Wilmy Weekly: October 8th

Trampled By Turtles, last call for restaurant week, Pistons & Pints, Indigo Girls, and more!

Author

Jason @ Port City Pulse
October 08, 2026

Fall finally feels like fall, Wilmington, and the off-season perks are kicking in. Dogs are back on the beach at Wrightsville and Carolina Beach (leashed, please), and downtown parking decks are a flat $5 on Saturdays through Christmas. Add bluegrass at Greenfield Lake tonight, restaurant week's final stretch, vintage cars on Saturday, and the Indigo Girls Sunday night. Grab an umbrella for Sunday and keep reading to plan your next four days.

  • 🍽️ Last Call for Restaurant Week

  • 👀 What's Happenin' in Wilmington this weekend

  • 🎸 This Weekend's Live Music and Food Trucks

  • 📰 A gas tax pause, $5 Saturday parking downtown, Publix heads to Porters Neck, and more

  • 🎤 Looking Ahead: Daniel Tosh, Autumn With Topsail, and The Book of Mormon

Let's get to it!

🍽️ Last Call for Restaurant Week

Port City Taste, Wilmington's fall restaurant week, wraps up Sunday, Oct. 11. Eleven local spots are serving special prix-fixe menus from $20 to $50. No coupons or tickets needed: just walk in and ask for the restaurant week menu.

  • Downtown: The Dough House, The Little Dipper, Nil's Mediterranean, Ruth's Chris, Yosake

  • Midtown: Pie's On

  • Wrightsville Beach: Brasserie du Soleil

  • North Wilmington & Leland: Bridgewater Wines + Dines, Cornelia's, Coquina Fishbar

  • Hampstead: Nineteen at Olde Point Country Club

Want to get your business in front of 9,000 Wilmington locals? Let's talk.

What's Happenin' in Wilmington 👀

Thursday, Oct 8

  • 🪕 Trampled By Turtles: Greenfield Lake Amphitheater, 6pm. The Minnesota bluegrass quintet known for blistering tempos and great songwriting.

  • NC Symphony: Mendelssohn Violin Concerto: CFCC Wilson Center, 7:30pm. One of the most beloved violin concertos ever written, plus an evening of orchestral favorites.

  • Pitch-A-Friend Singles Night: The Eagle's Dare, 7–10pm. Bring a single friend and make the case for why someone should date them.

Friday, Oct 9

  • 🎃 Wilmington Fall Fest: Maides Park, 1101 Manly Ave., 5–8pm, free. Fall treats, music, games, hayrides, bounce houses, and 40+ vendors. It's also a chance to weigh in on the new Lions Bridge design.

  • 🎬 First Cut Horror Film Festival: Friday–Sunday. The 3rd annual fest for horror, macabre, and indie cinema kicks off with a public launch party at Waterline Brewing (7–10pm, $10 suggested), with screenings Saturday at Jengo's Playhouse.

  • Live and Let Die: The Music of Paul McCartney: Thalian Hall, 7:30pm. Beatlemania veteran Tony Kishman leads a full multimedia tribute to Sir Paul.

  • Whitney Cummings: CFCC Wilson Center, 7pm. The Emmy-nominated comedian and 2 Broke Girls co-creator brings her Big Baby tour.

  • ⛳ Halloween Scramble: Backspin Social, arrive by 6pm, tee off 6:30pm, $25/player (cash). A Halloween 10-hole scramble for Backspin's 3rd birthday — costumes encouraged.

  • Sophie Buddle: Dead Crow Comedy Room, 7pm & 9:30pm. Head monologue writer for After Midnight. Also Saturday.

Saturday, Oct 10

  • 🚗 Pistons & Pints: Waterline Brewing, 11am–5pm. Vintage car show, craft beer, food trucks, a vintage clothing market, and Mark Sinnis live from 3–5pm.

  • 🌲 Fire in the Pines: Halyburton Park, 10am–3pm. A family festival celebrating the longleaf pine, with hands-on activities and entertainment.

  • 🍂 DrumTrout Fall Festival: DrumTrout Brewing, all day, with a vendor market from 2–6pm and food trucks Gustu Peruano (1–4pm) and Wasabi Wheels (5–8pm).

  • 🎉 Modern Legend Turns 10: Yacht Club, 9pm, no cover, 21+. Downtown's favorite shop for local gifts celebrates a decade with drinks, dancing, and music.

  • Jordan Klepper: CFCC Wilson Center, 8pm. The Daily Show correspondent does stand-up.

  • Velvetina's Blue Moon "Hex Appeal" Burlesque: The Eagle's Dare, 9pm. A spooky-season burlesque revue.

Sunday, Oct 11

  • Indigo Girls: CFCC Wilson Center, 7pm. Emily Saliers and Amy Ray celebrate 35+ years of "Closer to Fine," joined by Linda Perry of 4 Non Blondes.

  • 🚒 Touch-A-Truck: The Pointe at Barclay, 10am–2pm, $5 ($20 family pack). The Junior League's 18th annual — kids climb into trucks and meet the people who drive them. The last hour (1–2pm) is horn-free for sensory needs. Rain or shine.

  • 🐈 Pumpkins & Purrs: Castle Street District, noon–4pm, free. The street closes for vendors, fall fun, and adoptable kitties from All4Cats.

  • 🔮 Crystals + Mystics Festival: Waterline Brewing, noon–4pm, free. Crystals, handmade jewelry, intuitive readers, and local makers.

  • 🐕 Zoomies for a Cause 5K + 1-Mile Walk: Long Leaf Park, walk 12:30pm, 5K 1pm. Bring your dog — proceeds fund service dogs for veterans.

  • Barricade Boys: Broadway Party: Thalian Hall, 2pm. West End vocal group singing Broadway from every era.

Will you be attending any of these events?

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Featured Deal of the Week

Coquina Fishbar: $1.50 oysters every Sunday in October.
Seabird: $1 oysters every Monday during happy hour, 5–6pm in October.

It's officially oyster season — plan accordingly.

Live Music 🎸 

Thursday

Friday

Saturday

Sunday

Food Trucks🚛 

REVIVAL ROADSIDE
October 8 | Pender County Food Truck Rodeo | 11am–3pm
October 11 | Triangle Lounge | 12pm–3pm

CHEF DRIVEN
October 8 | DrumTrout Brewing Co. | 5:30pm–8:30pm
October 9 | Mad Mole Brewing | 5pm–8pm

WASABI WHEELS
October 8 | Broomtail Craft Brewing | 5pm–7:30pm
October 9 | Freya's Haus | 6pm–9pm
October 10 | DrumTrout Brewing Co. | 5pm–8pm

WELL-FED ED
October 8 | Flytrap Brewing | 5pm–8pm

2 BROS COASTAL CUISINE
October 9 | DrumTrout Brewing Co. | 5pm–8pm

GUSTU PERUANO
October 10 | DrumTrout Brewing Co. | 1pm–4pm

Truck schedules can change — check their socials before you head out.

Wilmington News and Updates

⛽️ NC's gas tax could hit zero through November:

Last week we asked which Cape Fear Memorial Bridge replacement you prefer, and it was close. Alternative B, a fixed high-rise bridge at 135 feet, edged ahead with 10 of 19 votes (52.6%). That leaves 9 votes (47.4%) for Alternative A, a new movable span that lifts 65–135 feet and stops traffic while boats pass. The trade-off is simple: B keeps cars moving all the time, and A keeps the drawbridge look that's part of the downtown skyline. NCDOT expects to pick one by the end of the year. Got a take? Hit reply and tell us.

$5 Saturday parking downtown: Through Dec. 26, the Market Street and 2nd Street parking decks are a flat $5 on Saturdays, and the first hour is still free. It's meant to get people lingering downtown at restaurants, shops, and the Riverwalk. Read more for the details.

South Front Street is getting a major makeover: NCDOT's $31.6 million project will widen South Front Street (the US-421 truck route) from two lanes to four with a median, add a 10-foot multi-use path, redesign the Burnett Boulevard / Carolina Beach Road intersection, and move the rail line to the west side of the road, cutting two railroad crossings down to one. Construction is slated for 2029. NCDOT still takes comments by email at [email protected]. See the project page for maps and updates.

Publix is coming to Porters Neck: The grocer signed a lease for a 50,325-square-foot store at the Shoppes at Blake Farms (US-17 and Scotts Hill Loop Road), bringing about 140 jobs. No opening date yet. Read more for the details.

A tiny Pender town is the first in NC to ban license-plate cameras: Atkinson (pop. about 485) voted unanimously to ban automated license plate readers after finding a Flock camera had been installed in town without the council's knowledge. Read more for why.

Amazon makes its new fulfillment center official: The 3.2-million-square-foot facility at Pender Commerce Park on US-421 cut the ribbon this week. It employs about 1,000 people and handles roughly a million items a day. Jobs are posted at amazondelivers.jobs. Read more for the details.

No more registration stickers: As of Oct. 1, NC drivers no longer get plate stickers or automatically printed registration cards. You'll get a receipt with a link to download your card instead, and you can still get a printed one at a tag office. Read more for how it works.

Looking Ahead

Burgaw Autumn Fest — Sat, Oct 17 at Pender County Courthouse Square Live music from Shannon Baker & Sometime Soon and Dear Maribella & the Pigkickers, plus a 5K and family activities. Free.

Walker World Spooky Fest — Fri, Oct 24 at Walker World, Castle Hayne Food trucks, live music, yoga, drum circle.

Weather 🌡️ 

Friday
68🌡️80 | ☁️4% | 💨NNE 8 mph
Saturday
65🌡️77 | ☁️31% | 💨ENE 14 mph
Sunday
72🌡️73 | 🌧️62% | 💨ESE 17 mph
Monday
72🌡️84 | ⛈️53% | 💨WSW 10 mph

🌊🌡️ Ocean temperature = 77°F

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