Could this be one of the busiest weekends Charlotte’s seen in a while? Emma Way, editor of Charlotte Magazine, believes so. Between the Whitewater Center’s Tuck Fest, Open Streets 704, Charlotte Wine & Food Weekend and a few honorable mentions, there is plenty to choose from. Emma joined WFAE’s Mark Rumsey for another round of Weekend In Entertainment.
Mark Rumsey: There are some pretty well-known local events on the calendar this weekend, along with a few honorable mentions. So let's get right to it. Starting out at the U.S. National Whitewater Center —this is a recurring event. It runs through the weekend and it is the Tuck Fest. Tell us about it.
Emma Way: So this event actually started in 2013, but it's really grown significantly since then. I think they only had like 14,000 attendees back in the first year. That's still a decent showing, but last year I think there were over 55,000, if I remember correctly. And they have some really big names this year.
I'm pretty impressed with the lineup on Saturday night — they have Tyler Childers. Then they have J Roddy Walston on Friday night headlining and Milk Carton Kids on Sunday night. I think that there are at least five acts every day.
Rumsey: So is it pretty much just the music, or what else?
Way: Well, there is a lot to do for free besides music. You can participate in some of the competitions and you can watch them as well. You can also just walk around, hike some trails and enjoy the Catawba River right there, and all the sights and sounds I guess of the Whitewater Rafting Center.
Rumsey: Another festival this weekend in a somewhat different vein is Charlotte Wine & Food Weekend running through Saturday. I guess the name of the event pretty well says a lot.
Way: If you want to be outside go to Tuck Fest. If you just want to eat and drink good wine, go here. This is another recurring event here in Charlotte.
So Friday night is really going to be all about the food, but of course there's still wine. Then Saturday night, it's going to be all about the wine. There's some really good restaurants and wine cellars in attendance like Corkbuzz, Stoke, Sweet Lew’s (one of my personal favorites and a recent "Best of the Best" Charlotte Magazine winner). Those tickets are a little bit pricier, but I think it's going to be worth it. [Tickets range from] around $65 all the way up to $125.
Rumsey: And Emma, on Sunday there are some community oriented things going on — specifically in the Plaza Midwood area right?
Way: Yeah, for sure. So the BOOM Festival is actually going to be going on all weekend, but I think Sunday is probably the best day to enjoy it because it's also coinciding with Open Streets 704. So those streets are going to be completely car free, which makes for a really fun festival. You don't have to worry about looking twice. You can just enjoy the streets, the community, of Plaza Midwood.
Rumsey: A rare moment in Plaza Midwood for sure.
Way: So there is going to be some visual arts displays. There are some shows at Snug Harbor, Petras, The Rabbit Hole, and some other venues as well. [There are also] public art displays, murals, and dance and music demonstrations all over.
Rumsey: And speaking of art and as we said at the top of the segment, it’s a pretty full arts and entertainment calendar around town this weekend. One more event to toss in before we finish up.
Way: If you're more interested in literally supporting and purchasing art this weekend, I recommend the Charlotte Art Collective Spring Show, which is happening at Avondale church in Dilworth. That’s going to be more high end art and then also some crafts from local artists specifically. [There will be] pottery, glass mosaics, garden sculptures — a whole bunch of stuff. And it's free to walk around, even if you don't want to buy anything.
Rumsey: Fantastic. April is going to go out on a strong note.
Way: Oh yeah. That's for sure.
Every Thursday tune into All Things Considered on WFAE 90.7 for our latest Weekend in Entertainment segment featuring voices from Charlotte's media scene bringing you the latest music, cultural and social events.
