CHARLOTTE, N.C. – Charlotte SHOUT!, an annual event celebrating the city’s art, culture, and community, returns to Uptown this April.
The festival will have more than 200 events and span 17 days from April 4-20.
Charlotte SHOUT! kicks off with a ticketed event on April 3 at 7 p.m. at Carolina Theatre.
“Charlotte SHOUT! continues to elevate the vibrancy of Uptown, drawing hundreds of thousands of visitors and creating unforgettable moments,” said Robert Krumbine, festival producer and Chief Creative Officer at Charlotte Center City Partners. “This festival is a celebration of Charlotte’s creative spirit and its ability to bring people together through art, music, food, and ideas. We can’t wait to see how this year’s lineup inspires and engages our community.”
The 2024 festival saw a record-high 642,000 attendees and $17.1 million spent for Uptown businesses.
Some of the experiences returning in 2025 include Eggs on Parade, Pianodrome, E/motion, Musical performances and surprise installations and activations.
Five new experiences will be introduced this year, including:
- CanStruction – A live competition where engineering and design industry groups create stunning CanArt® sculptures using full cans of food, later donated to Second Harvest to help feed the hungry
- Queen’s Greens – A completely reimagined space featuring nine fully functional mini golf holes with obstacles designed by local artists.
- Oracle – Larger-than-life inflatable characters that interact with visitors using AI-powered voice features.
- EdgeFest – A celebration of spray paint, local artists, and community, where artists create stunning masterpieces live.
- Mi Casa, Your Casa 2.0 – A vibrant, interactive installation by Esrawe + Cadena featuring glowing red-frame houses with swings, inviting visitors to engage with public spaces in a unique way.
Charlotte SHOUT! will also feature three festivals-within-the-festival:
- April 12-13, Charlotte StrEATs celebrates the chefs and restaurants that highlight Charlotte’s culinary scene. Also returning this year, StrEATs Uncorked will celebrate North Carolina wine on April 4th. Charlotte StrEATs is hosted by Unpretentious Palate and Carben Events.
- April 4-5, Carolina BBQ Festival, organized by Sweet Lew’s BBQ and Let’s Meet CLT, Enjoy tastings from top pitmasters, live music, local vendors, and an onsite brick pit showcasing whole hog cooking, with drinks available for purchase.
- April 3-8, The Charlotte Ideas Festival, curated by The Charlotte Center for the Humanities and Civic Imagination, the festival will showcase leading thinkers and innovators discussing today’s most important topics. Featured speakers include award-winning technologist Noelle Russell on the future of AI, astrophysicist and musician Matt Russo on the sounds of the cosmos, and bestselling authors Ann Patchett and Kevin Wilson for a special evening conversation.
