Wilmington outsiders may describe our food scene as “up-and-coming,” but for locals we feel it already arrived. Wilmington is home to restaurants from four James Beard nominated chefs and the community is often ranked on national Best lists for restaurants. Finally we have a festival that helps show off this exceptional food scene to visitors, and allows locals celebrate it!
Here is our guide for how to enjoy a full lineup at Feast Wilmington 2025!
Find your event:
There are three main events at this year’s festival, with more experiences peppered in between. There are tickets for each individual event, or a Weekend Pass to join in on all three.
Craft+Cuisine
Craft +Cuisine is set for Saturday, March 29 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. At this event, 20 local breweries will team up with 20 talented local chefs to create fun pairings for you to enjoy. According to the Feast Wilmington website, you can expect ribeye tacos from Beat Street, a cheesesteak pizza from Benny’s Big Time Pizzeria, crab rangoon grilled cheese from CheeseSmith and so many more.
Pier Party
Pier Party will take place that night (Saturday, March 29) from 6 to 9 p.m. This event will feature drinks, cuisine and live entertainment all along the Cape Fear River. Covey is plating up braised beef short rib with confit egg yolk jam, sweet pepper kosho + toasted seeds. Dough House Pizza Co. is on the menu for a carmelized onion and roasted tomato panini served with brûlée cheese foam. There will be lobster rolls, barbecue sliders, olive oil ice cream from Boombalattis, wild mussels from James Beard-nominated Olivero chefs and more. So far there are 28 different items on the menu to try.
Brunch Elevated
The final is event is an Elevated Brunch, Sunday, March 30 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. This Feast Wilmington event will feature elevated brunch bites, mocktails, cocktails and gourmet coffee concoctions, plus live music. A Chori-eggcelente arepa from Bonita Latin Fusion and a Benne Seed Stickey Bun French Toast from Beach Shop Grill all caught our eye! There are more than 20 amazing dishes listed on the menu!
Find an experience
This year Feast Wilmington is hosting what it calls “curated, immersive experiences.”
There are currently six experiences, from a six-course farm-to-table dinner with cocktail pairings for each course at End of Days Distillery, am omakase-style culinary tour of pizzas from New York to Detroit to Chicago at Benny’s Big Time Pizzeria, and a barbecue tailgate at Starling Bar. Check here for more information about the experiences — they all sound amazing. I may have FOMO for any I can’t make it to.
Where to park, stay and what to see
If you are visiting from out of town we highly recommend Arrive Hotels and WilmingtonVacationHomes.com rentals. Here we have a list of some of our favorite downtown rentals.
Parking is available close to the event PPD parking deck (now the Skyline Center deck) at 155 Brunswick St. For a map of other parking options, check out this map.
What to see? Well we LOVE Airlie Gardens this time of year. Spring is the most sensational time to see Azaleas, tulips and more in bloom across this amazing garden space. We also love to stop by Wrightsville Beach or Carolina Beach during the spring, although it can be very breezy.
For more ideas, I share each week about the Wilmington Community. Check here for places to explore, eat and play.
