Weekend Spotlight is a round-up of the five best events to check out in Delaware over the coming weekend, curated by Arts + Culture Editor Cannon Taylor. This edition covers Sept. 25-27, 2026. What should be on our radar for future editions? Let us know!
Hot Jams
Music festival fundraises for Center for the Creative Arts
Saturday, Sept. 26. Center for the Creative Arts. 410 Upper Snuff Mill Road, Hockessin. 5-10:40 p.m. Tickets: $15, free for kids 12 and under.
If the annual Hot Jam Music Festival proves anything, it’s that local bands sure know how to name themselves. This year’s festival features many acts, including self-described emo girl alexisbaldwin.mp3; Jimmy Eat World’s post-punk brother, Joe Eats the Sun; and the debut of the mysteriously-named Jenna L. and the Denizens of Scary Tales.
Ticket proceeds will help ensure the Center for the Creative Arts can continue its mission of providing programming and scholarships for local artists.
Worst Pies in London
Demon Barber comes to Milton
Saturday, Sept. 26 through Oct. 11. The Milton Theatre. 110 Union St., Milton. Times vary. Tickets: $44-53.
What better way to kickstart the spooky season than to revive a character from the most demented recesses of Victorian fiction? The Milton Theatre is staging 17 productions of “Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street” over the next month, featuring a blood-splattered set and live orchestrations of Stephen Sondheim’s haunting score.
Two words of advice: Don’t eat the pies, and don’t get a haircut — the barber may take a little more off the top than you bargained for.
‘Taco’ the Town
Taco festival draws food vendors and luchadores
Saturday, Sept. 26 and Sunday, Sept. 27. Tubman-Garrett Riverfront Park. 80 Rosa Parks Drive, Wilmington. 1-7 p.m. Tickets: $14-20, free for kids 12 and under.
The 10th annual Delaware Taco Festival is bringing the pain — well, at least for the luchadores and the brave souls competing in the hot chili pepper eating contest. For most attendees, the festival should be a more pleasant experience as they wander through Tubman-Garrett Riverfront Park munching on tacos and sipping on margaritas.
There will be over 30 food vendors offering $4 tacos, along with carnival games, piñatas, live music and more.
Winging It
Air Mobility Command Museum celebrates 40 years
Saturday, Sept. 26 and Sunday, Sept. 27. Air Mobility Command Museum. 1301 Heritage Road, Dover. 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Free.
Plane nerds, rejoice: You’ll have full access to many of the over 35 aircraft on display at the Air Mobility Command Museum during the organization’s 40th anniversary bash. The museum’s planes include some that flew during D-Day operations and the Berlin Airlift.
Tour guides — many of them Air Force veterans — will bring these mechanical beasts to life with both personal and historical stories. Not immersive enough for you? Give the flight simulator a try and see if you have what it takes to be an Air Force pilot.
Choose Your Own Adventure
Fall in love with Delaware during First State Fun Day
Saturday, Sept. 26. Multiple locations statewide. Times vary. Free.
Spotlight Delaware’s First State Fun Day is an opportunity to cross some peculiar items off your bucket list. What other opportunity are you going to get to take your toddler to a rave at New Castle Library, then introduce them to the half-fish, half-monkey “merman” at the Zwaandael Museum?
If that’s not your speed, take in the sunset at the Prime Hook Wildlife Refuge, learn some history at the Mitchell Center for African American Heritage or gorge yourself on oysters at Matt’s Fish Camp Lewes.
With over 15 statewide attractions opening their doors for free and offering special programming, First State Fun Day is set to be a “Choose Your Own Adventure” of Delaware’s best cultural offerings.