Uptown Charlotte will be filled with creative energy as Charlotte SHOUT!, an annual celebration of the city’s art, culture, and community built on the pillars of art, music, food, and ideas, returns next month. An inclusive and inspirational sensory feast for all ages, Charlotte SHOUT! is presented by Atrium Health and Bank of America and produced by Charlotte Center City Partners.
Charlotte SHOUT!, the region’s premier arts and culture festival, will feature more than 200 installations, performances, events and activations from March 29 through April 14. Nearly all the events are outdoors, free, and open to the public – no ticket required.
Charlotte SHOUT! 2024 is full of new and returning favorites. Beloved, interactive seesaws, with a new futuristic feel and sustainable message, will return this year. Pianodrome, America’s first amphitheater made entirely from upcycled pianos, will also be back inside the beautiful, historic venue Grace on Brevard.
New this year at Charlotte SHOUT!:
- e/motion, a playful, interactive installation that revisits our childhood seesaw and invites you to dive into the joys and sensations of surging water. As you ride the infinite wave, the glowing liquid acts like a living entity that responds to your ups and downs. e/motion was created by Olivier Landreville, in collaboration with Serge Maheu, produced by Init and is tour-produced by Creos.
- Sonic Runway, a light-art installation that converts audio signals into patterns of light that shoot down a spectacular corridor of arches at the speed of sound. Sonic Runway was created by Rob Jensen, Warren Trezevant and is tour-produced by Creos.
- Optik, an interactive installation and platform where users freely manipulate and elevate their experience with synchronized sound and fun color. Optik was created by The Urban Conga, in collaboration with Serge Maheu, produced by Init and is tour-produced by Creos.
Returning this year:
- Eggs on Parade, a baker’s dozen of beautifully and uniquely designed, larger-than-life Easter eggs created by 13 different artists.
- Musical performances by national headliners and dozens of Charlotte- and North Carolina.-based musicians or bands on two stages, including the main stage at First Ward Park.
- Surprise installations and activations in secret alleys, iconic public spaces and all manner of locations in between. At Charlotte SHOUT!, every day is different and you have to look up and all around, because you never know what you will see.
Charlotte SHOUT! also features two festivals-within-the-festival:
- April 13-14, Charlotte StrEATs celebrates the chefs and restaurants that highlight Charlotte’s culinary scene. New this year, StrEATs Uncorked will celebrate North Carolina wine on April 3. Charlotte StrEATs is hosted by Unpretentious Palate and Carben Events.
- April 6-9, The Charlotte Ideas Festival, curated by The Charlotte Center for the Humanities and Civic Imagination, will feature renowned thinkers and innovators exploring the most important topics of our times. Speakers will include six-time Emmy winner David Pogue on “AI, Robotics, and Life in 2050” and four-time The New York Times bestselling memoirist and interviewer Kelly Corrigan on “Culture Eats Strategy for Breakfast.”
“We could not be more excited about this year’s Charlotte SHOUT!,” Robert Krumbine, chief creative officer of Charlotte Center City Partners, said. “We’ve curated an incredible mix of local talent and returning favorites with brand-new, can’t miss experiences, all in a central, walkable area. We guarantee that one visit to Uptown will not be enough to see and do it all.”
More than 1.8 million people visited Uptown during the 17 days of Charlotte SHOUT! in 2023.
Find more information and stay up to date on the latest festival news by visiting www.charlotteshout.com and by following @cltshout on Facebook and Instagram.
