Music Everywhere

From Beaches To Historic Downtown

No self-respecting city situated between a river and sandy beaches would be complete without music and nightlife, and Wilmington has more than its share of both to offer. For the most part, music and nightlife in the downtown area are intertwined. Restaurants, bars, lounges, cafés, clubs and theaters offer a wide variety of musical genres including cool and smooth jazz, rompin’ stompin’ blues, rock, Hawaiian, country and western, indie rock, Caribbean and pretty much everything else.

Wilmington Symphony Orchestra

For those with more serious musical interests, UNCW’s Kenan Auditorium and Cultural Arts building host the Wilmington Symphony Orchestra, operatic productions, the Wilmington Symphony Youth Orchestra and the North Carolina Symphony plus a variety of nationally touring groups brought in by the Wilmington Concert Association. The UNCW Department of Music's 280-seat Recital Hall is a state-of-the-art facility where Chamber Music Wilmington makes its home, bringing to campus a wide variety of world-class chamber musicians.

Downtown, thousands of college students from UNCW and Cape Fear Community College descend on the central city music scene with regularity and frequency, fueling the tremendous popularity of live music. Coupled with the tourists and regular residents, it makes for a lively situation. On-street parking places can be harder to find in the evening than in the daytime, but several conveniently located downtown parking decks and lots are available 24 hours a day.