When does a Wrightsville Beach year actually end? By the town's own calendar, it ends on Monday, December 7, at a softball field off Causeway Drive, when the farmers' market closes out its season at 1 p.m.
Between now and then, the island's fall events sit at a few addresses that are close together, plus one parade route that follows the island's channels. The market, Town Hall and the parks department share one stretch of Causeway Drive. The biggest event of the season goes through Motts Channel and down Banks Channel. And most of the calendar lands in one weekend, the one right after Thanksgiving.
The Market Moved, But Not Far
For years, the Wrightsville Beach Farmers' Market set up next to Town Hall off Causeway Drive. WWAY still placed it there in May 2024. This season it moved to the Wrightsville Beach Park Softball Field. It opened there on Monday, May 4, and it runs every Monday from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. through December 7, with free parking next to Causeway Drive.
Neither the town nor local coverage has said why it moved. On the map, though, the change is small. The visitors bureau lists the market under Wrightsville Beach Parks & Recreation at 321 Causeway Drive, and WECT used that same address for the municipal grounds back when the market sat beside Town Hall. The market moved within the same town campus.
The visitors bureau calls it the only farmers' market on the island. Along with produce, it carries cut flowers, plants and craft vendors. On opening day this year, WWAY talked with plant grower Bill Bostic and with Kevin Spears, a farmer from Willard who grows lettuce, potatoes, kale and onions. As of this writing, the town has announced no special holiday market dates, so the last Mondays of the season run on the usual schedule.
The same campus has already hosted part of this fall. The 31st annual Bark in the Park, a free canine disc event, was set for October 3 at 11 a.m. at Wrightsville Beach Parks & Recreation, with a rain date the following day.
One Night Under a Tent on Marina Street
The Taste of Wrightsville Beach returns Saturday, November 14, from 5 to 8 p.m. It takes place under a tent in the Bluewater Waterfront Grill parking lot at 4 Marina St. WWAY reports plans for more than 35 tasting booths, and the event benefits Weekend Meals on Wheels.
That fits the season's pattern of local events raising money for local causes. On September 6, the Fins Up Festival at Wrightsville Beach Brewery raised money for Mobi-Mats, which help beachgoers with limited mobility cross the sand, and for local college scholarships. WECT's report did not say when or where the mats will be installed.
A few new tables near the island have also opened since summer. Red Cat Sushi opened above Shark Bar & Kitchen at 13 E. Salisbury St., according to a StarNews roundup in July. On the mainland side, the owners of Big Thai at 1319 Military Cutoff Road renovated and renamed their space. It reopened in September as Chang Thai in the Landfall Shopping Center.
The Friday After Thanksgiving Is Booked Solid
Thanksgiving falls on November 26 this year. The following Friday and Saturday hold most of the season. Here is the schedule from the town's tree lighting listing and the NC Holiday Flotilla organizers:
| Day | Time | Event | Where |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fri., Nov. 27 | 5:30 p.m. | Tree Lighting: Elf Patrol | Wrightsville Beach Town Hall |
| Fri., Nov. 27 | 5:30 p.m. | Flotilla Captains' Meeting | Organizer venue |
| Fri., Nov. 27 | 5:45 p.m. | Tree Lighting: Santa arrives | Town Hall |
| Fri., Nov. 27 | 6:00 p.m. | Wilmington Celebration Choir | Town Hall |
| Fri., Nov. 27 | 7:00 p.m. | Flotilla kickoff party | Organizer venue |
| Sat., Nov. 28 | 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. | Day in the Park festival | Town park |
| Sat., Nov. 28 | 5:00 p.m. | Sponsor Viewing Tent opens | Not yet announced |
| Sat., Nov. 28 | 5:00 p.m. | Boats line up | ICW north of the drawbridge |
| Sat., Nov. 28 | 6:00 p.m. | Boat parade, then fireworks | Motts and Banks channels |
| Sun., Nov. 29 | 10:00 a.m. | Awards ceremony | Organizer venue |
The Elf Patrol at Town Hall and the flotilla Captains' Meeting are both listed for 5:30 p.m. Friday. Anyone involved in both will need to plan around that. The 2026 schedule also differs from 2024 in two small ways. The Captains' Meeting is half an hour earlier than StarNews listed it in 2024, and Sunday morning is now an awards ceremony instead of the captains' breakfast.
The organizers' 2026 sponsor booklet says Saturday's festival will be held "in the town park," but it does not name the park or give an address. Check the organizers' site closer to the date before you settle on a meeting spot.
Following the Parade Down the Channels
Most event roundups list the flotilla as a 6 p.m. parade. The official 2026 boat entry form gives the actual route:
- Boats stage on the Intracoastal Waterway north of the Wrightsville Beach drawbridge, and lineup starts at 5 p.m.
- At 6 p.m., the fleet heads south on the ICW and passes under the drawbridge.
- The boats turn east through Motts Channel.
- They turn north into Banks Channel, then run its full length to the Coast Guard Station near Masonboro Inlet.
- Once past the Coast Guard Station, boats turn off through Shinn Creek or dim their parade lights.
The organizers say the route takes about 55 minutes. Boats must travel at a steady no-wake speed, with no spins or turns, and stay within 200 feet of the boat ahead. Those rules make it a slow, evenly spaced line of lit boats. It does not put on a single show at one spot. Instead it passes along the island's sound side for close to an hour, from the drawbridge to the inlet.
The judges' reviewing stand is at Atlantic Marine Marina, where captains are asked to pass within 100 feet without stopping. The 2026 materials do not include an official list of public viewing spots or a traffic and parking plan. The route and the judges' stand are the fixed points that are known.
The entry form includes a few more details for anyone who knows a captain or plans to enter. Instructions go out on VHF Channel 68. People's Choice text votes sent before 6 p.m. don't count. The organizers no longer supply boat numbers. No boat may repeat a theme it has used in a prior year. Prizes listed this year include $1,500 for Best Costumes and Crew Spirit and $1,500 for Judges' Choice. The entry rules also tell boats that fireworks of any kind are prohibited by law, so the boats themselves set off no fireworks during the parade.
Ten More Mondays
From the first Monday in October, the season looks like this. The farmers' market runs on the softball field every Monday until December 7. The Taste fills the Bluewater lot on November 14. The tree lighting at Town Hall shares a Friday evening with the flotilla captains. On Saturday the 28th, the parade runs from the drawbridge down Banks Channel to the Coast Guard Station. The market's December 7 closing is the Monday after flotilla weekend, so the season's last event is back on Causeway Drive.
That leaves ten more Mondays at the market, from tomorrow, October 5, through December 7. Of all the island's fall events, it has the most dates left.
If the flotilla route, the Causeway Drive calendar or the walk to Banks Channel figures into what you want from a home on the island, Neil Leonard is happy to talk through how those details look from different streets and docks. Let's Connect.
