Running of the Bull to a drag brunch to festivals galore: 9 things to do this weekend

Sarika Jagtiani
The News Journal
Fans take a selfie with the bull as he makes his way down Dewey Beach last year.

It's the first official weekend of summer, although we've been in slower, sunnier summer mode for weeks now.

Here are some suggestions for how to spend your weekend.  

Running of the Bull

Saturday at The Starboard (2009 Del. 1, Dewey Beach)

If you think chasing two people in a bull costume down the coastline in Dewey Beach would get old, you must not be a Dewey diehard. In its 22nd year, The Starboard’s Running of the Bull is right up there with the biggest beach weekends of the year, whether it be Memorial Day, Fourth of July or Labor Day.

Masses show up, many first thing in the morning, to begin partying before the 2 p.m. start. That’s when the bar empties and patrons cross the highway and chase the “bull” down the beach as beachgoers react with a mix of confusion and excitement. The run loops back to The Starboard’s parking lot for a humorous “bullfight” followed by a daylong party with most dressed in white and red, just like at Pamplona’s signature event.

The free event was created by about 35 Dewey visitors in 1996 and has grown into one of the town’s best-known (and silliest) traditions.

STARBOARD:Stand-out events for 2018 in Dewey Beach

STARBOARD:The man who turned The Starboard into a Dewey Beach powerhouse

BEACHES:Fore! Dewey Beach gets its first country club. (It's a bar.)

New Castle County Ice Cream Festival

Saturday and Sunday at Rockwood Park (4651 Washington St. Ext., Wilmington)

The festival is back with plenty of fun for families. That means kids will have the option of visiting royalty in a Princess Park for storytelling and hairstyling, or taking part in Jedi training, or doing fairytale karaoke with Moana, or hanging out at the superhero extravaganza ... you get the idea. Grandpop Bubbles will be back with his bubble festival on both days, along with area mascots, carnival games, live entertainment and train rides. This year’s fest has one ice cream maker to rule them all, and it’s Hy-Point Farms. The purveyor of frozen treats will be dishing out free samples of more than 40 flavors, as well as ice cream for dogs. Ice cream will also be available to buy, of course, as will a slew of other food.

The festival runs from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Saturday and 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday. Shuttle buses will be running from Merchant’s Square (4300 Governor Printz Blvd.) and Mt. Pleasant High School (5201 Washington St. Ext.)

Admission is $5, free for kids younger than 12 with a paying adult.

Super Size: New Castle Ice Cream Festival returns this weekend

Drag Diva Brunch

Noon Sunday at The Queen (500 N. Market St., Wilmington) 

A drag show at The Queen seems like a natural fit.

The themed shows — this Sunday's is disco — have about 11 performances, and your brunch options include appropriately named items like Hey Girl Chicken and Waffles, L'Eggs Benedict, Disco Champagne and Wig Out and Wake Up! Can't make it this Sunday? No worries. Future Sundays' themes are Lady Gaga, Broadway, Disney and Party in the U.S.A., so you have options.

Admission is $30 for the whole shebang, from food to fun. 

www.dragdivabrunch.com

Clifford Brown Jazz Festival 

Through Sunday at Rodney Square and The Queen (500 N. Market St.), Wilmington

Wilmington’s premier free music festival is celebrating its 30th year and still has a couple of shows left this weekend.

On Friday at 6 p.m., R&B singer Brian McKnight will headline with additional performances by The Lao Tizer Band, which features Chieli Minucci, Eric Marienthal and Karen Briggs, along with a set by Deva Mahal. At 2 p.m. on Saturday, New York “joyful jazz” act Sammy Miller and The Congregation headlines with Sara Lazarus, Scott Tixier, Sidewalk Chalk and Marcus Miller also performing. For Sunday’s final bow, the Boysie Lowery Living Jazz Residency will host a concert for its 2018 graduates at The Queen (500 N. Market St., Wilmington) at 3 p.m.

Our guide to 30th annual Clifford Brown Jazz Festival, which runs through June 24

Singer Brian McKnight performs at the 2014 ESPYS. McKnight is headlining this year's Clifford Brown Jazz Festival.

Mystery of the Mayan Medallion, and Family Fun Day

Opens Saturday at the Delaware Museum of Natural History (4840 Kennett Pike, Wilmington)

The latest exhibit at the museum offers families an interactive way to learn about Palenque, Mexico, where the Maya lived for thousands of years. Here's the scoop: The exhibit is presented as a mystery about a missing group of archaeologists. The exhibit invites visitors to follow clues left behind by the archaeologists to find a precious medallion.

Bonus: It's Family Fun Day at the museum from 9:30 a.m. to 2 p.m., so there will be bird meet-and-greets, face painting, crafts, a campfire and marshmallow roast, trail hikes and more.

Admission to the museum is $9 for ages 3-59; $8 for seniors 60 and up, $3 for children 1-2 years old, free for babies under 12 months and DMNH members. 

delmnh.org

BBQ & Cocktail Pairing 

3 p.m. Sunday at Painted Stave Distilling (106 W. Commerce St., Smyrna)

Painted Stave is teaming up with Maverick Texas BBQ to offer guests a taste of the finer things in life. Namely, booze and brisket.

Guests will be noshing on ribs, turkey drumsticks, pulled pork and other meaty treats, and enjoying compatible drinks. Organizers say it's not technically dinner, but you won't likely leave hungry.

Tickets are $22

DFRC Blue-Gold All-Star Football Game

6 p.m. Saturday at University of Delaware Stadium, Newark

All-star football players from up and down Delaware will face off against each other Saturday evening to raise funds for the DFRC, which supports programs that "enrich the lives of Delawareans with intellectual disabilities."

The annual showdown begins at 6 p.m., but activities like bouncy houses and face painting begin at 2 p.m. with the opening of the Family Fun Zone. 

Tickets are $10, $8 for students and children 18 and younger, and free for children younger than 2.

www.dfrc.org

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BLUE-GOLD: All-Star football players gather at the University of Delaware

Delaware Chinese Festival

Through Sunday at the Chinese American Community Center (1313 Little Baltimore Road, North Star)

Peking duck. Karaoke. Dragon dance. It's all a part of this year's Chinese Festival.

The annual event is an exploration of Chinese culture, including performances, a food court, medical demonstrations and hands-on demonstrations, like one on writing Chinese characters.

The festival runs from 5-9 p.m. Friday, 11 a.m.-9 p.m. Saturday and noon-6 p.m. Sunday. Admission is free; parking is $5.

www.chinesefestival.org

Our guide to 2018 Delaware Chinese Festival

Natural Wonders: The Sublime in Contemporary Art

Opens Saturday at Brandywine River Museum of Art (U.S. 1, Chadds Ford, Pa.)

Exploring nature through contemporary art is what artists did through this exhibit's works, but the ways in which they did it differ wildly. There's a multi-screen video wall capturing Maui's "painted forest" of rainbow eucalyptus. There are 4K videos from wilderness preserves of the U.S. There are sculptures using animal bones for carvings of plants and flowers.

About 40 recent works make up the exhibit, which runs through Oct. 21.

The museum is open from 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily. Admission is $15 to $18, $6 for students with ID and children ages 6-18, and free for members and children 5 and younger.

www.brandywine.org