24 Free cultural activities to take advantage of this weekend, from salsa dancing to spoken word
This weekend, the Arts and Science Council is providing tons of activities throughout the city to connect you to art, science and culture. The best part, —drum roll— they are all free during Connect with Culture Day on Jan. 26-27.
Lots have food and drinks available for purchase, so grab your kids and significant other and head out to any or all of these events.
Here are our top picks.
Friday, January 26
(1) Salsa Dancing Lesson at NoDa Brewing, with Rumbao Latin Dance & DJ Chan
Time: 6:30-8:30 p.m.
Address: 2921 N. Tryon Street
(2) African Drum Circle at Resident Culture Brewing, with Drums4Life
Time: 6:30-8:30 p.m.
Address: 2101 Central Avenue
(3) Jazz Concert at Lenny Boy Brewing, with Nicci Canada & The Dapper Street Jazz Band
Time: 6:30-8:30 p.m.
Address: 3000 S. Tryon Street
(4) Pottery Class at Clayworks Pottery. This is an opportunity to get hands-on practice behind the wheel with pottery teachers. Registration is required, but classes are also available throughout the day Saturday.
Time: 6:30-8:30 p.m.
Address: 4506 Monroe Road
(5) Museum Entry and Latin Music Concert Series at the Mint Museum Uptown, featuring Mariachi Gavilanes Gabriel
Time: 6-11 p.m. Music: 9-10:30pm
Address: 500 S. Tryon Street
Saturday, January 27
(6) Self-Portrait Workshop with Red Calaca Mobile Art Truck at Charlotte Museum of History. Local activist Rosalia Torres will lead a two-hour workshop on self-identity.
Time: 11:30 a.m.-1:30pm
Address: 3500 Shamrock Drive
(7) Spoken Word with poet Bluz and other local poets at Charlotte Museum of History
Time: 3:30-4:30 p.m.
Address: 3500 Shamrock Drive
(8) Jazz and Hip-Hop Class at Caroline Calouche & Co. Registration is required.
Time: 12:30-1:30 p.m.
Address: 9315 E-Monroe Road
(9) Nature Matters—A film about teens finding themselves through varying ecosystems. The film will be showing at the Mint Museum Randolph
Start times: 11:30 a.m., 1:00 p.m., 2:30 p.m.
Address: 2730 Randolph Road
(10) Bird Inspired Art at the Carolina Raptor Center. Free admission all day, along with art opportunities.
Time: 10 a.m.-5 p.m.
Address: 600 Sample Road, Huntersville
(11) Songs and Scenes from Matthews Playhouse of the Performing Arts at Matthews Community Center. Enjoy music and scenes from upcoming plays.
Time: 2:30-3 p.m.
Address: 100 W. McDowell Street, Matthews
(12) Historic Village Tour at Carl J. McEwen Historic Village. Take a walk through four restored buildings- country doctor’s office, country store, gold assayer’s office, and one room schoolhouse. The tour features artifacts from the 1880s through the 1930s.
Time: 10 a.m.-3 p.m.
Address: 7601 Matthews Mint Hill Road, Mint Hill
(13) Bird Watching and Self-Guided Garden Tours at Wing Haven. Learn how to attract different bird species to your own backyard, while seeing all the beautiful birds that visit this garden.
Tour times: 10 a.m.-5 p.m., Birding 101: 11 a.m.-1 p.m.
Address: 248 Ridgewood Avenue
(14) Historic Tours at Rosedale. Ever wondered what the seemingly out-of-place historic home on N. Tryon Street is all about? Sign up for one of these tours and find out. Registration is required.
Tour times: 11 a.m., 1:30pm, 3:00pm
Address: 3427 N. Tryon Street
(15) Funk Music at Camp North End. Experience AfroFunk, an old school funk and hip hop show.
Time: 1-2:30 p.m.
Address: 1824 Statesville Avenue
(16) Jazz Music at First Baptist Church-West. Enjoy an hour-long jazz concert, complete with planned music and improv.
Time: 11 a.m.-noon
Address: 1801 Oaklawn Avenue
(17) Healing Music at Pineville Elementary School Gym. The Healing Force by Tosco Music brings to life African culture through folk tales and music.
Time: 11 a.m.-noon
Address: 204 Lowry Street, Pineville
(18) Photogram Classes at the Light Factory. Learn about this camera-less photograph process in the Light Factory’s community darkroom. Registration is required.
Address: 1817 Central Avenue
(19) Mask Making with Dulce Tavares, presented by Harvey B. Gantt Center of African-American Arts and Culture at Nations Ford Elementary School. Learn about Animals of the Subconscious with Sloan Siobhan, as she uses animals to explore human emotions. Registration is required.
Time: 10 a.m.-noon
Address: 7050 Nations Ford Road
(20) Dance Classes at Camino Community Center. View and participate in African, Latin and Indian dances
Times: Noon-12:45 p.m. (African Dance), 1:30-2:30 p.m. (Latin Dance), 3:30-4 p.m. (Indian Dance)
Address: 201 Stetson Drive
(21) Historical Museum Exhibits at Levine Museum of the New South. Enjoy permanent and rotating exhibits.
Time: 10 a.m.-5 p.m.
Address: 200 E. Seventh Street
(22) Balloonacy at Children’s Theatre of Charlotte. Bring your family, ages three and up, to this performance put on by the Children’s Theatre. Registration is required.
Time: 3 p.m.
Address: 300 E. Seventh Street
(23) Stone Soup by the Charlotte Symphony at Knight Theater. For ages four to seven, watch as the symphony portrays this classic tale. Registration is required.
Time: 11 a.m.-noon
Address: 430 S. Tryon Street
(24) Funk Music with Quentin Talley & The Soul Providers at the West Boulevard Library. It’s a musical journey through the history of funk and soul music.
Time: 11 a.m.-noon
Address: 2157 West Boulevard
Get more information about Connect with Culture Day activities here.
Photo: Charlotte Observer file
This story was originally published January 23, 2018 at 9:00 PM with the headline "24 Free cultural activities to take advantage of this weekend, from salsa dancing to spoken word."