast with Santa on Saturday morning between 7 and 11 AM. There is an arts and crafts show on Saturday between the hours of 9 AM and 4 PM and Sunday between the hours of noon and 4 PM. The festival entertainment schedule is posted in local newspapers. All programs are free, but there is a charge for the pancake breakfast.

December 4 and 6, 2009. A formal Christmas concert is given by the Brunswick Concert Band and Brunswick Big Band (see the Music section of the Arts chapter) at two separate locations. One is in the Odell Williamson Auditorium at Brunswick Community College and the second is in Hatch Auditorium in the Baptist Assembly at the easternmost tip of Oak Island. The blend of ages of the individuals who make up this enthusiastic group and the blend of music — jazz, show tunes, country, patriotic and swinging 1940s — always provide listening pleasure to the audience.

The Kwanzaa Celebration is a seven-day celebration of African-American roots, culture and tradition; it is held from the day after Christmas through January 1. A variety of events are featured throughout the week of Kwanzaa, culminating in a Kwanzaa Karamu that includes theatrical performances, crafts for children and a community feast. Foremost during the week is the daily lighting of a candle to symbolize one of the seven principles. Watch the newspapers for details.

December 31, 2009. End the year at this family-style, alcohol-free beach party in the heart of Carolina Beach. The Island of Lights Festival begins in November and features several local events, culminating with this explosive finale. Enjoy a street dance with live beach music, munch popcorn and drink hot chocolate while snuggling under a blanket on the sand, and watch the descent of an enormous beach ball at midnight. Top it off with an impressive fireworks display, and you've got yourself a true beach-style New Year's Eve to remember. Fun for the whole family, it is free and begins at 10 PM.

December 31, 2009. Ring in 2010 aboard the Henrietta III on a New Year's Eve riverboat cruise down the Cape Fear River in Wilmington. Festivities include party favors, hors d'oeurve, a DJ and a traditional Champagne toast at midnight. The cruise runs from 9 PM to 12:30 AM with boarding scheduled for 8:30 PM on Water Street, at the foot of Dock Street. Advanced sale tickets are required.