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Wilmington can be a pretty boozy town.
But a Wilmington festival this weekend will look to do something kind of rare when it celebrates creativity, connection, performance, storytelling and recovery, all without an assist from (or the hindrance of) alcohol.
The free, two-day Hope Art Fest presented by Wilmington's Mouths of Babes (MoB) theater company, the Cucalorus Film Festival and Hope Recovery runs Sept. 19–20.
Day one starts 4 p.m. Saturday with a movement workshop by Wilmington dancer and choreographer Karola Lüttringhaus at Hope Recovery Community Center, 3404 Winston
Blvd., followed by an open-air market running 5:30-7:30 p.m.
MoB Theatre performs at 6 p.m., followed by a community bonfire with live music from Wilmington singer Julia Rothenberger of the band Lady Die.
The festival's "Sober Sunday" features a 5 p.m. screening of Wilmington-shot film "28 Days," starring Sandra Bullock as an alcoholic in recovery, at Jengo's Playhouse on Princess Street. Tickets are $10, and a discussion will follow the screening.
Read on to see what else is going down in the Wilmington area this weekend.
Weekend weather outlook
The last weekend of Wilmington summer is not messing around. High near 90 on Friday, mid-to-upper 80s Saturday and Sunday. Better than 50-50 chance of rain and storms Saturday and Sunday as well.
Go | See | Do
From a bawdy, puppet-powered musical and a touring Netflix comic to a ton of live music and a range of festivals, there's a ton going on in Wilmington this weekend. Link to full list below.
The Dish with Port City Foodies
A new restaurant will bring NYC-style halal food to a classic Wilmington space. Plus, community and comfort food at a reopened country store in Pender County.
Getting to know 'One Tree Hill'
It's "One Tree Hill" weekend in Wilmington, with a reunion/convention of the locally shot show on deck. OTH premiered 23 years ago in 2003, and we've got 23 area locations used or inspired by the show that every fan should visit.
News you can use
A Wilmington-shot ABC series premiered its second season this week, we've got a look at what went down. Plus, a locally shot movie premieres internationally and prepares to screen locally, and we review an epic concert by influential alt-rock band the Pixies, their first-ever show in Wilmington.
The socials
Don't miss another food or entertainment story. Follow us on Facebook at Facebook.com/StarNewsMedia.
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John Staton is the arts and culture reporter at the StarNews. You can reach him at jstaton@usatodayco.com.
This article originally appeared on Wilmington StarNews: A Wilmington festival celebrates going booze-free this weekend
