What’s Happening: November 28-30th

There are quite a few things to do this weekend that will help you work off that turkey, and put you in the holiday spirit at the same time.

It is a festive holiday weekend. The season kicks off in full swing Friday night with the downtown Wilmington holiday tree lighting. The fun begins at 6:00 p.m. About twenty five minutes later, Mayor Bill Saffo will flip the switch to officially light the tree. You want to make sure you also stick around for Santa.

It is a big holiday celebration by the sea this weekend. The Holiday Flotilla kicks off with a tree lighting ceremony at Wrightsville Beach Town Hall, which begins at 5:45 p.m. It also includes a visit from Saint Nick, as well as a meet-and-greet with Ms. North Carolina. Following that, it is the Holiday Flotilla Party at the Blockade Runner. Tickets are $35. It runs from 7:00 p.m. until midnight.

On Saturday, it’s the Flotilla Festival in the Park with arts and crafts and fun for the kids. That runs from 10:00 a.m. until 4:00 p.m. After that, grab your spot for the boat parade. It starts at 6:00 p.m., followed by fireworks.

On Friday night, if you live closer to Pender County, check out the Holiday Boat Flotilla on Topsail Island. Boats begin lining up at Channel Bend at 5:00 p.m. Starting at 6:00 p.m., lighted boats will travel down the waterway. It ends at 7:00 p.m.

And who can forget that today is Black Friday? If you are planning to shop until you drop you are already late!

Kohl’s opened at 4:00 a.m. Independence Mall, Best Buy, Circuit City and Toys R’ Us all opened at 5:00 a.m. At Mayfaire Town Center the stores set their own hours, but Belk opened at 5:00 a.m. Other stores began opening at 6:00 a.m.

You can always find out what’s happening by going to our Community Calendar page.