Charlotte Skyshow Brings Families to Uptown for 4th
CHARLOTTE, NC — Family, friends, fun and fireworks! Charlotte’s 4th of July Sky-Show lights up the night over Uptown. It’s a busy day in and around Romare Bearden Park and BB&T Ballpark. But this year it was a day with an extraordinary event designation from the city.
The police were on hand.
“We felt safe coming Uptown,” says Northwest Charlotte Resident Nikki Chavis. “Lots of police out in force. It’s a great place to bring our family and hang out.”
The last few 4th of July Sky-Shows in Uptown have seen Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police wielding expanded authority to control crowds. This year’s gathering had to dodge some rain drops, but the vibe was all good.
“Good mixture of people out,” says Bresette Hames, who also lives in Northwest Charlotte. “I think everybody’s here to have a good time, no troubling.”
“My daughter, she likes fireworks,” says Steven Boutthavong, who brought his family to Uptown. “You know it’s a great time to spend family time.”
Families came from close and far, using the open space in Romare Bearden Park to enjoy the day and celebrate America. They say it’s the allure of fireworks, baseball, nearby businesses and a safe space that brings them to Uptown on the holiday.
“It’s a very great family environment out here, as you can tell,” says Boutthavong. “It’s great for the kids, especially this area right here.”
“We came last year,” says a woman we talked with who brought her family out. “We had a good time. You know we got to watch the fireworks. The baseball game is going on. All the families are out here. It’s really, really nice.”
Uptown has seen some tense moments in the last year, with protests and riots rolling through the same streets where families are now celebrating the 4th.
Maybe it’s this particular holiday that brings Americans together, but today people were happy and harmonious, waiting to see the sky light up at the end of a fun day.
“You can take a look around, it’s very family oriented,” she says. “Everybody’s having fun. Every culture is together. That’s the best part about it.”
The last few 4th of July celebrations in Uptown have been declared extraordinary events, but the city repealed the controversial crowd-control ordinance last month.
