Popular Charlotte festival plans uptown return after COVID canceled it last year
Charlotte SHOUT!, the uptown festival combining arts, music, food, entertainment and art installations, will return this September after being scrapped last year in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic.
The festival will run from Sept. 17-Oct. 3, Blumenthal Performing Arts and Charlotte Center City Partners said Friday. The announcement comes just days before North Carolina opens up COVID-19 vaccinations to anyone 16 or older.
“Our goal is to make Charlotte SHOUT! the most inspiring annual festival in the Southeast celebrating art, music, food and ideas,” said Blumenthal President Tom Gabbard, in a statement “This year we will especially savor the chance to safely be together again to enjoy our vibrant city, and the creativity that helps to define it.”
Then there are the bunnies.
Amanda Parer’s Intrude (inflatable bunnies) have been a staple of the festival, and will return this year.
Charlotte Shout! had been on hiatus since 2009, but was revived by Charlotte Center City Partners and the Blumenthal in 2019. That spring, the festival ran for two weeks and featured over 200 events.
New programs for local artists
This year’s event has a pair of new programs aimed at showcasing local talent.
Made in CLT is seeking participation in areas such as art, music and food. Applications for the program are at www.charlotteshout.com, and are due by May 15.
Of Earth and Sky is billed as a “large-scale poetry installation” from local poets.
People interested in participating in the Of Earth and Sky project can also attend free workshops hosted by award-winning poet Boris “Bluz” Rogers and National Poetry Slam champions Jay Ward and Jordan Bailey at the Middleton McMillan Gallery at Spirit Square or via Zoom each Saturday this April and May.
Learn more about Of Earth and Sky and the workshops at blumenthalarts.org/events/detail/ofearthandsky.
The full lineup of acts for Charlotte SHOUTS! will be announced this summer.
To celebrate Friday’s announcement of the events return, Victoria Yards and The Square at Spirit Square will host performances and activities beginning at 5 p.m. Friday. Here is more information about the events Friday and through the weekend.
This story was originally published April 2, 2021 at 8:55 AM.
