Your 5-minute guide to the best things to do in Charlotte | Jan. 12-18
What is there to do in Charlotte this weekend? Here’s our experts’ picks on everything from entertainment – movies to music to theater – to food and wine, beer and restaurants. And shopping, of course...
Friday
It’s movie awards season again and nostalgia for blockbusters with an imprint on pop culture like “Star Wars” and “Harry Potter” never goes out of fashion. Charlotte Symphony Orchestra and conductor Christopher James Lee celebrate those kinds of films through the music of one man – John Williams. The orchestra will hit on music from the “Indiana Jones” series, “Star Wars,” “E.T.,” “Jaws,” “Jurassic Park” and others. $56-$257. 7:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday. Belk Theater.
Saturday
Charlotte honors Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. with the annual MLK Holiday Parade in uptown. From 10 a.m. to noon more than 100 community organizations, marching bands, floats, and dance and step performers will march down Tryon Street between 9th and Stonewall to commemorate the life of the civil rights leader. Free.
Hands On Charlotte remembers Dr. King with its annual MLK Day Call to Service, which invites community members of all ages to spend an afternoon giving back in his honor. Family-friendly activities for all ages include writing cards of encouragement; making no-sew baby blankets, bookmarks, bookworms and writing bookworm letters; creating literacy kits for school programs; and packing information kits for the Red Cross. There are four locations to pitch in: Blythe Elementary in Huntersville, East Mecklenburg High, Piedmont Open IB Middle School, and Renaissance West Steam Academy. Noon to 2 p.m.
Those who settled in the Carolinas centuries ago learned to utilize nearly every part of an animal for food, tools, clothes and soap, especially during the cold winter. Historic Brattonsville in York County revisits that era of little waste with Hog Butchering Day. Interpreters dressed in period garb will demonstrate 19th-century pork processing activities, from rendering lard from fat to sausage- and soap-making. Others include using pig bladders in preservation and a head-cheese-making demonstration. Kids can even make paintbrushes from hog bristles. Pork barbecue, smoked hams, and pork rinds are among the delicacies on the menu. $8 adults, $7 seniors, $5 age 4 to 17, 3 and younger free. 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Sixteen independent pro wrestlers battle for the PWX title during the two-day X Sixteen Tournament. Familiar competitors include John Skyler, Tracer X, Corey Hollis, and Darius Lockhart, along with tag team the Ugly Ducklings, who take on current champs the Syndicate in a Ducks, Ladders and Chairs match for the tag team belts. That match takes place Saturday at Carole Hoefener Center in Charlotte, as does the first round of the tournament. PWX returns to Concord’s Cabarrus Arena Sunday at 3 p.m. for the final bouts to determine its champ. $12 to $30; $5 children age 5 to 12; younger than 5 free.
Wednesday
“Phantom of the Opera,” the classic Broadway musical, gets a new look under producers Cameron Mackintosh and Matthew Bourne with new scenic design, costumes, choreography, lighting and staging. It begins an 11-day run at Belk Theater, through Jan. 28. $25-$130. 7:30 p.m. Wednesday-Thursday with shows nightly (except Jan. 22); matinees on Saturday, Sunday and Thursday, Jan. 17.
Thursday
The Bechtler’s Modernism + Film series spotlights pioneering architect and engineer Frei Otto with the film “Frei Otto: Spanning the Future.” In one of his last interviews, Otto discusses WWII’s influence on his work in tensile architecture. Opening remarks by UNCC School of Architecture associate professor Greg Snyder precede a reception with appetizers and cash bar at 6 p.m. $10, $8 for members, $5 for students. 7 p.m.
Desirae, Deondra, Gregory, Melody and Ryan make up the 5 Browns – a quintet of pianists who have astounded classical music fans globally, as well as PBS viewers, with powerful five-piano concerts. The Browns were the first family of five siblings accepted simultaneously to Julliard School of Music. Now grown and married with more than 15 years of performance under their fingertips, they bring their five-piano approach to classical music to CPCC’s Halton Theater. $40-$60. 7:30 p.m.
Kevin and Keith Hodge have turned observational YouTube videos and fitness into a career, which has branched out into standup comedy. The Hodge Twins bring their biographical humor as fathers, husbands, brothers and fitness gurus to Comedy Zone for a one night stand. $25/$50 VIP. 8 p.m.
This story was originally published January 11, 2018 at 3:53 PM with the headline "Your 5-minute guide to the best things to do in Charlotte | Jan. 12-18."