Wilmington Beaches Events Calendar
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Scroll through the calendar to discover exciting events happening year-round along the Wilmington Beaches. This coastal region is known for its vibrant beach-town spirit, rich maritime history, and welcoming community atmosphere—celebrating everything that makes Wrightsville Beach, Carolina Beach, Kure Beach, the Topsail area, and Wilmington so special.
Visit in the off season to enjoy some of the area’s best events, from family-friendly festivals and outdoor activities to surf competitions, historic tours, live music, holiday celebrations, seafood festivals, and local culinary experiences.
Whether you’re exploring the shoreline or heading into Wilmington's charming riverfront district, the Wilmington Beaches offer something memorable in every season.
📷: photo courtesy of Oceanfest
Topsail Fall Surf & Pier Fishing Challenge
- Location: Topsail Island
The Topsail Fall Surf & Pier Fishing Challenge brings anglers to the beaches and fishing piers of Surf City, Topsail Beach and North Topsail Beach for a full weekend of competition. Fishing begins at 11:59 p.m. Friday and runs around the clock until noon Sunday.
Anglers choose between two separate divisions. Surf anglers compete for bluefish, trout, black drum and sea mullet, while pier anglers compete for bluefish, red drum, black drum and sea mullet. Pier fishing takes place at Topsail Island's three participating piers: Surf City Pier, Jolly Roger Pier and Seaview Pier.
More than $16,000 in cash and prizes is projected based on participation, along with special prizes for junior, lady and senior anglers. The weekend concludes Sunday with an awards dinner, awards ceremony and raffle at tournament headquarters at East Coast Sports in Surf City. Fish weighed during the tournament are donated to First Fruit Ministries.
Cape Fear Kite Festival
- Location: Fort Fisher State Recreation Area, Kure Beach
- Starts: 11:00 am
- Ends: 4:00 pm
Watch the skies over Kure Beach come alive during the 20th Annual Cape Fear Kite Festival, November 6–8, 2026. More than 80 professional kite flyers fill the beachfront with enormous, colorful creations in every imaginable shape and size, making this one of the area's most unique fall events.
Festivities begin Friday with a sneak peek at the kites near Kure Beach Pier, followed that evening by Carolina Beach Aglow, featuring illuminated displays, a neon dance party and a drone show over the ocean. On Saturday and Sunday, the main festival takes over Fort Fisher State Recreation Area with spectacular kite displays, live music, food trucks, local vendors and children's activities. 🪁🌊
