Delaware
Memorial Day weekend 2025 means cool Delaware festivals, concerts & fun
Wilmington beer garden moving, new apartment complex to be built.
Constitution Yards is moving across from its current location to make way for a new apartment complex.
Memorial Day is fun almost here, and the fashion police are already salty – because they’ll have to wait months before they can ticket Delawareans for rocking white after Labor Day.
As a heads up, make sure your pedicure game is strong this summer, since questionable toes in flip-flops or open-toe shoes? That could land you an indecent exposure charge.
As you rummage through your closet for the perfect Memorial Day outfit, here are some can’t-miss entertainment events in the First State where you show off your style over the holiday weekend.
Poseidon Festival 2025, Bethany Beach
The 10th anniversary of the Poseidon Festival is a four-day affair with pirates, mermaids, live music, a costume contest and more fun.
Highlights include a performance from the Caiso Steeldrum Band (May 23), sword demonstrations from Captain Jack (May 24 and 25), costume parade and contest where you can dressed as a pirate, mermaid or your favorite maritime creature (May 24), a summer luau show (May 24), United States Navy Band concert (May 25) and Memorial Day service (May 26).
The Poseidon Festival is held in downtown Bethany Beach (near Bethany Bandstand) from May 23 to 26. Visit townofbethanybeach.com/497/Poseidon-Festival or call (302) 539-8011.
Constitution Yards Beer Garden concerts, Wilmington
The New Constitution Yards Beer Garden is set to bring back live music over the holiday weekend starting May 23 with a concert featuring the Side Hustle. The other concerts include Bad Hombres (May 24) and Nicholas Ray (May 26). All three shows will be held from 7 to 10 p.m. With a new Wilmington location in a larger vacant lot at 308 Justison St., the upgraded Constitution Yards now has a beer garden that’s grown 20% to 25%, and about 35% of the lot will be a field for wiffleball, kickball and more, according to an April report from News Journal reporter Ryan Cormier.
Memorial Day weekend concerts will be held at Constitution Yards Beer Garden (308 Justison St., Wilmington) from 7 to 10 p.m. May 23, 24 and 26. Visit constitutionyards.com or call (302) 407-5192.
Amish Outlaws on the loose in concert, Millsboro
It’s an understatement to say that Delaware likes The Amish Outlaws. The band’s fans adore these Amish rebels, especially when they play Paradise Grill. For newcomers, the Outlaws are a cover band that wears Amish outfits. Some of the members grew up Amish before deciding to leave their community to join the secular world and play instruments. From rap to rock, these men cover it all.
Paradise Grill (27344 Bay Road, Millsboro) at 8 p.m. May 23. Visit amishoutlaws.com or call (302) 945-4500.
‘Amazing Taiwan’ event dances to Wilmington
The National Taiwan University of Sport Dance Company will deliver a performance that shows off a new, professional dance production that merges Chinese and Western dance, music and theatrical artistry. “Amazing Taiwan” brings expressive storytelling to life through a series of attractive vignettes. This 82-minute production is presented by the Chinese American Community Center in Hockessin.
The Grand (818 N. Market St., Wilmington) at 7 p.m. May 23. Tickets are $47. Visit thegrandwilmington.org or call (302) 652-5577.
Buccaneer Bash 2025, Bowers Beach
Fearless swashbucklers will sail to Bowers Beach for a peaceful adventure at the annual Buccaneer Bash. This free two-day festival is known to take seafarers back to the 18th century to experience pirate life through demonstrations, music, petting zoo, food, craft and modern vendors, and activities in downtown Bowers Beach.
Buccaneer Bash is held in downtown Bowers Beach from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. May 24 and 25. Free event. Visit Bowers Beach Buccaneer Bash on Facebook or call (302) 222-6341.
Zerbini Family Circus comes to Smyrna
Long before social media took over, it was common to see spectacles. They were called the “circus” and often featured acrobatics, quirky animal acts and performances by clowns. This tradition lives on as the Zerbini Family Circus hauls their big tent to Smyrna for four performances across three days.
Smyrna Municipal Park (502 N. Main St. Smyrna) at 4 and 6 p.m. May 24; 3 p.m. May 25; and 1 p.m. May 26. Tickets start at $7. Visit zerbinifamilycircus.com.
Love Seed Mama Jump & more bands, Dewey Beach
One of the strangest band names on the planet belongs to the popular Delaware party rockers: Love Seed Mama Jump. The band is royalty in their hometown of Dewey Beach, and they’re set for a kingly performance in their neck of the woods on a Jam Session evening that includes The Gab Cinque Band, Triple Rail Turn, It’s All Good and DJ Knappy.
Bottle & Cork (1807 Highway One, Dewey Beach) at 5 p.m. May 24. For more info, visit bottleandcork.com or call (302) 227-7272.
Hagley Museum fires the cannon, Greenville
Have you seen a live cannon fired? Even if you have, you’re probably overdue. Hagley Museum is known for hosting cannon demonstrations, which is something the average person doesn’t witness every day. These firings run through December. Hagley was recognized for the second straight year as one of the 10 Best Open-Air Museums in the country. Hagley was nominated by an expert panel and voted by USA TODAY readers.
Hagley Museum (200 Hagley Creek Road, Greenville) at 1, 2 and 3 p.m. May 24 to 26. Admission is $10-$20. Free for members, and ages 5 and younger. Visit hagley.org or call (302) 658-2400.
We May Be Right: Billy Joel Tribute, Rehoboth Beach
Life’s a beach and this Billy Joel Tribute is looking to make a splash when they perform in Rehoboth. We May Be Right recreates the music of the Piano Man, which amounts to a deep bag of timeless hits.
Rehoboth Beach Bandstand (1 Rehoboth Ave., Rehoboth Beach) at 8 p.m. May 24. Free show. Visit rehobothbandstand.com or call (302) 644-2288.
Mike Hines & The Look storm Rehoboth Beach
Delaware party band Mikes Hines & The Look bring super-sized energy to the stage. The Delaware Rock & Roll Society inductees offer a colorful mix of R&B, hip-hop, pop, old-school funk, Motown and disco to the stage.
Rehoboth Beach Bandstand (1 Rehoboth Ave., Rehoboth Beach) at 8 p.m. May 25. Free show. Visit rehobothbandstand.com or call (302) 644-2288.
Kalmar Nyckel sets sail across Christina River + free deck tour, Wilmington
The Tall Ship of Delaware wants to take you on a sweet ride for one hour and 30 minutes across the Christina River on May 24 (9:30 to 11:30 a.m.) and May 25 (1 to 3 p.m.), followed by a free deck tour on May 26 (noon to 5 p.m.). As a heads up, guests interested in either sailing trip must arrive 30 minutes before the ship departs for a check-in, which is already built into the above sail times.
Kalmar Nyckel Foundation (1124 E. Seventh St., Wilmington) from 9:30 to 11:30 a.m. May 24; 1 to 3 p.m. May 25; and noon to 5 p.m. May 26. Tickets for sails on May 24 and 25 are $25-$45 each. The deck tour on May 26 is free. To register and for more info, visit kalmarnyckel.org or call (302) 429-7447.
If you have an interesting story idea, email lifestyle reporter Andre Lamar at alamar@gannett.com. Consider signing up for his weekly newsletter, DO Delaware, at delawareonline.com/newsletters.
Thomas Jefferson University is opening a regional campus of its Sidney Kimmel Medical College in Delaware, an effort that will result in the state’s first medical school.
Jefferson beat out three other bidders to establish the four-year program in partnership with the state. The other bidders were the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine, the consulting firm PriceWaterhouseCoopers and Ponce Health Sciences University in Puerto Rico, Spotlight Delaware reported.
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The inaugural class of 40 medical students will begin instruction in July 2028. Initially, the campus will be based at the University of Delaware in Newark, with Jefferson faculty providing instruction. A permanent home for the campus is still being finalized, the Inquirer reported.
The medical students will receive 18 months of preclinical training on campus before receiving clinical training from healthcare providers in Delaware’s southern counties, where the state’s physician shortage is most deeply felt. That shortage is compounded by an aging population, Delaware officials said.
“Jefferson is committed to being part of the solution to Delaware’s physician shortage,” Jefferson CEO Dr. Joseph Cacchione said in a statement. “We are proud to help build a future where every Delawarean has access to the care they deserve. Jefferson is all in.”
The school’s creation is being supported by $157.4 million from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.
Delaware is one of three states without a Doctor of Medicine or Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine program. Since the late 1960s, Jefferson and the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine have reserved seats for Delaware students.
“Sidney Kimmel Medical College has trained generations of physicians for more than 200 years, more than any other medical college in the country,” Said Ibrahim, dean of Sidney Kimmel Medical College, said in a statement. “It is a privilege to bring our mission to Delaware’s patients and communities.”
Jefferson has announced several expansions recently. The university is establishing a full-time doctor of nursing practice-nurse anesthesia program and several online graduate programs at the Lehigh Valley Health Network Center for Healthcare Education in Lehigh County. It also is opening a satellite respiratory therapy lab at Lehigh Valley Hospital-Cedar Crest in Allentown.
Delaware officials said medical students will start their classroom instruction at UD and then do their clinical training at offices and health care systems in Kent and Sussex counties, where the shortage of doctors is most acute.
However, ChristianaCare, which has its own partnership with Jefferson, is not participating. The state’s largest health care system was part of Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine’s unsuccessful bid to operate the school. In a joint statement from ChristianaCare and PCOM, the two organizations expressed disappointment with not being part of the consortium of higher education institutions and healthcare organizations.
“The path forward raises genuine questions about whether the school’s goals can be fully realized without ChristianaCare’s meaningful participation in its clinical training mission,” it said. “The success of any four-year medical program depends not just on an academic institution, but on a true and committed partnership with its clinical partners — one built on shared mission, mutual investment and trust developed over time.”
Students in the first class can get their tuition subsidized, covering all of their education costs, in exchange for an agreement to work in rural Delaware for five years.
Running the medical school is expected to cost Jefferson $78 million over the next five years. The money is from a federal rural health grant through the Rural Health Transformation Program, which congressional Republicans created in the so-called “One Big, Beautiful Bill Act.”
The program will give $50 billion to every state over five years, though exactly the total each will eventually receive is unclear. Half of the money is to be distributed equally to states and the other half is awarded by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services based on a variety of factors.
The state applied for $1 billion late last year to improve health care in Kent and Sussex counties. The Trump administration has so far allocated Delaware $157 million. Delaware is expected to receive at least $500 million over the life of the fund.
Delaware Ohio Housing Growth
A look at the rapid expansion of housing developments in Delaware, Ohio.
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Every few weeks Delaware city approves a new housing development. The city has more than 4,000 housing units in its development pipeline, contributing to the rapid growth in one of the fastest-growing counties in Ohio.
A crash shut down U.S. 42 in Delaware County in both directions June 2.
As of 7 a.m., U.S. 42 was closed from U.S. 23 to Jegs Place near the Delaware Municipal Airport.
It was not immediately clear whether anyone was injured in the crash or when the roadway would open.
This is a developing story and will be updated
Public Safety and Breaking News Reporter Bailey Gallion can be reached at bagallion@dispatch.com.
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