Two grand theaters on Wilmington's Market Street host national touring acts and local music showcases almost every night of the week.

The stage of the historic Grand Opera House, a landmark in Wilmington for more than 135 years, has hosted Ethel Barrymore, Buffalo Bill Cody, John Philip Sousa ... and, in more recent years, everyone from the White Stripes to Willie Nelson to Wilco. A few blocks down, a recent $25 million preservation/renovation effort resurrected the majestic Queen theater and transformed it into The Queen Wilmington, a music-centric performance space run by Live Nation.

Wilmington celebrates its musical heritage every year with four annual music festivals: The Dupont Clifford Brown Jazz Festival (the largest free jazz fest on the east coast), the Riverfront Blues Festival, the Peoples Festical 4 Peace: Tribute to Bob Marley, and the Ladybug Music Festival, a celebration of women in music that draws thousands to Wilmington’s Market Street.