BOOM Charlotte art festival adds to diverse lineup at new Camp North End venue

The fifth annual BOOM Charlotte returns this week after a two-year hiatus because of COVID. And it has an expanded lineup of diverse performers and artists at a new location.

“Even though we set off to do a smaller festival, it has ballooned into one with 60-plus shows,” festival co-founder and executive director Manoj Kesavan told The Charlotte Observer Tuesday. “It’s still one of the largest local arts gathering in Charlotte.”

Instead of three days, the artist-led showcase of original works, is pared to two days, Friday and Saturday. Kesavan said organizers had less time to plan for the event as COVID cases surged in the fall causing more cancellations, plus it’s at a new venue.

“So we wanted to scale back,” he said.

And, instead of being held in the Plaza Midwood neighborhood, as in prior years, BOOM Charlotte will be at Camp North End at 1824 Statesville Ave. Kesavan said some Plaza Midwood businesses closed or moved, so the indoor performances lost venue space.

This year’s Charlotte Boom will be smaller compared to 2019 which had more than 100 shows and over 20,000 visitors, but Kesavan said, “it’s pretty packed.”

While there were repeat artists the first four years for the indoor ticketed portion called Fringe, this year all but one is new, Kesavan said. There will be new bands and more dance groups, too.

“It’s a different lineup from previous festivals,” he said. “We feel we’re reaching a broader group of artists. It’s very diverse.”

Highlighting immigrant artists

BOOM Charlotte also includes an immigrant artist showcase to give their voices a stage, Kesavan said.

“It brings the arts to the people who are usually absent from the art scene,” he said.

BOOM Charlotte is a chance for Charlotteans to showcase their talents and gives people a glance of the richness of arts in and around Charlotte, Kesavan said.

“So many don’t have access to share their talent,” he said. “BOOM provides that platform.”

What to know about BOOM Festival

What to expect: The two-day BOOM Charlotte festival features “experimental/contemporary” works in theater, music, visual art, film and dance.

Hours: 6 to 10 p.m. Friday and noon to 10 p.m. Saturday — plus after-hours parties. Here is a schedule of events (https://boomcharlotte.org/schedule/)

Tickets: BOOM Intersection performances, installations and activities are free on the outdoor stage at the Boileryard and popups along the raceway at Camp North End. The majority of performances are free.

BOOM Fringe performances are indoors and require tickets. Cost is $10 for an individual show, or $50 for a weekend pass which includes nine in-person performances, three virtual events and Saturday night’s AfroPop! Nation after-party, according to the festival’s website.

This story was originally published April 20, 2022 at 6:00 AM.