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In the Gardens

In the Gardens, a new series by University City Partners and the UNC Charlotte Botanical Gardens, invites Charlotteans to get outside to create, move, and reflect. The monthly classes rotate between Art and Wellness. For the former, a local artist guides participants through a 90-minute art class inside the Botanical Gardens. The 60-minute wellness classes are held in the Polly Rogers Memorial Sensory Garden, where an instructor leads light yoga, stretching, and journaling exercises. Classes are open to all experience levels, and supplies are provided.

UNC Charlotte Botanical Gardens. Tickets: $21 (art) and $16 (wellness)

This fall’s classes:
Saturday, Sept. 16, 10-11 a.m.
Led by: Charlotte FIT owner Taylor Calamese
Saturday, Oct. 21, 11 a.m.-12:30 p.m.
Led by: University City-based modern artist Janeva Tyree

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Picture These 16 Art Exhibits and Events

ArtBreak
Every third Thursday
Stop into Mint Museum Uptown on your lunch break and learn about a work of art from a museum docent. 
Mint Museum Uptown. Free

Books Start Art Club
Every first Wednesday 
Kids ages 5 to 11 learn about a technique, artist, or illustrator, and then make their own work in that style. 
Community Room, Plaza Midwood branch of Charlotte Mecklenburg Library. Free

Open Studios at VAPA
Every first Saturday
Once a month, the more than 200 artists at VAPA Center open their studios to share their work with the public. 
VAPA Center, Free

Queen City Comedy Experience
Sept. 6-10

Five days of shows by comedians like Chris Tucker, Shawn Wayans, Capitol Fools, and Lyle Drescher (aka Therapy Gecko, aka “An unlicensed lizard psychologist who travels the universe talking to strangers about absolutely nothing.”). Sick.
Locations and prices vary

It’s Complicated, But in Color 
Through Sept. 15
Four multimedia artists—Bhen Alan, Olivia Baldwin, Catherine Nelson, and Kelsey Tynik—explore how objects can transport you to the past, present, and future. 
Goodyear Arts. Free

Pop Art Exhibition
Sept. 8-Oct. 6
Artists give pop-art treatment to images of ordinary objects.  
Charlotte Art League, Free

Cute Aggression
Sept. 22-Oct. 13
Thirteen artists from various disciplines and cities explore the dual nature of “cute aggression.”
Goodyear Arts, Free
 
SEEING STARS
Through Sept. 24
Works by 22 contemporary artists, from the collection of Hedy Fischer and Randy Shull. 
Harvey B. Gantt Center for African-American Arts + Culture. Museum admission: $9

Guiding Winds
Through Oct. 15 
Works from Mexican-American artist and activist Rosalía Torres-Weiner. 
Mint Museum Randolph, Museum admission: $15

Oddities Exhibition
Oct. 13-Nov. 3
Artists display their most eccentric works.
Charlotte Art League, Free 

Queens University of Charlotte Art Expo
Saturday, Oct. 21
Purchase art to take home at this marketplace of local artists and artisans.
1900 Selwyn Ave. Free

Queen City Zine Fest
Saturday, Oct. 21
A showcase of self-published ’zines, comics, illustrations, chapbooks, small press editions, and other print media. 
McColl Center, Free 

BIG INK 
Oct. 21-22
Registration for this traveling woodblock-printing workshop passed in July, but you’re invited to learn more about the art form and watch the artists at work. 
McColl Center, Free

where the sun shines
Through Oct. 29
“In this world, the sun always shines, the walls whistle, and Venus and Serena Williams play a never-ending tennis match in the sky.” This immersive exhibit by artist Stephanie J. Woods includes photos, sculptures,
textiles, and floor and video installations. 
Harvey B. Gantt Center for African- American Arts + Culture, Museum admission: $9 

Fall Residency Showcase
Nov. 3-24
Check in on what artists Elliana Esquivel, Ju-Ian Shen, and Justin Ellis created during their residencies at Goodyear Arts.
Goodyear Arts, Free 

A Spectacular Black Girl Art Show
Sunday, Nov. 26
This biannual, traveling exhibit celebrates the works of Black female artists.  
Charlotte Art League, Tickets start at $30

Charlotte Art League Open Studio
Dates vary
Bring your art or craft project and work alongside other creatives in the Charlotte Art League classroom.
Charlotte Art League, Free 

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Coming to a Theater Near You

A Woman’s Love: The Stage Play
Saturday, Sept. 2, 7 p.m.
Knight Theater, Tickets start at $59

The Wizard of Oz
Sept. 8-24
Theatre Charlotte, Tickets: $20, 

Chicago
Sept. 12-17
Belk Theater, Tickets start at $25

Speakeasy
Friday, Sept. 22, 7:30 p.m.
Fullwood Theatre, Matthews Community Center. Tickets start at $12

Narnia The Musical
Sept. 22-Oct. 22
McColl Family Theatre. Tickets start at $18

MJ
Sept. 27-Oct. 8
Belk Theater. Tickets start at $25

Tired Souls: The Montgomery Bus Boycott
Oct. 7-8
Wells Fargo Playhouse. Tickets start at $17

Jesus Christ Superstar
Oct. 13-15
Belk Theater. Tickets start at $30

The Sound of (Black) Music
Sunday, Oct. 15, 7 p.m.
Knight Theater. Tickets start at $24.50

Call of the Wild
Saturday, Oct. 21, 2 & 8 p.m. 
Cain Center for the Arts. Tickets start at $25

PAW Patrol Live!
Oct. 27-29
Ovens Auditorium. Tickets start at $40

Baskerville
Oct. 27-Nov. 13
Theatre Charlotte. Tickets: $20

Pagliacci with Cavalleria Rusticana
Oct. 28-Nov. 2
Belk Theater. Tickets start at $22

Cookin’
Nov. 3-5
Knight Theater. Tickets start at $25

Life Doesn’t Frighten Me
Nov. 4-19
Wells Fargo Playhouse. Tickets start at $17 

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Catch Local Musicians on Stage in September

Brandon Stevens
Friday, Sept. 1, 6 & 8:45 p.m.
Middle C Jazz. Tickets start at $35,

Joe McGovern with Alexa Jenson
Friday, Sept. 15, 7:30 p.m.
The Evening Muse. Tickets start at $12

LKN Songwriters Showcase
Saturday, Sept. 16, 8 p.m. 
Featuring Rusty Knox, HC Oaks, Paul Bradley Atkinson, Heidi Sidelinker, and Billy Jones.
Cain Center for the Arts. Tickets: $25

Mutant Strain, Wine Pride, Tai Popple, and Navtec
Saturday, Sept. 23, 10 p.m. 
Concert benefits Charlotte Skate Foundation.
Snug Harbor. Tickets: $10 

Dan Hood
Wednesday, Sept. 20, 8:30 p.m.
Goldie’s. Free

SOLIS with MOA and narrowcast.
Saturday, Sept. 30, 9 p.m. 
Petra’s. Tickets start at $7

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Five Charlotte Symphony Concerts

An Evening with Renée Fleming
Wednesday Sept. 20, 7 p.m.
Belk Theater

Beethoven’s Eroica
Oct. 6-8
Knight Theater 

Cody Fry Live in Concert
Friday, Oct. 27, 7:30 p.m.
Knight Theater

The Hot Sardines
Nov. 10-11
Knight Theater

Sherlock Holmes & The Case of the Missing Maestro
Saturday, Nov. 11, 11 a.m. 
Knight Theater

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Second Annual Charlotte International Arts Festival

Blumenthal Performing Arts is hosting its second Charlotte International Arts Festival from Sept. 15 to Oct. 1. It features more than 200 events and installations across Charlotte from local and international artists, but here’s a more digestible sampling. 

Fela! The Concert
Saturday, Sept. 16, 8 p.m.
An Afrobeat band will play the music of Fela Kuti, known as the founding father of the genre.  Original members of the Tony Award-winning Broadway show Fela! will also take the stage.  
The Amp Ballantyne. Tickets start at $50.

Latin American Festival 
Saturday, Sept. 23, 12 p.m. 
The 33rd annual festival, in Ballantyne this year, will feature music, art, and cuisine from more than 19 Latin American countries. 
The Amp Ballantyne. Free.

Festival of India
Saturday, Sept. 23, 12 p.m. 
For the 25th year, the India Association of Charlotte shares Indian culture and traditions with dance, food, art, music, and more.
Belk Theater. Tickets: $6. 

Project: FULL OUT
Sunday, Sept. 24, 1:30 & 6 p.m. 
For her eponymous nonprofit organization, producer, director, and choreographer Ana Ogbueze runs a two-month training program for local aspiring, professional, and recreational dancers of all styles. The public is invited to this showcase performance at the end of the program.  
Knight Theater. Tickets start at $10.

Sincerely, Charlotte: A Love Letter to Old Charlotte
Sunday, Sept. 24, 7 p.m.
Charlotte native Mia McClure (stage name: Mia Love Live) takes viewers into Charlotte’s past “to commemorate, honor, recollect, and show love to some of the city’s most famous staples that once were, and are no more.”
Booth Playhouse. Tickets start at $20.

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Care to Dance?

Stewart/Owen Dance
Saturday, Sept. 23, 2 p.m. 
Asheville’s Wortham Center for the Performing Arts’ resident dance company performs its award-winning contemporary choreography for Charlotte. 
Cain Center for the Arts. Tickets start at $30

Breaking Boundaries
Oct. 5-28
Charlotte Ballet’s two-part fall show is, for the first time, curated entirely by new Artistic Director Alejandro Cerrudo. The first part is a showing of Kamuyot, an unconventional performance choreographed by Ohad Naharin that “allows the audience ‘to be with’ dance and not only watch it.” The second will feature the world premiere of a show by South African award-winning choreographer Mthuthuzeli November.
Center for Dance. Tickets start at $30

Southeast Tango Festival
Oct. 13-15
A weekend of tango workshops led by instructors Cesar Davalos, Roxana Marinoff, Marcos Pereira, and Florencia Borgnia, plus milongas, socials, vendors, DJs, and more. 
Infinity Ballroom Charlotte. Tickets for individual events start at $20; weekend pass: $155

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Festivals, All Fall Long

Yiasou Greek Festival
Sept. 8-10
Feast on spanakopita, dolmade, tiropitas, and more, plus all the Greek pastries you desire. (Don’t miss the Baklava Sundae.) There are also cultural performances, a Greek market, wine tastings, and a kids play area.
Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church. Tickets: $5

Festival in the Park
Sept. 22-24
This festival has been around longer than uptown’s skyscrapers, most of Charlotte’s sports teams, and Bojangles. Founded in 1964, it still brings Charlotteans together for food, music, and arts and crafts.
Freedom Park. Free

Charlotte Film Festival 
Sept. 27-Oct. 1
A showcase and competition for independent filmmakers from all around the world. 
The Independent Picture House. Prices vary

Breakaway Festival
Sept. 29-30
This traveling music festival selects different artists for each city. For its sixth year in Charlotte, catch artists like Flume, Porter Robinson, Alison Wonderland, and Adventure Club.
zMAX Dragway, Charlotte Motor Speedway, Concord. Tickets start at $79

BayHaven Food & Wine Festival
Oct. 4-8
Greg and Subrina Collier host this festival to celebrate Black foodways.
Camp North End and various locations. Tickets TBD

Biketoberfest
Sunday, Oct. 22
Sustain Charlotte’s fundraiser provides participants with “passports” for a scavenger hunt to local businesses. Bike, walk, or use public transit, and explore car-free ways to travel the city. 
Triple C Brewing Co. Tickets TBD

Carolina BalloonFest
Oct. 20-22
Behold a sky full of hot air balloons, plus tethered rides, wine and beer gardens, music, food, vendors, a kids zone, and more.
Statesville Regional Airport. Tickets start at $10