Community Calendar

Held in conjunction with the City of Lancaster’s Christmas in the City, the 12th Annual Winter Native American Art & Craft Festival features jewelry, quilts, baskets, Catawba pottery, and more artwork and demonstrations by established and emerging Native American artisans from around the region!

Enjoy delicious frybread from Lowcountry Frybread, available for purchase in the Center’s back parking lot (accessible from White Street). Seating is available in the Back Gallery.

Events are free and open to the public.

Embark on a fascinating journey through the skies and cosmos in the interactive aerospace exhibition Above and Beyond!

Above and Beyond celebrates the incredible innovations that have shaped flight – from the earliest dreams of the Wright brothers to today’s space exploration and tomorrow’s cutting-edge aviation technologies.

Explore the frontiers of air and space travel through immersive simulations, hands-on design challenges and dynamic storytelling that brings the history and future of aerospace to life. The journey begins in a wraparound immersive theater, then expands into five themed galleries featuring dozens of interactive stations.

On Saturday, December 6 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., our community will come together for the 18th Annual Charlotte Citywide Bake Sale at Blackhawk Hardware to raise money for Cookies for Kids’ Cancer, a 501(c)3 nonprofit funding research for safer, more effective treatments for kids battling cancer. 💛
This amazing event started 18 years ago in local mom Amy Christenbury’s front yard while her son Grier was fighting stage 4 Neuroblastoma. What began as one mom’s tribute has grown into a citywide tradition that’s raised over $1.3 million and continues to fuel hope for families everywhere.
Every year, local bakeries, volunteers and neighbors fill tables with hundreds of homemade cookies and treats, and every dollar helps fund critical research.

Link for more information: https://www.facebook.com/charlottegoodcookies/
Link to donate: https://my.beagoodcookie.org/team/760194
Link to volunteer: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/8050A45A5A7283-60354609-18th#/
Link to Cookies for Kids’ Cancer: https://cookiesforkidscancer.org/

Step into a glowing, snow-dusted wonderland with the debut of Snow Days, a one-of-a-kind indoor winter experience in Charlotte, NC, opening Saturday, November 22 and running through the winter holidays.

Snow Days is a family-friendly winter experience designed to inspire awe, nostalgia and wonder—perfect for anyone looking for indoor winter activities in Charlotte or things to do in Charlotte when it’s cold.

Highlights of Snow Days
* Aurora Borealis Experience – Walk beneath the dazzling Northern Lights in a peaceful winter scene. It’s a moment of stillness and awe in the heart of Charlotte’s newest indoor winter wonderland.
* Sock Skating Rink – Enjoy a fun indoor skating activity for all ages—no ice required! Visitors slip off their shoes and glide across a frictionless rink, making this one of the most unique indoor winter attractions in Charlotte.
* Nature & Animals in Winter – Explore how animals adapt to the cold through migration, hibernation and other survival strategies. See fascinating museum specimens like the Arctic fox, Humboldt penguin and snowy owl, and experience a blend of science and winter discovery in Charlotte.
* The Inuit: Life, Culture and Survival – Build a traditional-style igloo and explore fascinating artifacts and stories of resilience from Inuit communities who have thrived in Arctic climates for generations.
* The Snowflake: Research, Art and Folklore – Marvel at intricate snowflake photography, design virtual snowflakes, and learn how snow has inspired both science and storytelling across time. It’s a beautiful mix of art, science and winter magic.
* Hygge: Human Comfort for Survival – Relax in a cozy nook styled after the Danish and Norwegian tradition of hygge, celebrating the warm, cozy side of winter with soft lighting, music, blankets and books—an ideal spot for a winter day indoors in Charlotte.

“Decomposers Glow,” an art installation with larger-than-life glowing snails and mushrooms, is the centerpiece for the museum’s summer programming and events

ROCK HILL, S.C. - Nature, art, and technology come together for “Decomposers Glow,” an awe-inspiring larger-than-life landscape of illuminated snails and mushrooms. Created by Meredith Connelly, a Charlotte, N.C. based and award-winning multidisciplinary artist, the site-specific installation portrays the agents of decomposition through an interplay of light and technology. A curving path leads visitors through a soft glowing, otherworldly environment to observe over one hundred hand-constructed and 3D printed sculptures. Decomposers Glow is open from May 10 – Nov. 10, 2024.
Leading viewers into Connelly’s “Decomposers Glow,” a concurrent exhibit highlights the variety and importance of nature’s agents of decomposition. “Return to Earth” features photographs of actual fungi by Mike Hammer, painted mushroom models, a Carolina Piedmont snail shell collection, and two-dimensional cut paper works by Meredith Connelly that reference nature’s microscopic structures. “Return to Earth” on exhibit at Museum of York County from May 4 – Dec. 15, 2024.
More of Mike Hammer’s photography is on exhibit in the museum’s Nature Nook Gallery. “Endless Trail” features the natural settings of the Carolina Piedmont and beyond, capturing the uniquely beautiful moments of each season. “Endless Trail” opens at Museum of York County on May 18, 2024.

Join us for our inaugural 5K Run/Walk & Fun Run! Participants of all ages are welcome! Register now at crosscountryforyouth.org.

The holiday classic soars off the screen in this musical adaptation of the beloved television special. Filled with hits like "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer" and "A Holly Jolly Christmas," Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer™ features all of your favorite characters including Santa and Mrs. Claus, Hermey the Elf, Bumble the Abominable Snow Monster, Clarice, Yukon Cornelius and, of course, Rudolph. It’s an adventure that teaches us that what makes you different can be what makes you special.

Fly High! Watch Rudolph soar above the audience as we kick off the holidays in spectacular fashion.

One-Act, approx. 60 min. / For all ages

Show Dates and Times:
Sat, Nov 22: 11 AM & 3 PM
Sun, Nov 23: 2 & 4 PM
Fri, Nov 28: 2 & 4 PM
Sat, Nov 29: 11 AM & 3 PM
Sun, Nov 30: 2 & 4 PM
Sat, Dec 6: 11 AM & 3 PM
Sun, Dec 7: 11 AM & 2 PM
Sat, Dec 13: 11 AM & 3 PM
Sun, Dec 14: 11 AM & 2 PM
Fri, Dec 19: 7 PM
Sat, Dec 20: 11 AM & 3 PM
Sun, Dec 21: 2 & 4 PM
Mon, Dec 22: 11 AM & 2 PM
Tues, Dec 23: 11 AM & 2 PM

ASL-Interpreted Show: Sat, Dec 6 at 3 PM
Sensory-Friendly Performance: Sun, Dec 21 at 4 PM

Hope. Now available in a vending machine.

Giving to charity is as easy as buying a candy bar: select an item, type the number, tap your card.

A "vending machine for good," the Giving Machine lets visitors "purchase" real items for people in need -- everything from laundry detergent and diapers for local families to livestock and education supplies for communities worldwide. Each card represents a tangible act of giving, and 100% of every donation goes directly to participating charities: Ada Jenkins Center, American Red Cross, Church World Service, Classroom Central, Common Heart, and MiraVia.

Find the Light the World Giving Machine on the first floor of Carolina Place Mall, between Belk and Dick's Sporting Goods. Open November 19-December 7.

Come experience the joy of giving this season. Buy a gift. Change a life.

Giving Machine 2025 calendar of free entertainment and activities can be found here: https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/0gowv2mo2tpr3swh1sxdx/EventCalendar_2025.png?rlkey=2sn4k4v82uyxf08oh8toruuo5&st=x9tlzm11&dl=0

See how the Giving Machine works: https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fo/9zmfglhyqyszb29xv877w/AL6QywRqm__HHSowP90LQ7E?rlkey=wbzymxgn7vntgi5tdqfln7ht4&st=0mnxedgx&dl=0

Celebrate the season in the heart of Dilworth while supporting a Charlotte tradition! The Christmas Market Fundraiser at the 12th Step Services Club features local vendors, handcrafted gifts, ornament painting, photos with Santa, and a festive raffle.
Proceeds help keep the doors open at this 77 year-old nonprofit community hub — a place “where hope meets recovery” for countless individuals and families.

Shop local, give back, and share the holiday spirit!

Piedmont Dance Theatre’s 23rd annual Nutcracker returns to Kannapolis—celebrating family, tradition, and community spirit in this beloved holiday classic that has enchanted local audiences for over two decades.