Top 10 things you MUST do in June

Whether you consider Memorial Day to mark the unofficial beginning of summer or you’re a stickler for calling June 21 the start of the season, here are a few places where you can get into the summertime spirit this June.

(1) Live on the Green Kick-Off Festival in First Ward Park.

Friday, June 1 at 6 p.m. through Saturday, June 2 at 10 p.m. Free. First Ward Park, E. 8th St. and N. Brevard St.

A post shared by Live On The Green – First Ward (@liveonthegreenclt) on May 10, 2018 at 12:13pm PDT

Live on the Green is back at First Ward Park for its second summer in Charlotte! Kick off summer concert season with a free two-day festival featuring live Roots and Americana music from Scythian, River Whyless and more. Enjoy food truck fare, craft beer and wine for purchase while you’re there—and don’t forget to bring along your own chairs and blankets to sit on while you enjoy the show in one of Uptown’s most beautiful parks. Full set list and more details here.

(2) Warrior Dash 5K Mud Run, Obstacle Course and Festival.

Saturday, June 2, 8 a.m. – 2 p.m. $75. Historic Rural Hill, 4431 Neck Rd., Huntersville.

Warrior Dash isn’t just your average 5K mud run. You’ll battle the elements with 12 obstacles, embracing earth, wind, water and fire along the way. Then, you’ll get to party it up with a free beer and nonstop DJ after you’ve conquered the course. Registration gets you a Warrior Dash participant shirt, fuzzy warrior helmet, 2018 finisher medal, complimentary beer, race day photos, and all-day festival access. Use promo code NCBEER to get 20 percent off your registration when you sign up here.

(3) Taste of Charlotte Festival.

A post shared by Taste of Charlotte (@tasteofcharlotte) on Jun 9, 2017 at 8:46am PDT

Friday, June 8 at 11 a.m. through Sunday, June 10 at 6 p.m. Free admission. S. Tryon St., from Stonewall St. to 5th St. 

Taste of Charlotte spans six city blocks Uptown, where you can enjoy more than 100 samples from local restaurants and sip beverages (both alcoholic and non-alcoholic). Listen to live music, engage with interactive activities, partake in cooking demonstrations, shop local vendors, watch street performances and more. Find more details here.

(4) Plaza Midwood Scavenger Hunt and Bar Crawl.

Saturday, June 9, 2 – 6 p.m. $20. The Peculiar Rabbit, 1212 Pecan Ave.

Pull on your best pajamas and prepare to solve your way through a list of clues and riddles on this four-hour bar crawl and scavenger hunt through Plaza Midwood, in support of local charity Beds For Kids. Registration and check-in start at 1 p.m. at The Peculiar Rabbit, and clue maps will be handed out promptly at 2 p.m. Prizes will be given to first, second and third place finishers, along with prizes for “Best Pajamas” and “Best Team Name.” Get your tickets here.

(5) Box For Your Beer at Resident Culture with 9Round NoDa.

Tuesday, June 12, 6:30 p.m. $8. Resident Culture Brewing Company, 2101 Central Ave.

If you’ve been interested in kickboxing but too intimidated to stop by a gym to try it for yourself, get ready, because this all-levels class is taught in just the non-intimidating environment you need: a brewery. For just $8, you get the class itself led by Amy Penwell, owner of 9Round NoDa, as well as a full pint of beer from Resident Culture when you’re done (you’ll definitely earn it). Reserve your spot here.

(6) Dog Days of Summer at NoDa Brewing.

Saturday, June 16, 9 a.m. – 12 p.m. Free admission. NoDa Brewing, 2921 N. Tryon St.

Bring your fluffiest companion out to NoDa Brewing to join CharlotteFive at the Dog Days of Summer, brought to you by Williams Subaru of Charlotte! We’ll host a morning full of dog-friendly festivities for all breeds including a “Running of the Bulls” featuring bulldogs of all kinds (with some available for adoption), FREE professional dog photography, a dog yoga class, a DIY dog toy crafting station and more.

A post shared by CharlotteFive (@cltfive) on May 2, 2018 at 1:37pm PDT

NoDa Brewing will be pouring delicious craft beer, and $1 of every beer sold will be donated to Bullies 2 The Rescue. You can also chow down on brunch items from The Herban Legend and Reigning Doughnuts, and sip hot coffee and cold brew from Enderly Coffee Company.

Plus, we’ll also be selling raffle tickets for your chance to win the ultimate pup prize pack, which will have prizes of at least $50 in value from every vendor at the event (including The Waggle Company, PetPeople, Topgolf, Pet Wants Charlotte: The Urban Feed Store, Camp Bow Wow and more).

Find out more details here, and register for free here.

(7) USNWC Sol Fest.

A post shared by USNWC (@usnwc) on Apr 21, 2018 at 2:37pm PDT

Friday, June 15 at 5 p.m. through Saturday, June 16 at 9 p.m. Free admission. U.S. National Whitewater Center, 5000 Whitewater Center Pkwy.

Though there will be plenty of beer sampling involved, Sol Fest (formerly known as Brew Stash Bash) is not just a traditional beer festival. The event offers water races, trail racing, yoga, live music and more. You can choose to run the Brew Dash 6K or compete in the Blazing Paddles Boatercross. You could take part in the Catawba River Race via open water swim, stand-up paddleboard or kayak. You might find your zen with slow flow yoga, power yoga, all levels yoga or acro yoga. Or maybe you’ll just sample craft beer and listen to live music. Whatever you prefer, you can find the full schedule and register for your desired events here.

(8) HeroesCon 2018.

Friday, June 15 at 11 a.m. through Sunday, June 17 at 6 p.m. Admission starts at $20 per person. Charlotte Convention Center, 501 S. College St. 

Founded by owner of Charlotte’s own Heroes Aren’t Hard to Find comic shop, Shelton Drum, Heroes Convention has been around since 1982. Hundreds will gather for this family-friendly, comics-first event at the Charlotte Convention Center to mingle with professionals and exhibitors from all over the country. Find out more and get your day passes here.

(9) Love Desserts CLT Market at Cabarrus Brewing Company.

A post shared by Love Desserts (@lovedessertsclt) on May 28, 2018 at 5:09pm PDT

Sunday, June 17, 1 – 7 p.m. Free admission. Cabarrus Brewing Company, 329 McGill Ave. NW, Concord. 

Get ready for a major sugar high: more than 25 local bakeries and sweets shops will offer more than 50 different desserts at Love Desserts CLT’s upcoming Desserts Market at Cabarrus Brewing Co. Admission to the festival is free, with desserts available for purchase from local favorites like Ninety’s Ice Cream, Cookie Dough Bliss, The Sweet Life and many more. Pair those sweet treats with a cold beer, and you’ll be good to go! Find out more here.

(10) JJs Red Hots 1,000,000th Hot Dog Celebration.

Sunday, June 24, 2 – 5 p.m. Free admission. JJs Red Hots, 1514 East Blvd. 

You read that correctly: JJs Red Hots is celebrating its one millionth hot dog. Join in on an afternoon of family-friendly fun in the parking lot, patio and rooftop of the Dilworth location on East Blvd., where there will $2 hot dogs for purchase, complimentary Cheerwine floats, Sahlen’s hot dog swag and more. Complete details here.

This story was originally published May 31, 2018 at 1:00 AM with the headline "Top 10 things you MUST do in June."