Things to do › Beaches and Coast
Events and state parks on the North Carolina coast and the Outer Banks, with each park’s pet and day-use rules.
33 upcoming events on our calendar are on the coast and the Outer Banks, in 8 towns, and 5 state parks sit in the coast region. The parks table shows each park’s pet rule and day-use cost; swim beaches and ferries often have their own rules.
Events come from our North Carolina events dataset (last re-checked Oct 21, 2026); each date and price was read on the organizer’s own page, and “See event page” means the organizer does not publish one. State park facts come from our state park dataset (last checked Oct 27, 2026), read on each park’s own ncparks.gov page. Plans and rules change, so check the organizer or park page before you drive.
Coast State Parks
| Park | Where | Day Use |
|---|---|---|
| Carolina Beach State Park Official page | Carolina Beach, New Hanover County · Coast | Free day use |
| Fort Fisher State Recreation Area Official page | Kure Beach, New Hanover County · Coast | Free day use |
| Fort Macon State Park Official page | Atlantic Beach, Carteret County · Coast | Free day use |
| Hammocks Beach State Park Official page | Swansboro, Onslow County · Coast | Free day use |
| Jockey's Ridge State Park Official page | Nags Head, Dare County · Coast | Free day use |
Coast Events With Dates
| Event | When | Where | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| Indigo Girls with Linda Perry (Wilson Center) | Thu, Oct 29: 7:00 PM (doors 6:00 PM) | Wilmington · Coast | See event page |
| Abbamania (Thalian Hall) | Thu, Nov 5 (7:30 PM) | Wilmington · Coast | See event page |
| The Electric Light Orchestra Experience with Wilmington Symphony Orchestra strings (Wilson Center) | Fri, Nov 6: 7:30 PM (doors 6:30 PM) | Wilmington · Coast | See event page |
| TowneBank Outer Banks Marathon and Half Marathon weekend (Outer Banks Sporting Events) | Nov 6-8 | Outer Banks · Coast | See event page |
| Monty Python's Spamalot (Wilson Center, PNC Broadway and the Beach) | Nov 7-8 | Wilmington · Coast | See event page |
| Marty Stuart and His Fabulous Superlatives (Wilson Center) | Fri, Nov 13: 7:30 PM (doors 6:30 PM) | Wilmington · Coast | See event page |
| The Drifters (Thalian Hall) | Sat, Nov 14 (7:30 PM) | Wilmington · Coast | See event page |
| Blade Runner Live: film with live orchestra (Wilson Center) | Sun, Nov 15: 6:30 PM (doors 5:30 PM) | Wilmington · Coast | See event page |
| UNCW Seahawks Live Oak Bank Holiday Classic (Trask Coliseum) | Nov 25-28 | Wilmington · Coast | See event page |
| North Carolina Holiday Flotilla at Wrightsville Beach Our guide | Nov 27-29 | Wrightsville Beach · Coast | See event page |
| Dowdy Park Tree Lighting | Sat, Nov 28 (5:00-7:00 PM; Santa arrives 5:30 PM) | Nags Head · Coast | Free (town says its events are free) |
| Very Merry Christmas (Opera House Theatre Company) (Thalian Hall) | Nov 28-29 (times not published on the listing) | Wilmington · Coast | See event page |
| City of Wilmington Holiday Parade | Sun, Nov 29 (6:00-8:00 PM; Front St closed 5:00-7:15 PM) | Wilmington · Coast | Free |
| Celtic Angels (Thalian Hall) | Mon, Nov 30 (4:00 PM and 7:30 PM) | Wilmington · Coast | See event page |
| Rhythm Street Movement's Who Brought the Humbug? (Thalian Hall) | Tue, Dec 1 (4:00 PM and 7:30 PM) | Wilmington · Coast | See event page |
| Ballet for Young Audiences: The Nutcracker (Thalian Hall) | Dec 4-5 (showtimes not published on the page) | Wilmington · Coast | See event page |
| Oak Island Christmas Tree Lighting (Middleton Park Complex) | Fri, Dec 4 (5:00 PM-7:00 PM) | Oak Island · Coast | Free |
| Battleship Alive! (Battleship NORTH CAROLINA) | Sat, Dec 5 (8 AM-5 PM) | Wilmington · Coast | See event page |
| Jacob Marley's Christmas Carol (Big Dawg Theatre Company) (Thalian Hall) | Dec 10-20 (times not published on the listing) | Wilmington · Coast | See event page |
| Miracle on 34th Street The Musical (Thalian Association Community Theatre) (Thalian Hall) | Dec 11-20 | Wilmington · Coast | See event page |
| Dowdy Park Candy Cane Hunt | Wed, Dec 16 (5:00 PM) | Nags Head · Coast | Free (town says its events are free) |
| New Year's Eve Gala 2026 (Thalian Hall) | Thu, Dec 31 | Wilmington · Coast | See event page |
| Pirates of Penzance (NYGASP) (Thalian Hall) | Sun, Jan 24 (3:00 PM) | Wilmington · Coast | See event page |
| Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat (Thalian Association Community Theatre) (Thalian Hall) | Feb 5-14 (times not published on the listing) | Wilmington · Coast | See event page |
| The Wiz (Wilson Center, PNC Broadway and the Beach) | Feb 6-7 (Show times not published) | Wilmington · Coast | See event page |
| Twitty & Lynn (Thalian Hall) | Sat, Mar 6 (7:30 PM) | Wilmington · Coast | See event page |
| WHITNEY: One Moment in Time (Thalian Hall) | Fri, Mar 12: 7:30 PM (90-minute show per the page) | Wilmington · Coast | See event page |
Coast Events Running for Weeks
Not checked for each date: these run for weeks, and some open only on certain days or nights. Check the organizer’s page for the day you want.
| Event | When | Where | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| Beach Scavenger Hunt (Fort Macon State Park) | Oct 24-Feb 15, 2027: 10:00 AM (state parks list); detail page shows 10-11 AM | Atlantic Beach · Coast | See event page |
| Fort Macon free daily guided tour | Oct 24-Apr 14, 2027 (Daily 1:00 PM, about 45 minutes, mid-Oct to mid-April) | Atlantic Beach · Coast | Free |
| NC Aquarium at Pine Knoll Shores | Oct 24-Mar 31, 2027 (Daily 9 AM-5 PM) | Pine Knoll Shores · Coast | See event page |
| NC Aquarium on Roanoke Island | Oct 24-Mar 31, 2027 | Manteo · Coast | See event page |
| UNCW Seahawks men's basketball home games (Trask Coliseum) | Nov 2-Mar 2, 2027 | Wilmington · Coast | See event page |
| Dowdy Park Holiday Markets | Nov 14-Dec 12 (Saturdays Nov 14, Nov 28, Dec 12, 9 AM-12 PM) | Nags Head · Coast | Free (town says its events are free and family-friendly) |
Keep Planning
- By month: October, November, December, January, February, March
- Regional event hubs: Coast
- By day: Today, Tomorrow, This Weekend, Next Week, By Month
- Things to do on the Outer Banks
- Things to do in Wilmington
More Topic Guides
Map of Coast Places
Frequently Asked Questions
Are dogs allowed on state park beaches?
Rules differ. Several parks allow pets in the park but not on the swim beach, and the table quotes each park’s own wording. Town beaches have their own rules we have not collected yet.
Where are the coast events?
In the tables below, and our Coast hub lists the same region by month.
Do you cover beach conditions or rip currents?
No. Use the National Weather Service and the park or town for conditions.
Sources
- Each event links to the organizer’s own page, where its date, hours and price were read; all rows are in the North Carolina events dataset with a checked date on every row.
- Park facts (hours, day-use cost, pet rule) were read on each park’s own ncparks.gov page; all rows are in the North Carolina state parks dataset.
How we check: editorial standards, verification log, corrections.
Cite this page: It's North Carolina, “Beaches and Coast”, itsnorthcarolina.com/things-to-do/beaches-and-coast/ (updated ). By the It's North Carolina editorial team. Free to quote with attribution and a link to this page; data and tables are licensed CC BY 4.0.