Happenings: Calendar of events
January 3, 2025
Here’s our calendar of things to do in Charlotte. Our SouthPark neighborhood guide covers where to eat and shop. Here’s a look at where to go ice skating, too.
EVENTS + ACTIVITIES
Hamilton
through Feb. 2
The acclaimed Broadway musical by Lin-Manuel Miranda returns to Charlotte and tickets are going fast. Hamilton follows the rise of Founding Father Alexander Hamilton as he fights for honor, love, and a legacy that would shape the course of a nation. All set to a score that blends hip-hop, jazz, R&B, and Broadway. Tickets start at $49.50. blumenthalarts.org
Queen’s Feast: Charlotte Restaurant Week
Jan. 17-26
During this semi-annual promotion, restaurants across the 11-county Charlotte region offer prix-fixe menus at special discounted rates. charlotterestaurantweek.com
Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey presents the Greatest Show on Earth
Jan. 17-19
Yes, the highwire and trapeze acts are still part of the show, but this modernized production also features new acts by acrobats, aerialists and BMX riders. Tickets start at $20. Spectrum Center. ticketmaster.com
Science on the Rocks
Jan. 17
This adults-only evening of science and socializing takes you inside Discovery Place Science for an after-hours museum experience, with a cocktail in tow. General admission tickets are $22 and must be purchased in advance. discoveryplace.org
Kevin Hart: Acting My Age
Jan. 17-19
The comedian and actor seems to be everywhere and added more shows to his Charlotte stop to meet demand. This year, Hart received the Kennedy Center’s annual Mark Twain Prize for American Humor. Ovens Auditorium. ticketmaster.com
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Holiday Parade
Jan. 18 | 9:30 a.m.
A Charlotte tradition, this year the parade will march down Tryon Street, beginning at Ninth Street and end at Brooklyn Village Avenue. More than 100 community groups, marching bands and step and drill teams will participate. charlottenc.gov
Randy Travis: More Life Tour
Jan. 23 | 7:30 p.m.
The country singer will be joined by vocalist James Dupré, along with his longtime touring band. Travis, who suffered a life-changing stroke in 2013, will be joined in performing his hits including “Forever and Ever, Amen” and “Three Wooden Crosses.” Ovens Auditorium. Tickets start at $30. ticketmaster.com
Vitamin Strings Quartet: The Music of Taylor Swift, Bridgerton and Beyond
Jan. 23
As heard in the Netflix smash, Bridgerton, VSQ presents classical crossover at its best with cutting-edge renditions of pop hits. Tickets start at $29. Sandra Levine Theatre at Queens University. etix.com
Black Notes Project
Jan. 24-25
This music festival with a jazz theme celebrates Black music through two evening concerts and a family-friendly show on Saturday afternoon featuring the Charlotte Symphony Youth Orchestra. Sainted Trap Choir and a jazz tribute to Prince are also part of the lineup. Ticket prices vary. blumenthalarts.org
Charlotte Hornets vs. Los Angeles Lakers
Jan. 27 | 7 p.m.
Expect extra buzz at this game as the Hornets host LeBron James and the Lakers for their second matchup in January. Tickets start around $95. ticketmaster.com
ONGOING EVENTS
Wednesday Night Live
Wednesdays from 5-9 p.m.
The Mint Museum, The Bechtler Museum of Modern Art, The Harvey B. Gantt Center for African-American Arts + Culture and the Knight Theater are partnering in this weekly event series featuring free admission and live entertainment. Visit mintmuseum.org for the programming schedule and updates.
First Friday South End Gallery Crawl
Galleries and shops offer extended hours, special receptions, live painting and music along the Rail Trail on the first Friday of each month. southendclt.org
MUSEUMS + GALLERIES
Women of Land and Smoke: Photographs by Graciela Iturbide and Maya Goded
through Aug. 10
This exhibition at Mint Museum Randolph features more than 50 photographs by the Mexico City-born artists who have been professional colleagues for more than 35 years. Their works are primarily focused on women from indigenous communities from Los Angeles to Chile. mintmuseum.org
Southern/Modern
through Feb. 2
This exhibition — a collaboration with Georgia Museum of Art — includes more than 100 works of art created in the American South during the first half of the 20th century. At Mint Museum Uptown. mintmuseum.org
Chance Encounters: Surrealism Then and Now
through March 3
Celebrating the 100th anniversary of the movement, which was founded in Paris in 1924, this exhibit showcases art from The Bechtler’s collection, which includes works by Jean Arp, Max Ernst, Joan Miró and more. bechtler.org
Ties That Bind: Portraits by Mitchell Kearney of Artists at McColl Center 1999–2008
through Jan. 18
As McColl Center celebrates its 25th anniversary, this exhibition showcases Kearney’s documentation of the historic building’s transformation and of the artists who shaped the center’s legacy.
mccollcenter.org
From the Heart: The John and Vivian Hewitt Collection of African-American Art
through Jan. 20
This collection of 58 works by 20 artists includes works by Romare Bearden, Elizabeth Catlett and Henry Ossawa Tanner. In 1998, Bank of America acquired the collection and pledged it to the Afro-American Cultural Center — now the Gantt Center. The collection was previously exhibited at the Gantt Center in 2009. ganttcenter.org
Kenny Nguyen: Adaptations at Mint Museum Uptown
through March 2
Nguyen, who grew up in Vietnam and moved to the United States when he was 19, merges cultural traditions in his works. The Charlotte artist innovatively combines abstract painting and fiber art into breathtaking pieces. mintmuseum.org
Coined in the South
through April 27
This biennial juried exhibition shows the diversity and creative spirit of the Southern arts community. Out of nearly 1,500 applicants, 49 Southern working artists were chosen to show their works. The Charlotte region is represented MyLoan Dinh, Hannah Shaban, Melissa Stutts and Indrani Nayar-Gall. The exhibition is created in collaboration with the museum’s young professionals group, Young Affiliates of the Mint. mintmuseum.org
Becoming the Sea
through Jan. 20
This exhibit highlights 12 artists who participated in the Black Rock Senegal artist residency founded in Dakar in 2019. Curator Dexter Wimberly will be in attendance to reflect on the works and featured artists during the opening celebration on Aug. 9. A free community day takes places Aug. 10. ganttcenter.org
Charlotte: Moving Forward, Looking Back
Now open
This wide-ranging exhibition at Levine Museum of the New South highlights key industries, struggles for equality, the impact of immigration and Charlotte’s identity as part of the New South. Admission is free. 401 S. Tryon St., museumofthenewsouth.org
Objects of Affection: Jewelry by Robert Ebendorf from the Porter Price Collection
through Feb. 16
More than 180 works in this exhibition at Mint Museum Randolph highlight the studio jewelry, metalwork and collages of Robert
Ebendorf. The artist, who taught in the metal design program at East Carolina University for nearly 20 years, is known for using found pieces of sea glass, plastic, paper and indus trial objects in his works. mintmuseum.org
A New Moon Rises
This permanent exhibition reveals the grandeur and wonder of our closest celestial neighbor through stunning, large-scale photographs captured by the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter Camera (LROC) between 2009 and 2015. Entrance is included with Discovery Place Science general admission, 301 N. Tryon St. discoveryplace.org
Don’t forget to check out our SouthPark neighborhood guide.
Featured image courtesy Queen’s Feast Restaurant Week
— compiled by SouthPark magazine staff
