City of Wilmington hosts 77th annual Azalea Parade

WILMINGTON, NC (WWAY)– The 77th annual Azalea Festival Parade strolled the streets of Downtown Wilmington on Saturday.  

Wilmington’s largest parade saw thousands of people lining the streets, and thousands more visiting the city for the festival. 

WWAY’s very own Matt Bennett and Hannah Patrick were the parade’s emcees. Some of notable appearances in the parade include Miss North Carolina, local first responders, and the return of Elmo and Nemo to the parade. 

Wilmington Resident, Shelby Wells, says she hasn’t attended the parade in a few years, but came this year with her mom to see her brother play in the parade with the Laney High School Band. 

“It’s really cool, like growing up here and being from here. This has always been a huge thing so it’s really fun to come be a part of it. It’s just like a fun weekend,” said Wells.   

Still no official estimates on how many people visited the Port City this weekend, though the festival’s President, Andrew Nettleman, told WWAY they projected around a quarter of a million people to attend the festivities.