From pints to bagpipes, 17-plus things to do in Wilmington for St. Patrick's Day weekend

St. Patrick's Day is on Friday, and while Wilmington's St. Patrick's Day Parade already happened last weekend, the Port City bars are bound to be packed on Friday night, which also happens to be the second night of March Madness.

For some of you that's a siren call to go out drinking, while for others it's a sure sign to stay home. Last year, Allison Ballard and I did a pretty thorough look at good places to get a pint for St. Patrick's, and while some of the details may have changed, it's still mostly relevant. (To summarize, I still and will likely always recommend Slainte, Lula's, The Husk, The Harp and Paddy's Hollow for a St. Patrick's Day pint.)

I've got even more St. Patrick's Day options for you below, as well as a healthy roundup of music, comedy, some dance and opera, and even a couple of early Azalea Festival events. Read on for more.

If you're looking for things to do in Brunswick County, we do a seperate list for that. See link below.

More Wilmington holiday events:17 Wilmington-area places you can drink a pint (or 2) for St. Patrick's Day

More things to do:4 Brunswick events this week include a lecture on owls and a 'Matilda' musical

THURSDAY

Curious Tales from Old Wilmington

At the Bellamy Mansion: Join Wilmington historian Chris Fonvielle as he delves into the truth behind such local legends as Nancy Martin, the young girl who died at sea and was buried at Oakdale Cemetery in a cask of rum. These and other local legends are in Fonvielle's latest book, "More Curious Tales from Old Wilmington and the Lower Cape Fear." 6:30 p.m. March 16. $10 suggested donation.

More Wilmington history:New book investigates 'More Curious Tales from Old Wilmington and the Lower Cape Fear'

ALL WEEKEND

St. Patrick's Day weekend at Hoplite

At Hoplite Pub & Restaurant: It's going to be a big old time for St. Patrick's Day at this Carolina Beach pub, with a full day of Irish-themed activities. Paige Bacon kicks thing off with live tunes at noon. At 1 p.m. and 6 p.m. Hoplite might be the only joint in the area with live bagpipe music. (OK, so bagpipes are more associated with Scotland than Ireland. But it is St. Patrick's Day, and since there is a tradition of playing the bagpipes in Ireland, I'm going to guess you'll get to hear some Irish music on those suckers.) The New River Irish Band plays at 3 p.m., Irish dancers perform at 4 p.m., and Wilmington rockabilly act The Phantom Playboys will kick things into overdrive starting at 7 p.m. If you want to do it all over again on Saturday you can, with bagpipes at 1 p.m, Irish dancers at 2 p.m., the New River Irish Band at 3 p.m. and Wilmington's own Massive Grass closing things down from 6-9 p.m. 11 a.m. March 17 and 1 p.m. March 18. Free to attend.

Resiliency Weekend at CAM

At the Cameron Art Museum: A whole slew of events this weekend celebrates how the arts can support resiliency, aka the capacity to deal with difficult situations in a healthy way. Activities include music classes for kids, performances by BlackBox Dance Theatre, a talk with Wilmington artist Greyson Davis, "positive parenting" programs, film screenings and more. March 18-19, go to CameronArtMuseum.org for full schedule and details.

Michael Palascak

At Dead Crow Comedy Room: Palascak is a very funny comic who you've probably seen snippets of on Instagram or Facebook reels if you've not seen him on the shows of James Corden, Stephen Colbert, David Letterman or Conan O'Brien. He also had a special on Comedy Central, and was a finalist on "Last Comic Standing." He's got some great bits about living with his parents after college and trying not to check the social media accounts of his exes. 7 p.m. and 9:30 p.m. March 17-18, $18 and $28.

FRIDAY

Carlos Rising & Holy Heat

At End of Days Distillery: Wilmington singer Carlos Rising, a contestant on the current season of NBC musical competition show "The Voice," plays his first Wilmington gig since appearing on the show. With his band Holy Heat, Rising brings his sweet voice to covers of songs by the likes of James Taylor and Eric Clapton, as well as to originals that smoothly blend rock, pop and soul. 6:30 p.m. March 17, free to attend.

More Wilmington music:Who is Carlos Rising? Wilmington singer talks 'The Voice' appearance, upcoming local gigs

Paul Taylor Dance Co.

At CFCC Wilson Center: One of the most acclaimed and respected modern dance companies of all time, Paul Taylor Dance has been around since 1954. For the troupe's Wilson Center performance they'll be revisiting pieces from the past (the relationship-probing "Arden Court" from 1981 and the dance whodunit "La Sacre du Printemps" from 1980) and performing more recent work (2016's athletic "Rush Hour"). 7:30 p.m. March 17, tickets start at $20. 910-362-7999.

'Blurring the Color Line'

At Jengo's Playhouse: The Southern Circuit Tour of Independent Filmmakers brings this documentary to Wilmington, part of a series from UNCW's Office of the Arts, WHQR Public Radio, the Cucalorus Film Festival and Working Films. "Blurring the Color Line" tells the story of director Crystal Kwok's Chinese family, which operated a grocery store in a Black neighborhood in Augusta, Georgia. 7:30 p.m. March 17, tickets are $10, plus taxes and fees.

St. Patrick's Day options

New Hanover County: As mentioned above, downtown Wilmington is bound to be off the hook on Friday night, and things will get started at 4 p.m. with St. Patrick's Bar Crawl, which begins at Coglin's and includes admission and drinks at a number of downtown establishments. At Waterline Brewing under the bridge, the Get Lucky Music Festival will feature multiple bands, comedians and performing artists. Outside of downtown, St. Patrick's Palooza holds sway at the SeaWitch in Carolina Beach with Irish food and rock music from Machine Gun. An all-star Wilmington band called The Galactic Shamrocks will play at Wrightsville Beach Brewery starting at 6 p.m., and the Ogden Tap Room on north Market Street will have live music and Irish food for St. Pat's as well.

Rebekah Todd

At Bourgie Nights: Wilmington soul, rock and blues singer Todd brings her powerful pipes back to one of downtown's favorite stages. Opening act is the indie-pop singer and songwriter Asia Daye. 8 p.m. March 17, $12 in advance, $15 day of show.

Saint Placements Day

At The Place: Just in case you were wondering about how vibrant Wilmington's music scene currently is, the St. Patrick's show at this new Cargo District music venue and hotspot features five young Wilmington bands. On the bill is era-blending Carolina Beach act Pleasure Island, along with the wonderfully named rock bands Lawn Enforcement, Cancel, Beach Tub and Doggy Daycare. 6 p.m. March 17, $5 for 21 and up, $10 for under 21.

More Wilmington music:Carolina Beach band Pleasure Island makes waves with throwback sound, cool vibes

SATURDAY

Dragons & Mythical Beasts

At CFCC Wilson Center: Touring family puppet show centers on the fantastical, and utterly fantastic, beasts of the title. There's the Stone Troll, a unicorn, a Griffin and even a dark take on the Tooth Fairy. 3 p.m. March 18, tickets start at $20. 910-362-7999.

Corey Hunt and The Wise

At Bourgie Nights: Independent country band from Asheboro makes its first Wilmington appearance, and Corey Hunt and The Wise has a big, crowd-pleasing sound that can range from rootsy ("Man in the Moon") to rockin' ("Watch Rome Burn"). Opening act is country/folk singer-songwriter Kenny Roby. 9 p.m. March 18, $10 in advance, $15 day of show.

Paws on Parade

At Greenfield Lake Amphitheater: Get warmed up for next month's N.C. Azalea Festival with this early festival event, a celebration of canine cuteness, dogs in general and, of course, their owners. Register your pet for the Canine Court Pageant, or just take in the spectacle and enjoy concessions, dog-centric vendors, a "puppy kissing booth," professional dog portraits and, starting at 2:30 p.m., live music from Wilmington's own Hatch Brothers. 11:30 a.m. (gates) March 18, tickets are $10 in advance, $15 at the gate, $40 VIP. Free for children 10 and under. Pageant check-in starts at 12:15 p.m., and the Canine Court Pageant starts at 1 p.m.

The Social Contract

At the Opera Room: North Carolina hip-hop collective led by Rob: Earth-One brings a variety of artists to town for a show with Wilmington DJ RizzyBeats. A Pokemon theme is in effect, so be prepared. 8 p.m. March 18.

SUNDAY

Lawrence Brownlee, 'Rising'

At Beckwith Recital Hall: Opera Wilmington presents this concert by the acclaimed American tenor, one of the top opera singers in the world. Brownlee's program, titled "Rising," pairs poetry from the Harlem Renaissance with new music from Black composers. The concert is officially called the Caterina Jarboro Memorial Recital; Jarboro was the Wilmington native who in 1933 became the first Black woman to sing with a major U.S. opera company. 4 p.m. March 19, tickets are $65 and $100. 910-962-3500.

Norcos Y Horchata

At Reggie's 42nd Street Tavern: Rare Sunday matinee show at midtown rock club Reggie's is headlined by the gritty Detroit power pop/punk act Norcos Y Horchata. Openers are two Wilmington acts, the excellent melodic punk band Busted Radio and the psyche-punk act Microdose. 4 p.m. March 19, $7 at the door.

Azalea Festival Children's Tea

At the Cape Fear Country Club: Annual event is a "high tea" for children and their parents, and raises money for the N.C. Azalea Festival, set to be held April 12-16. Featuring entertainment from Thalian Association Community Theatre's cast of the musical "Cinderella," which is an official festival event this year and opens April 7 at Thalian Hall. 2 p.m. March 19, tickets are $50 each.

This article originally appeared on Wilmington StarNews: 17+ things to do in Wilmington NC for St. Patrick's Day weekend 2023