GOOD TIMES IN THE B.A.D.: Alt-Zalea Fest brings a diverse mix of music to the downtown district
- Delia Stanley
- 2 days ago
- 3 min read
The annual North Carolina Azalea Festival comes into town this weekend, bringing mixed reactions from Wilmington residents. While some enjoy the festivities, others steer clear of crowds and traffic, asserting that the large celebration has lost its connection to the local community. Nearly a decade ago, a grassroots, volunteer-run festival arose to counter the corporate feel of Azalea Festival and highlight local businesses and performers. Designed as an alternative for locals who wanted to avoid the tourists and support their neighborhood, the concept was dubbed “Alt-Zalea Fest.”
“The original Azalea Festival started as a local fest and supported regional talent but grew over the years and it's gotten huge—the musical acts get bigger and bigger and are from out of state,” says Justin Heter Pan, musician and member of Wilmington jam band favorites, Dubtown Cosmonauts. “I think Alt-Zalea Fest is a great way to not only showcase local talent and the unique Wilmington scene we have that's thriving, but it also gets folks out downtown and talking and supporting businesses and spending their money on the local community.”
Heter will perform solo at noon on Saturday, April 11 at Commodore Public House and Kitchen, one of 10 local businesses hosting performers.
Started by Allister Snyder of the now closed Detour Deli, Alt-Zalea Fest was carefully cultivated and grown under the organization of Anna Mann over the last several years. This year, Tara English, owner of the B.A.D. coffee spot known for their homemade beignets, Brooklyn Cafe, has stepped into that organizational role, but she's no newbie. In her eighth year of involvement, English says the 2026 Alt-Zalea Fest will feature nearly 60 local performers across 10 Brooklyn Arts District locations.
“We have an easy path of almost 10 blocks to provide accessibly and opportunities,” English explains of why the Brooklyn Arts District continues to be an ideal location for the multi-venue festival. “We are proud to be the continued host of Wilmington’s most treasured musical showcase, and many many thanks to Anna Mann for trusting us to continue this year.”
No matter what type of music you are looking for, you are bound to find it at Alt-Zalea Fest, from singer-songwriters to hip hop, rock to punk, and experimental performances.
“We have a special community of such talented musicians and we love that we get to showcase almost 60 artists this year,” says English. “It was an organizational challenge to make sure that everyone gets their stage time and that we have a variety of music at each venue.”
“Wilmington’s music scenes are diverse but separate for the most part,” explains Sean Calamity, alias for one of the members of local punk band The Explainers. “Our punk and metal scene is only consistently featured on a small number of stages like Reggie’s, Barzarre, TapYard, Crofton’s Pretzels, Dram Tree Tavern and Pour Fella’s Pub. Alt-Zalea lets us share the stage with diverse artists and reach listeners who might have a stack of Ramones CDs gathering dust, or young people excited by the raw energy and expression of live local punk rock. Either way it’s a blast and we love it!”
The Explainers play their brand of local punk rock, consisting of “a 60/40 mix of political satire songs and ones based on memes, food fetishes, horror movies, and local peccadillos” at The Eagle's Dare at 5 p.m.
Though diverse in musical offerings, the creatives of Alt-Zalea Fest share the core value of community, often visiting the other venues to see friends and new music themselves after their performances and getting inspired by their peers participating in the hyper-local showcase crawl.
“To have the opportunity to share our art and our authentic selves and appreciate the art of so many others is truly a gift,” says Dr. Megan Magpie Rose, harmoniumist and vocalist for Chalice of Light. This will be Rose’s third year playing Alt-Zalea Fest, performing a meditative mix of music at noon at Flytrap Brewing. “It is a beautiful day of creation, connection and celebration.”
The Brooklyn Arts District hosts the genre and venue spanning Alt-Zalea Fest on Saturday, April 11 with music starting at noon across all locations.
Follow @encoreILM for Alt-Zalea Fest photos that we snag this weekend!
