Be on the lookout for zombie shows, a permanent Panthers head coach, and decisions to be rendered that have a significant impact on our daily way of life.
Gregory Bull
AP
Goodbye 2022, Hello 2023
Our staff provides a year in review for 2022 and looks ahead at things to come in 2023 -- from people who will make a difference to events we've marked on our calendars and more
A whole lot of headline-grabbing stuff will happen in 2023 that we will have never seen coming.
Celebrities will die shocking deaths. People who have been nobodies all their lives will become household names overnight. Natural disasters will blindside and devastate communities. New technologies that are expected to change life as we know it will flop, while a few under-the-radar ones will go extraordinarily viral, probably with teenagers first.
Heck, who knows? You might even finally hit the Powerball.
Then there are the various events and happenings that we can foresee, at least to an extent. We may not be able to know exactly how they’ll play out, or what the reaction or the impact will be, but they’re things we can count on to come at us next year.
With that said, here are the most highly anticipated moments of 2023, a blend of local, regional, national and international pickings, ranked in chronological order. Many of them are pop-culture-oriented, and so precisely predictable because they’re scheduled — movie releases, concert dates, sporting events and the like. Weightier ones, meanwhile, can be forecast simply because every logical sign indicates they are inevitabilities — you’ll see what we mean.
In other words, obviously some of these things are way more important to our daily lives than others. (Just roll with it.)
January: Check out Carowinds in the cold
Ever wondered what it would be like to ride one of the amusement park’s roller coasters while wearing a hat and gloves? You’re in luck: The amusement park will expand to year-round operations beginning the weekend of Jan. 7.
This means that from 11 a.m.-6 p.m. on Saturdays and Sundays through early March, much of Carowinds will be operate just like it does in the warmer months — although don’t be surprised if you show up to find an attraction or two closed due to maintenance or a refurbishment project.
(Oh, also, in the spring, Carowinds is set to take the wraps off of several new thrill rides upon opening a freshly themed area of the park it’s calling Aeronautica Landing.)
Carowinds also will celebrate its 50th anniversary in 2023. Alex Slitz alslitz@charlotteobserver.com
January: Hello, 8 billion people in the world
Not much else to say about this, other than: Forty-nine years ago, the planet was home to just half that figure.
January-ish: Decision time for the Carolina Panthers
By most measures, Steve Wilks has made an overwhelmingly positive impression since being promoted to interim head coach after Matt Rhule’s firing in October. Will it be enough to score him a permanent job? Making the playoffs and winning at least one postseason game couldn’t hurt. We should know something soon ...
Carolina Panthers interim head coach Steve Wilks is a product of West Charlotte High School. Rusty Jones AP
Jan. 10: Prince Harry does the tell-all thing. Again.
In the wake of the release of the “Harry & Meghan” documentary series that just about broke Netflix, the Duke of Sussex will spill yet more tea about his family in this new memoir. Its title, “Spare,” is a nod to his status as a younger royal sibling — i.e., there’s the “heir,” and then there’s the “spare.”
Jan. 16: ‘The Last of Us’ lands on TV
If you don’t like zombies, go ahead and skip to the next entry. But if you’ve got the stomach for it, we’re betting on this hyper-violent-video-game-turned-prestige-drama-on-HBO being the most-talked-about new television series of the year.
The set-up is pretty simple: A brooding tough guy (Pedro Pascal) reluctantly agrees to try to transport a teenage girl (Bella Ramsey) across post-apocalyptic America. Then things get complicated, ridiculously bloody, and far more emotionally heart-wrenching than you might expect.
Feb. 11-May 21: Picasso sets up shop at the Mint
This is a gigantic deal for admirers of classical painters (and a great excuse to check out uptown’s Mint Museum if you’ve never been before): The Mint will be the first to feature “Picasso Landscapes: Out of Bounds,” a major traveling exhibition comprised of more than 40 paintings spanning the artist’s entire career. In fact, the Mint is one of just three venues — and the only one on the East Coast — that will host these Picassos.
February-ish: Dems look to make South Carolina No. 1
In December, the Democratic National Committee’s Rules and Bylaws Committee approved a sweeping proposal that would upend the party’s presidential primary calendar, sending traditional No. 1 Iowa to the back of the class and giving the Palmetto State the honor of voting on candidates first. The mildly controversial (in large part to Iowa) proposal still needs the ratification of the full DNC, which will take up the issue mid-winter.
There’s also, of course, some bureaucracy involved, in this case requiring South Carolina to meet special requirements before being cleared to be considered to go first. They need to show they meet those by Jan. 5.
But if all goes smoothly for S.C., the state would hold the nation’s first Democratic primary on Feb. 3, 2024, and President Biden — whose has been really eager for this to happen — would notch a not-insignificant political victory. (The GOP, FWIW, is keeping Iowa first.)
March 12: Our clocks spring forward ... for the last time?
This is a little complicated, but basically: The Sunshine Protection Act — a bill that would make daylight saving time permanent in the United States — passed the Senate last March but is still awaiting review by the House of Representatives. There’s a chance the House won’t vote on it before it expires out of the system, although even if it does it can be reentered into it relatively easily.
Should the legislation pass, our collective circadian rhythms will be grateful.
Is the practice of turning back the clocks in the fall outdated? You make the call. Juan Moyano TNS
March 12: The first Oscars since ‘The Slap’
Late-night talk show host Jimmy Kimmel will return to host the Academy Awards ceremony and has promised to say something about what will be a giant elephant in the room: Will Smith’s infamous smacking of Chris Rock during the 2022 telecast.
April 28-30: Taylor Swift does three shows ... in Atlanta
We’re still smarting over the fact that she didn’t include Charlotte’s Bank of America Stadium on her “Eras Tour” (and over the fact that we were among the Ticketmaster/Live Nation casualties who went to war for tickets and lost). But for those who are making the four-hour drive to see her at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, we’ll just say this: Take us with you!
Taylor Swift last performed in Charlotte more than seven years ago — in June of 2015. Terry Wyatt TNS
Spring: Cross Charlotte Trail gets even more connected
Cyclists and runners have been waiting a long time (and often fairly impatiently) to make use of the Brandywine to Tyvola segment (aka “the B2T”), which will run from just behind Park Road Shopping Center until it picks Little Sugar Creek Greenway back up near the Queens University Sports Complex.
Much of it actually looks done already, and so if you take a peek you’ll often see folks giving themselves an early preview. But they shouldn’t be doing that, the city says — because the trail will remain treacherous in parts until its completion, especially for cyclists.
When the B2T officially opens in the springtime, the Cross Charlotte Trail will stretch from NoDa to the bottom of I-485.
Spring: A hot spot for pickleball in South End
It kinda seems like the sport is indeed here to stay and not just some fad anymore, and here’s a solid argument for that: Rally, the hotly anticipated (and, at 27,000 square feet, massive) pickleball and entertainment complex, remains on target for a Q2 opening in Charlotte’s Lower South End.
In addition to the four indoor and four outdoor courts, the venue will offer a full-service restaurant with a “global street food”-inspired menu as well as two “signature cocktail bars.” Sounds pretty fancy for a joint where sweaty T-shirts will be a familiar sight (and smell).
An artist’s rendering of Rally. Courtesy of Rally
May 6: One more royal affair for Charles III and Camilla
Yes, he’s already officially King of England, but the coronation ceremony that will take place at Westminster Abbey in London will represent the height of his accession to the throne. Or, here’s a different way to put it: It’s basically just another big, expensive, stuffy party/pageant to celebrate him and his queen-consort wife.
May 16: High pick for the Hornets?
With LaMelo Ball and the rest of the squad languishing in the NBA’s cellar, fans of the Charlotte Hornets have had virtually nothing to celebrate so far this season. But that could most definitely change if three things happen: They keep losing, they wind up in the NBA draft lottery, and their ball is drawn first.
Because if they get the No. 1 pick, they get 18-year-old Victor Wembanyama, a 7-foot-4 French phenom who is widely considered the most coveted basketball prospect in a long, long, long time.
France’s Victor Wembanyama will instantly change the trajectory of whichever NBA team winds up drafting him. Bob Edme AP
By summer: There’ll be a new CMS superintendent — again
The revolving door that is the top position at Charlotte Mecklenburg Schools is spinning right into the new year, with the school board trying to settle on who will be the district’s interim superintendent.
But the bigger process looming is the one that will involve hiring a new permanent superintendent to replace newly anointed interim Crystal Hill. That search begins in January. The board hopes to have the job filled by summer, prior to the 2023-24 school year.
The new superintendent will be CMS’s eighth since 2011.
June 30: Indiana Jones is back for (probably?) the last time
Harrison Ford stars in “Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny,” the beloved franchise’s fifth and almost-certainly final installment with him in the swashbuckling lead role. Ford will turn 80 in July.
July 4-16: The one Broadway tour you won’t want to miss
One of the newest, hottest, buzziest shows currently on Broadway is “Six,” a comic musical centering around the six wives of King Henry VIII and a reality-TV-style pop-singing competition to determine who will be lead singer of their girl group. It’ll be at Belk Theater for 16 shows, starting with an Independence Night performance that will compete with — and feature, at least figuratively — fireworks.
“Six, The Musical,” will probably be a tough ticket to get. Charlotte
July 14: Party with blink-182 like it’s 2000
The show the alternative-rock band is bringing to Spectrum Center will be part of its first tour in four years, but tickets sold as if they hadn’t been here since their “Enema of the State” heyday. Last we checked, there were only a couple dozen seats available, and they’re not cheap: Ticketmaster wants close to $600 for a pair in the upper level.
July: Will Vi Lyles run again, or won’t she?
Charlotte’s current mayor very well could reveal whether she’ll go after a fourth term in office before summertime; but in any event we’ll know for sure by July 21, when candidate filing closes. If Lyles does run again — barring some major unforeseen twist, or the emergence of a significant dark horse on the Democratic side — she’ll almost certainly win, again.
Vi Lyles has been Charlotte’s mayor since 2017. Charlotte
July 20-Aug. 20: The Women’s World Cup is now up
Argentina is still celebrating its men’s team at the moment, but it’ll be all about the women before long. And hopefully, the U.S. women will a) fare better than their male counterparts when they take the field next summer for the FIFA Women’s World Cup (in Australia and New Zealand), and b) fare the same as the U.S. women did at their last World Cup.
If you’ll recall, they won.
Sometime in 2023: A second life for an uptown entertainment district
The overhauling of the colossal failure that was uptown’s EpiCentre continues. A number of significant repairs have already been completed, and in the coming year, the new owner of the mixed-use development will oversee multiple major renovation projects and the addition of several new features (from landscaping to lighting, benches to security cameras).
Its new name, in case you didn’t already know, is Queen City Quarter. We like it. We’d like it even more if it could successfully turn that space’s reputation around.
Throughout 2023: Donald Trump will have legal problems
In addition to pursuing another bid for president in 2024, Trump (and honestly more so his lawyers) will be up to his eyeballs in investigations into alleged wrongdoing related to his handling of classified documents, his election fraud claims, his role in the Jan. 6 U.S. Capitol attack, and his finances.
It’s astonishing to consider that this is even actually a real question: Will this next year propel him toward being convicted of high crimes, or toward being Commander-in-Chief again?
This story was originally published December 29, 2022 at 6:00 AM.
Théoden Janes has spent nearly 20 years covering entertainment and pop culture for the Observer. He also thrives on telling emotive long-form stories about extraordinary Charlotteans and — as a veteran of three dozen marathons and two Ironman triathlons — occasionally writes about endurance and other sports.Support my work with a digital subscription
