logo
Weekender: 40 things to do in Charlotte this Juneteenth weekend

Weekender: 40 things to do in Charlotte this Juneteenth weekend

Axios18-06-2025
There are tons of events this weekend that you don't want to miss, including a list of Juneteenth celebrations.
Thursday, June 19
🙌 Pull up to the Juneteenth Arts Fest at Shoppes at University Place for performances, live music, a marketplace and more. | Free | 4–8pm | Details
🤣 Take a comedy improv class at Charlotte Comedy Theater. | $295 | 6:30pm | Details
📝 Learn about mind mapping at a journaling session with Good Postage at Canteen. | Free | 6–8pm | Details
🍿 Grab a blanket to see an outdoor screening of "Diary of a Mad Black Woman – The Play" on the lawn in front of the Ford Building at Camp North End. | Free | 8:30–10:30pm | Details
🧠 Test your knowledge of music trivia at Rhino Market in South End. | Free | 6:30–9:30pm | Details
🎉 Catch an after-work vibe at 5th Street Live in Uptown with bands, food and drinks. | Free | 5–10pm | Details
🎤 Take your friends to enjoy a Juneteenth-themed trivia and karaoke session at Cheers Mate Bar and Lounge in Uptown. | $10 | 8–9:30pm | Details
🛍️ Shop from Black-owned businesses in a festival with food trucks and live music at the Innovation Center of Charlotte. | Free | 5–9pm | Details
🙌🏽 Honor Juneteenth at the Harvey B. Gantt Center with art making, activities, discussions and performances. | Free | 12–4pm | Details
🫱🏽‍🫲🏼 Celebrate Black unity at West Charlotte High School with entertainment, giveaways, a dance competition and more. | Free | 2–6pm | Details
🎡 Take the family to the Queen Charlotte Fair at Route 29 Pavilion with games, food and rides. | $6–$12 | Runs through July 5 | Details
🍾 Vibe to music from local DJs in a Juneteenth day party at RSVP South End. | $28+ |3–9pm | Details
Friday, June 20
🤣 See Connor Wood make his tour stop at The Comedy Zone. | $38 | 9:45pm | Details
🦸 Check out HeroesCon 2025 at the Charlotte Convention Center. | $30+ | Runs through Sunday | Details
🤝 Connect with local creators and business owners at the Boileryard in Camp North End. | Free | 6pm | Details
🎱 Play bingo at Sugar Creek Brewing for a chance to win a spicy prize, and get there early for the drinks. | Free | 8pm | Details
🍷 Eat small plates from Marina's Tapas while you sip on Spanish wines at Substrate. | Free | 5pm | Details
🎶 Test your knowledge of boy bands and girl group trivia at The Suffolk Punch for a chance to win a cash prize. | Free | 7–9pm | Details
🧪 Spend the evening at Science on the Rocks with hands-on labs and drinks as you explore Discovery Place Science. Adults only. | $18–$22 | 6pm | Details
🎥 Take the kids to see an outdoor screening of "Night at the Museum" at Fourth Ward Park. | Free | 8–10:30pm | Details
🍳 Mingle with Black professionals over brunch at 3rd & Fernwood. | Free | 12–3pm | Details
Saturday, June 21
🎊 Embrace Black culture through fashion, music, activations and more with the Durag Festival at Blackbox Theater. | $49+ | 2–10pm | Details
🫖 Step into a garden setting at The Ballantyne hotel to enjoy an afternoon tea with light pastries. | $35–$70 | 1pm | Details
🏓 Learn the basic tips and tricks of pickleball with friends at Rally in LoSo. | $5 | 3pm | Details
😆 Laugh the evening away with local comedians at Charlotte Comedy Theater. | $15 | 6:30pm | Details
🎥 Join the audience of a live taping of a comedy session and live music at B Sinima Studios. | Free | 8pm | Details
🎊 Celebrate The Suffolk Punch's anniversary with live music and drink specials. | Free | 12–10pm | Details
🛍️ Shop from a Pride month-themed vendor market at Seoul Food Meat Co. in South End. | Free | 12–5pm | Details
🤑 Shop from local small businesses in a family-friendly vendor market at Resident Culture Brewing. | Free | 12–5pm | Details
🎶 Take the kids to see Kidz Bop Live at PNC Music Pavilion. | $30+ | 6pm | Details
🏳️‍🌈 Bar-hop around for drink specials in a Pride Crawl in Uptown. | $15 | 4–10pm | Details
📚 Check out an African American book festival at Second Ward High School Gymnasium. | Free | 11am–4pm | Details
Sunday, June 22
🏟 See Real Madrid CF play CF Pachuca in the FIFA Club World Cup Matches at Bank of America Stadium. | $101+ | 3pm | Details
👰‍♀️ Meet 20 of Charlotte's top wedding vendors, from planners and photographers to florists and boutiques, at Barrel Room at Triple C for their bridal show. | Free | 1–4pm | Details
🍾 Bring your friends and an appetite to the Boileryard Brunch day party with a beach theme at Camp North End | Free | 2–8pm | Details
🪩 Vibe to multiple DJ sets for Blinders' Sunday Service day party series. | Free | 12–5pm | Details
🕯️ Create a signature candle scent at The Market at 7th Street and stick around to see art and live music in celebration of Juneteenth. | $30 | 1pm | Details
🕹️ Head to Monday Night Garden Co. to play in a Mario Kart tournament for a chance to win a prize — and in between laps, you can fuel up on pizza. | Free | 5–9pm | Details
🎊 Celebrate Juneteenth weekend with kids story time, a Black-owned business pop-up and live music. | Free | 11am–4pm | Details
🎤 Vibe to The Driver Era at Skyla Credit Union Amphitheatre. | $32+ | 8pm | Details
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

List of NFL Teams With Male Cheerleaders as Backlash Spreads
List of NFL Teams With Male Cheerleaders as Backlash Spreads

Newsweek

time3 hours ago

  • Newsweek

List of NFL Teams With Male Cheerleaders as Backlash Spreads

Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. The 2025 NFL season is set to kick off in September, but social media is already full of discourse before the first game has been played amid a backlash over the presence of male cheerleaders. Newsweek has contacted teams with male cheerleaders for comment via email and online contact form outside regular working hours. Why It Matters Male cheerleaders are not new. Cheerleading began as a male-dominated activity in the late 19th century. In the 1950s and 1960s, the NFL began to adopt all-female dance-style squads, which quickly became the dominant model. However, in 2018, the Los Angeles Rams and New Orleans Saints introduced dancing male cheerleaders, sparking a culture shift that more teams have since followed. In recent years, the NFL has become a flash point for online culture wars as sports fans and social media users have criticized it for being too "woke." The organization has faced online fallouts over its Super Bowl halftime show, the use of pride flags and the performance of "Lift Every Voice and Sing," a hymn often referred to as the Black national anthem. Two new male cheerleaders on the Minnesota Vikings has sparked similar criticism. A composite image showing the Tampa Bay Buccaneers Cheer in an August 12 Instagram post and the Los Angeles Rams cheer squad in an August 11 post. A composite image showing the Tampa Bay Buccaneers Cheer in an August 12 Instagram post and the Los Angeles Rams cheer squad in an August 11 post. Tampa Bay Buccaneers Cheer/Instagram, Los Angeles Rams/Instagram What To Know NFL teams have seen waves of criticism on social media in response to their inclusion of male cheerleaders on their squads. According to posts shared on their social media accounts, the following teams have male cheerleaders this season: Baltimore Ravens Los Angeles Rams Minnesota Vikings New England Patriots New Orleans Saints Tampa Bay Buccaneers Tennessee Titans San Francisco 49ers Philadelphia Eagles Washington Commanders Seattle Seahawks The Minnesota Vikings responded to the criticism in an email shared with Newsweek on August 15. "While many fans may be seeing male cheerleaders for the first time at Vikings games, male cheerleaders have been part of previous Vikings teams and have long been associated with collegiate and professional cheerleading," the statement said in part. Male cheerleaders have also long had a presence in popular culture. The 2000 film Bring It On, which features high school cheerleading competitions, shows male cheerleaders on multiple squads. TV shows such as One Tree Hill, Heroes and Glee—which take place in academic environments—also feature male cheerleaders. Though the backlash has been loud and pronounced online, many have offered messages of support for the cheerleaders, highlighting that male cheerleaders have long participated in the sport. What People Are Saying The Minnesota Vikings said in an email shared with Newsweek: "In 2025, approximately one third of NFL teams have male cheerleaders. Every member of the Minnesota Vikings Cheerleaders program has an impressive dance background and went through the same rigorous audition process. Individuals were selected because of their talent, passion for dance and dedication to elevating the game day experience. We support all our cheerleaders and are proud of the role they play as ambassadors of the organization." Author Zach W. Lambert wrote in an X post viewed 1.2 million times: "Elephants are born weighing 250 lbs. They are the biggest babies on earth except for the people mad about male cheerleaders in the NFL." Charlie Kirk, the founder of Turning Point USA, wrote in an X post viewed 670,000 times: "The whole country is resisting this type of BS, yet the @NFL continues their war on their fans. This isn't 2020." User @AriDrennen wrote in an X post viewed 1.2 million times: "Note how the rainbow panic has moved on from telling people they can't change their sex to telling people that they can't enjoy and excel at activities associated with another sex." Tomi Lahren, a conservative political commentator, wrote in a post viewed 2.8 million times: "I'm sorry, but I don't get the outrage over the male cheerleaders. Who cares? At least they're not pretending to be girls. Male cheerleaders are not a new thing. Oh well. It's not necessary for conservatives to be outraged over absolutely everything. It's inconsequential." Actor Kevin Sorbo wrote in an X post viewed 53 million times: "I've been a Vikings fan all my life... sigh. I need a new team now." What Happens Next The NFL season is set to begin on September 4.

From South Linden to the Big Easy: Linden-McKinley marching band hopes for biggest trip yet
From South Linden to the Big Easy: Linden-McKinley marching band hopes for biggest trip yet

Yahoo

time5 hours ago

  • Yahoo

From South Linden to the Big Easy: Linden-McKinley marching band hopes for biggest trip yet

It's a nine-to-five day for the members of the Linden-McKinley STEM Academy's "Unstoppable Mighty Marching Panthers." For three weeks of band camp, the students have been starting at 9 a.m., doing physical conditioning by taking laps on the track, then settling in for a long day of practicing their routines in the summer heat. This year, they're training with a focus. The Linden-McKinley marching band is fundraising to go to New Orleans to march in the famous Mardis Gras parade in 2026. The trip represents the most ambitious event yet for a band that was just a dozen members a decade ago but now numbers around 70, including dancers. For the students, this is an opportunity of a lifetime. Tarlyn Arnold, 18, a senior and head drum major for the band, loves music of all kinds. "(The band) came to my elementary school, so I was like 'Oh, this is what I want to do,'" Arnold said. "So I came here, and I started. Here I am now." Arnold said the New Orleans trip is an opportunity to get the Unstoppable Mighty Marching Panthers' name out and to be a representative of the Linden community. "Around here, there's not really a good representation in a lot of the stuff going on," Arnold said. "So for us, going to New Orleans, doing good things, getting trophies — I love it. It's not good around here, but we try to make it better." To get to New Orleans, Band Director Stephen Ingram says the band is aiming to raise $100,000, and is asking for the community's support. Part of the trip, Ingram said, includes opportunities for cultural learning and touring colleges. He is hoping the "community will rally" to help them get there. "For a lot of them, it's a dream," Ingram said. "It's a dream to see some of these schools, and to be in that environment. Let's start making these dreams a reality." Phrell Dawson, 14, a freshman mellophone player, said he was excited for the opportunity to do new things and the chance to possibly play in a famous parade. "It's fun to travel somewhere you've never been," Dawson said. Raising the bar — and raising it again While the band plans to go South next year, for Ingram, the only way forward for the band is up. "A lot of the groups we've seen in our competitions, they've gone down to New Orleans and done the parade, and they love it," Ingram said. "Well, we're just as good if not better, so let's go out there and see." It's not just musical opportunities for students, it's also academic ones. In 2023, the Marching Panthers went to Memphis for the Southern Heritage Classic, the annual historically Black college football game between the Golden Lions of the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff and the Tennessee State University Tigers. There, they took first place in every category. Ingram said that following the 2023 trip, three of the five seniors eventually attended the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff on band scholarships. "There's life outside, no matter the struggles you think you might have or the narrows people might put you in, there's life there," Ingram said. "There's nothing you can't do, and there's a future for them." Dawson said that the marching band is like a "big little family" and that the members encourage one another and "push each other to do great things." "It changed my life," Dawson said. "When I was in seventh grade, I had nothing to do. I was playing games all day. Now I've got something to do." Arnold said it has been good to see the "family" constantly growing and "getting the word out" since joining. "Sometimes there's stuff going on at home, we don't know what's going on, but when you come here — it's a safe space," Arnold said. "You leave everything at the door and there's no judgment." Cole Behrens covers K-12 education and school districts in central Ohio. Have a tip? Contact Cole at cbehrens@ or connect with him on X at @Colebehr_report This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Linden-McKinley marching band aiming for New Orleans Mardis Gras trip Solve the daily Crossword

Fairs have a long history at Chilhowee Park, but it was amusement hub even earlier
Fairs have a long history at Chilhowee Park, but it was amusement hub even earlier

Yahoo

time8 hours ago

  • Yahoo

Fairs have a long history at Chilhowee Park, but it was amusement hub even earlier

Even before it became home to the Tennessee Valley Fair, Chilhowee Park was a top amusement destination in Knoxville. Since 1887, the park has attracted visitors with its options for recreation, from live music to fishing to walks around the grounds − and in later years, roller coasters and a playground. The many decades of fun since are thanks to F.C. Beaman, who opened the park in the late 19th century, a move met with tremendous excitement from many Knoxvillians. Back then, it was called Beaman's Park and had a lake, dancing pavilion and refreshment stands, the Journal and Tribune reported in 1887. In those early days, the lake was called Lake Ottosee (get it?), which had a resurgence later on, but around the turn of the century, it was called Chilhowee Lake, which soon became Chilhowee Park. Chilhowee Park's first fairs In 1910, Chilhowee Park was the site of the Appalachian Exposition, a month-long spectacle visited by 350,000 people. The event featured pyrotechnic displays, blimp rides and dog shows. An extravagant stucco building was constructed, President Theodore Roosevelt attended, and not far from the fairgrounds, some lucky visitors witnessed East Tennessee's first plane flight. Another Appalachian Exposition was held the following year, and in 1913, the National Conservation Exposition was held at Chilhowee Park. The first version of the Tennessee Valley Fair, called the East Tennessee Division Fair, was held at the park in 1916, according to the website for today's fair. Chilhowee Park in the early 20th century As early as 1915, Chilhowee was called "The South's Most Delightful Amusement Park," charging 10 cents for entry and boasting attractions such as boating, swimming, dancing, roller coaster rides, concerts, moving pictures and a merry-go-round, according to an ad in the Journal and Tribune that year. In 1921, the park gained an "airplane swing" and a new merry-go-round. That same year, the park was purchased by Col. J. G. Sterchi, who sold the park to the city in 1926 for $100,000, the Knoxville Journal reported that year. Between 1939 and 1948, the Eighth of August, a day in East Tennessee that commemorates Black freedom, was celebrated at Chilhowee Park and was the only day out of the year that Black residents were allowed to use the park. In 1938, the park's main building that had been constructed for the 1910 Appalachian Exposition was destroyed in a fiery blaze. A replacement was completed in 1941 and dubbed the Jacob Building in 1954 after veterinarian and former College of Agriculture Dean Moses Jacob, who was at one time president of the fair. This year marks the 105th Tennessee Valley Fair, which will run Sept. 5-14. Hayden Dunbar is the storyteller reporter. Email Support strong local journalism by subscribing at This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Fairs and amusement have long history at Chilhowee Park Solve the daily Crossword

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store