Coastal Delaware Running Festival, Film Festival Coming This Weekend to Rehoboth Beach

It's hard to believe but Memorial Day Weekend is only a month away, at which time Rehoboth Beach, Ocean City and the rest of the Delaware and Maryland beaches will be shifting into overdrive for the always busy summer season.

And as we get closer to summer, that means more fun, family-friendly events are going to be taking place in locations up and down the coast, as well as in northern Delaware and across the Chesapeake Bay in Annapolis.

We have a number of these festivals and gatherings to tell you about this week, several in the "Nation's Summer Capital" of Rehoboth Beach and many more in other areas.

Let's begin in Delaware's favorite seaside resort of Rehoboth Beach...

Coastal Delaware Running Festival (April 23-24)

This two-day event includes a number of different races and challenges, all culminating in the Rehoboth Beach Marathon on Sunday, April 24.

The race is a qualifier for the Boston Marathon and meanders through many of the coastal region's most picturesque sites, including the Junction & Breakwater Trail, Cape Henlopen State Park, Delaware Seashore State Park and the Rehoboth Beach Boardwalk.

The 26.2-mile marathon begins on the boardwalk at 7 a.m., on Sunday. Other events during the two-day festival include:

• Half Marathon
• 9K Run/Walk
• 5K Run/Walk
• The Tower Challenge (5K and Marathon)
• Fort Miles Challenge (5K and Half Marathon)
• Cape Challenge 5K (5K and 9K)

Grotto Pizza will be served on Saturday and Sunday as part of the post race festivities, which will also include free race photos, race swag, a complimentary post race beer and more.

Learn more about the 2022 Coastal Delaware Running Festival by visiting codelrun.com.

Rehoboth Beach Independent Film Festival - Spring (April 18-23)

Yes, the annual Rehoboth Beach Independent Film Festival is still held in the Fall. But this special Springtime event is a way for the organization to introduce even more great films to the public.

We're already a few days into this event, which will run through Saturday, April 23, and features a dozen great films.

Films are being shown at both the Rehoboth Film Society's Cinema Art Theater and at the Unitarian Universalists Southern Delaware.

Ticket prices are $10 per film. Visit rehobothfilm.com for more information on this special Springtime event.

Spring Delmarva Birding Weekend (April 20-25)

For the 26th year, bird lovers will be descending on the Delaware beaches to spend a few days in search of the region's most well-known bird species.

Begun in 1995, this gathering has featured boat trips and expeditions when migrating birds are passing through the area. And it's more of the same for 2022.

More than 165 species were spotted at the 2021 event, which has become more popular with each passing year.

There are events scheduled for the five days of the event, which you can learn more about at delmarvabirding.com.

Click here for the rest of this weekend’s jam packed events calendar