05/05/2026
The beloved Orange Street ArtsFest (OSAF) returns Memorial Day weekend—Saturday, May 23 from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. and Sunday, May 24 from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. This celebrated street
fair spans Orange Street between Front and Second Streets, continues along Second Street to Dock Street, and extends inside the Hannah Block Historic USO/Community Arts Center.
One of the largest arts festivals in Downtown Wilmington, OSAF will feature more than 80 artists showcasing a wide variety of work, including oil and watercolor paintings, photography, pottery, jewelry, metalwork, and textile and paper arts.
The 30th Annual Orange Street ArtsFest is presented by Thalian Association Community Theatre and Sunrise Broadcasting, and sponsored by the City of Wilmington, WDI and Bring It
Downtown, WWAY, and WHQR.
This year’s festival will be juried by award-winning artist Benjamin Billingsley. He holds an MFA from UNC Greensboro and has exhibited internationally in the United States, Latvia, Estonia, Russia, and Japan. A longtime educator, Billingsley taught studio art and art history at Cape Fear Community College from 2001 to 2026 and received the Marilyn Goodman Anderson Endowed Award for Excellence in Teaching in 2006. He currently serves as Associate Curator at the Cameron Art Museum, where he has curated exhibitions including From Mountains to Sea and The Game Changers: Diebenkorn, Frankenthaler, and Rauschenberg. He has
also judged numerous prestigious regional exhibitions, including the Wilmington Art Association’s 2021 Azalea Festival Spring Show, Orange Street ArtsFest, the Thalian Association’s ARTfall Show and Sale, and the 2026 Craven Arts Council National Juried Exhibition.
Awards will be presented for 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place, along with four Judges Awards, with total cash prizes of $550.
Festivalgoers can enjoy a variety of food vendors, including Hot Diggity Dog, Carolina Whip, Groovy Whiskers Coffee, and North Carolina Sweet Tea. The festival proudly highlights emerging talent, including student artists from Cape Fear Community College’s
Fine Arts and Visual Arts programs. Featured artist Aubrey Andrews, a Wilmington-based potter, creates functional ceramic pieces inspired by coastal landscapes. Her work reflects natural textures and forms developed through hands-on studio experience and community involvement. In addition, printmaking students
Ava Hardin, Rook Hartzler, and Kaili Pack will have work available for purchase.
New this year, an interactive artist tent led by internationally recognized fine artist and children’s book illustrator Cammeron Batanides will highlight a diverse collection of work for display and sale, including paintings, jewelry, prints, mosaics, and wire sculptures. Navy veteran and acclaimed portrait artist Zerick Jones will also be on site creating caricatures for festival guests.
Inside the Community Arts Center, visitors are invited to explore World War II exhibits in the historic USO building, including memorials honoring Wilmington’s two Medal of Honor recipients.
Orange Street ArtsFest was launched in 1995 by Thalian Association Community Theatre to promote the arts in Wilmington and the Community Arts Center (CAC), located in the historic USO building. The Thalian Association has managed the CAC for the City of Wilmington since 1994. The 84-year-old landmark—long
recognized as a hub for visual and performing arts—was fully renovated in 2008 and is now known as the Hannah Block Historic USO/Community Arts Center. For more information, visit
www.wilmingtoncommunityarts.org.
