Your 5-minute guide to the best things to do in Charlotte | March 3-9
Friday, March 3
Kick off the weekend taking in the local art scene at First Friday Gallery Crawl in South End. Local galleries and shops will be offering extended hours, special receptions, live painting and music. Participating galleries include Hodges Taylor Art Consultancy, Condado Taco, Dilworth Artisan Station, StudioWorks Artist Collective + Gallery and Shed Brand Studios. Free. Multiple locations. 5 p.m. https://southendclt.org/events/first-friday
Check out the new self-pour beer and wine bar OpenTap. The family-friendly spot will have 64 beers on tap and a shade garden, village green, tree house mezzanine and a food truck port. 5010 Carmel Center Drive, Charlotte, NC 28226. https://www.opentapclt.com/
Work For Your Beer and Hi-Wire Brewing are hosting an aerial performance, a Pop Princess Cirque du Biere show. Catch local aerialists perform a choreographed piece to a pop princess song of their choice and then improv to song requests from the crowd. Tickets are $20. 7 p.m. Hi-Wire Brewing Charlotte, 340 W. Tremont Ave., #Suite 140 Charlotte, NC 28203. http://bit.ly/3ELoR4R
Enjoy a night of laughs at The Common Market’s Comedy Showcase. There’s a show every first Friday of the month with a rotating list of comedians performing while guests can enjoy craft beer, wine, coffee and Common Market’s late-night menu. 8 p.m. 235 W. Tremont Ave., Charlotte, NC 28203 http://bit.ly/3ZgqhfG
Break out your air guitars, blues-rock fans: Joe Bonamassa — who Guitar World once heralded as “arguably the world’s biggest blues guitarist” — headlines Ovens Auditorium on just the third stop of a tour that will take him through 21 cities this year. 8 p.m. 2700 E. Independence Blvd. A very limited amount of tickets are available, starting at $99. bit.ly/3meqvFV
Saturday, March 4
Grab your furry friend and participate in Charlotte’s Dog Jog. The 5k will be held at McAlpine Creek Park Saturday morning. Proceeds will support the Humane Society of Charlotte and Roof Above. There will also be food and drinks available from Tin Kitchen and NoDa Brewing. Registration for adults starts at $40 and $12 for children. 11 a.m. 8711 Monroe Road, Charlotte, NC 28212. https://lendscout-asmc.com/charlottes-dog-jog.
Try the new California burger chain that recently expanded to the Queen City. The Habit Burger Grill opened a new location in Monroe. Along with burgers cooked over an open flame, the menu also includes sandwiches such as marinated chicken, sushi-grade ahi tuna, tenderloin steaks, milkshakes and more. On Saturday, the first 200 customers at 11:30 a.m. and 5 p.m. receive a free Charburger, fries and drink. Customers must be a CharClub member and present a VIP invitation by signing up at habitburger.com/monroe/. 2121 W. Roosevelt Blvd., Monroe, NC 28110. http://bit.ly/3xJKHSz
Calling all brides! The annual Goodwill Bridal Pop-Up is back. Hundreds of gowns and accessories for brides and bridal parties will be available from $29-$499. All donated dresses are new or in gently used condition. 9 a.m.-4 p.m. 5301 Wilkinson Blvd., Charlotte, NC 28208. https://goodwillsp.org/newsevents/bridal-event/
Sunday, March 5
Sunday Funday Free Lunches are back at NoDa Company Store. There will be variety of different foods available, like hamburgers, hot dogs, tacos and more. Meals will be served starting at noon until they run out. 3221 Yadkin Ave, Charlotte, NC 28205. https://bit.ly/3m25VIN
Satisfy your sweet tooth at the Girl Scout Cookie Pop-Up hosted by Birdsong Brewing. Support local Girl Scouts and pair your favorite cookie with one of Birdsong’s craft beers — like Thin Mints and Lazy Bird Brown Ale or Peanut Butter Patties with a Mexi Cali Stout. 2-5 p.m. 1016 N. Davidson St., Charlotte, NC 28206. https://www.birdsongbrewing.com/
Check out the Suspicious Cheese Lords concert at Belmont Abbey College. The male-vocal group from Washington, DC specializes in Renaissance music. Free. Donations are welcome. 3 p.m. Basilica, 100 Belmont-Mt Holly Road, Belmont, NC 28012. https://belmontabbeycollege.edu/event/suspicious-cheese-lords/
Monday, March 6
Celebrate National Oreo Day by getting a new limited edition Oreos Cookies and Cream cake from Nothing Bundt Cakes. The new flavor is only available for a limited time. In honor of 111 years of the popular cookie, Nothing Bundt Cakes is giving away a free OREO Cookies & Cream Bundtlet to the first 111 guests at each bakery on March 6 at 1:11 p.m. There’s several locations around Charlotte. You can find the closest one to you here.
Spend Meatless Monday trying out the new vegan restaurant in West Charlotte. Love in Action Cafe offers classic comfort foods with a vegan twist. From cauliflower wings to beyond cheese steak and vegan sweet potato pie, there’s a wide variety for breakfast, lunch and dinner. 4419 Tuckaseegee Road, Charlotte, NC 28208. https://www.loveinactioncafe.org/home
Tuesday, March 7
Check out the newly reopened Charlotte bookstore, I’ve Read It In Books. The store has a new location in NoDa with double the space, extra seating and hundreds more books. 2902 N. Davidson St, Charlotte, NC 28205. https://bookshop.org/shop/ireaditinbooks.
Participate in Cabarrus Burger Madness, a month-long celebration of creative local chefs. Through the end of March, you can try out limited-time burgers at participating restaurants and vote for your favorite.This year’s competition features 15 local restaurants. This year’s winner will be announced in April. Multiple locations. https://www.explorecabarrus.com/blog/all-about-cabarrus-burger-madness/.
Strap in for a drag-fueled joyride as Trixie Mattel and Katya Zamolodchikova roll into Ovens Auditorium on the heels of their recent GLAAD Media Award nomination for their work on “The Bald and the Beautiful” podcast. The “RuPaul’s Drag Race” alums’ “Trixie and Katya Live!” adult-oriented show will feature musical numbers, eye-popping sets, homages to classic drag road-trip movie comedies and more. 8 p.m. 2700 E. Independence Blvd. A very limited amount of tickets are available, starting at $112. bit.ly/3EKIlGR
Wednesday, March 8
Foodies — listen up! A new culinary experience series is kicking off in Charlotte. Local chefs, mixologists, restaurateurs, bakers and more are coming together for Savor Charlotte, a selection of hands-on classes, demonstrations, exclusive menus, special offers and experiences available from March 8-22. Times and dates vary depending on experiences. savorcharlotte.com
Celebrate International Women’s Day at Peninsula Prime’s Empowering Women networking event. There will be networking games, a guest speaker and panel of women from different industries plus a special dinner for guests. Singer and songwriter Michelle Renee will also be performing. Free. 4-9:30 p.m. 19918 N. Cove Road, Cornelius, NC 28031. http://bit.ly/3KJrnMD
Enjoy a night out with a five course dinner at RSVP in South End. Guests can get a farm-to-table meal featuring locally sourced ingredients like brasstown braised beef short ribs with herb gnocchi dumplings and chocolate dipped bacon, plus premium wines. Tickets are $100. 7-9:30 p.m. 225 Fairwood Ave., Charlotte NC 28203. http://bit.ly/3Y37KSN
Thursday, March 9
Plan ahead for the weekend and get tickets for the upcoming Rich & Bennett St. Patrick’s Day pub crawl on March 11. The cost starts at $20 at prepay events or $25 online — including a custom green t-shirt — and the event goes on rain or shine. Multiple locations. RichAndBennett.com.
Mark your calendar
It’s almost time for the Charlotte SHOUT! Festival. The event runs March 31-April 16 when Uptown transforms into a creative playground highlighting music, art, food and more. The festival lineup has been released and tickets are available online. Multiple locations and prices. https://www.charlotteshout.com/
Tickets are on sale for the North Carolina Brewers and Music Festival. The two-day event will be held in Huntersville from May 12-13 with 9 bands and over 40 breweries that’ll be serving up drinks all weekend. One day tickets start at $25, and weekend-long passes are $125. 4431 Neck Road, Huntersville, NC 28078.
Theoden Janes contributed to this article.
.jpg)