The Great Westside Fish Fry returns to Charlotte — maybe for the last time
The oil will be popping, the music will be loud and somewhere in the crowd, a stranger’s plate might taste like home.
The Great Westside Fish Fry returns April 18, with what organizer Winston Robinson promises will be its most meaningful — and possibly most emotional — year yet.
What started as “a vibe outside” has grown into a signature Charlotte event, drawing thousands for a day that blends food, music and culture into something Robinson calls a “melting pot of awesomeness.”
“This thing started as just a gathering,” Robinson told CharlotteFive. “Now it’s five years of building community joy. That’s a flex.”
The fish fry traces its roots back to 2021, when Robinson, founder of The Applesauce Group, a nonprofit that works to empower historically excluded communities, began hosting small gatherings during the uncertainty of the pandemic.
While much of the world was isolating, Robinson remembers dreaming up ways to bring people together. What followed was a steady evolution: from casual meetups to a rebranded festival in 2023 with a deeper mission.
The goal is to showcase the shared experience of fish fries across the Black diaspora, from the American South to Ghana to the Caribbean, and highlight the culinary talent already living in Charlotte.
“There’s something about hot fish coming out of oil,” Robinson said. “It’s more than food. It’s community. It’s gathering.”
That idea resonated. What once drew a modest crowd now sees roughly 5,000 to 6,000 people pass through in a single day, sampling dishes from chefs with roots all over the world, Robinson said.
A stage for rising stars
Part of the fish fry’s appeal is its lineup: chefs who work in high-end kitchens, some of whom have James Beard recognition, stepping out to serve deeply personal, accessible dishes, Robinson said.
Among the chefs featured at the fish fry are Courtney Evans, a Johnson & Wales alum who trained under James Beard finalist Greg Collier and later finished as a runner-up on Netflix’s “Next Gen Chef,” and Chef Joya, a vegan chef who moved to Charlotte after a health scare and has since built a large online following.
The fish fry will be among the final events for the team behind Jimmy Pearls, the fast-casual, coastal-inspired restaurant that closed in 2024, including James Beard semifinalists Daryl Cooper and Oscar Johnson.
“We’ve always known they were stars,” he said.
Now, the rest of the country is starting to notice. Robinson himself recently appeared on “Top Chef” after helping bring the show to Charlotte, an opportunity he says grew out of his separate “Serving the Culture” dinner series.
That attention is starting to circle back to the fish fry, drawing curiosity from beyond the city, Robinson said.
“It feels like worlds are merging that I never anticipated,” he added.
More than just Southern fish
While fish fries are often associated with the South, Robinson said the event is intentionally broader, rooted in the global Black experience.
A plate here might echo a grandmother’s cooking from South Carolina, or surprise someone with flavors from Haiti or West Africa that feel oddly familiar, he continues.
“You may have never been to Ghana in your life,” Robinson said. “But this food feels like home.”
That moment of recognition — what he calls the “eyebrow flinch” — is the point.
“Something gets unlocked,” he said. “Then comes curiosity, exploration, connection.”
Not necessarily the end
This year’s event carries added weight. West Complex, the current site near Johnson C. Smith University at 1600 W. Trade St., won’t host the festival again, Robinson said.
Robinson said he always knew the location was temporary, but its transformation into a cultural hub makes the moment bittersweet.
“We know one thing,” he said. “It will never be there again, and it will never feel like this again.”
Whether the fish fry itself continues is still an open question. Robinson calls both it and his larger festival, A Vibe Called Fresh, “free agents.”
“If it’s the last one, I can sleep at night,” he said. “If not, let’s keep it warm. I’ve still got my festival legs.”
Holding onto something real
For Robinson, the deeper urgency comes from watching Charlotte change — and seeing community-centered events disappear.
He grew up with festivals that brought the city together, like Spring Fest, Jazz in the Park and Culture Jam. The fish fry, he said, carries that same spirit in a time when shared experiences feel rarer, a shift he partly attributes to the rise of social media and more individualized, screen-driven ways of connecting.
“It’s like your favorite band before they hit the arena,” he said. “You just want to keep it right here a little longer.”
And if this really is the last time in this space, he wants it to matter.
“We owe it that reverence,” he said.
On April 18, that reverence will look like music, laughter and a line of people waiting for something hot out of the fryer — a simple plate carrying stories from across the world, all landing in one place.
What to expect
Attendees can expect a range of local chefs and vendors serving traditional fish plates alongside dishes influenced by a variety of cultural backgrounds.
Live music and DJ sets are scheduled throughout the day, along with performances and other programming. Activities such as Double Dutch, skating and line dancing are also part of the lineup. The event will also include a kids’ area, as well as local artisans and community organizations.
This story was originally published April 9, 2026 at 5:45 AM.
