Agenda Weekender: 67 things to do this weekend, including Mecktoberfest, Sugar Creek Fall Fest and Panthers vs. Saints

Weekend Forecast

Friday: 87 with a 30% chance of isolated thunderstorms.
Saturday: 87 and mostly sunny with a 10% chance of rain.
Sunday: 86 and mostly sunny with a 20% chance of rain.

Friday, September 22

Food & Drink

Mecktoberfest at Olde Mecklenburg Brewery: Come celebrate all things Bavaria at this three day festival with seasonal brews, food and bands. 11 a.m.-10 p.m. Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Free. Details.

Catering Tasting at Mellow Mushroom at Mellow Mushroom Selwyn: Come try Mellow Mushroom’s catering menu for your next event. 11 a.m.-2 p.m. Free. Details.

Hounds Helping Houston at Lucky Dog Bark & Brew Charlotte: Help out the pet community of Houston by donating money and items to be taken down anytime through Friday. On Friday and Saturday, 10% of all bar sales will be donated to the cause. 4 p.m. Friday, 12 p.m. Saturday. Donation-based. Details.

Veggie Fest Food Truck Friday in South End: Each of the 9 local food trucks featured will have at least 2 vegetarian dishes on the menu, along with live music and drinks from Sycamore Brewing 5-11 p.m. Free. Details.

Floral Springs Wine Dinner at Ruth’s Chris SouthPark: Drink and dine with Floral Springs wine at Ruth’s Chris SouthPark. Each course is paired perfectly with signature wines. 6:30 p.m. $115++. Details.

The Science of Baking and Cider Pairing at GoodRoad CiderWorks: They’re teaming up with A Smart Cookie LLC to pair three ciders and one stout with four different cookie desserts. 7-8:30 p.m. $22. Details.

Truffle of the Month Release Party at Potts Chocolate: Potts will be pairing all of their chocolates with local cheeses and BYO beer and wine suggestions in anticipation of their specialty truffle of the month. 7-8:30 p.m. $30. Details.

Harvest Howler at StrikeCity: They’ll have a pumpkin pie eating contest along with pumpkin-flavored drink specials all night. 7-11 p.m. Free. Details.

Fall Blacklight Ball and Balloon Drop at Whisky River: Expect drink specials and a balloon drop with $1,000+ worth of cash and prizes. Come dressed in whites and neons. 9 p.m.-2 a.m. Free. Details.

Experience

Mobile Mammography at Harmony Salon and Spa: Charlotte Radiology is bringing their Mobile Mammography van to the salon. Appointments required – but free – and you must be 35 or older. 9 a.m.-4 p.m. Free. Details.

Charles Krypell Trunk Show at Windsor Jewelers: Meet jewelry designer Charles Krypell and shop his trunk show featuring stunning designs. 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Free. Details.

Business Links Social at Crown Station: Come network and socialize with small business owners and professions in Charlotte. They’ll provide drinks and food so come hungry and ready to mingle. 6-9 p.m. Free. Details.

Phillips Place Showcase at Phillips Place: Shop fashion boutiques and enjoy award-winning food and drink. Proceeds benefit Carolina Breast Friends. 6-10:15 p.m. $20 donation. Details.

Hurricane Harvey Fundraiser at The Ballroom at Quail Hollow: Come out for an evening of dancing and fundraising for the American Red Cross. They’ll have complimentary dance classes before the evening begins. 8-11 p.m. $15. Details.

Learn Things

The Future of Women in Technology at Knight Theater: Listen to speakers and panelists weigh in on the future of women in technology. Topics include under-representation, culture and career life balance, the ethics and economics for gender parity. Panelists will also provide insights on how to effectively advocate for change within your own organization. 8:30-10:30 a.m. Free. Details.

Arts & Entertainment

Beethoven Symphony No. 9 at Belk Theater: The Charlotte Symphony opens its exciting 86th season with Beethoven’s masterful 9th and final symphony. $19+. Details.

Festival in the Park at Freedom Park: Over 150 artisans will be showing off their stuff, including jewelers, dancers and painters. The Charlotte Symphony will be performing and there’ll be plenty of food to fuel your art walk. 4-9:30 p.m. Friday; 10 a.m.-9 p.m. Saturday; 11 a.m.-6 p.m. Sunday Free. Details.

Open Mic Night at Blue Blaze Brewing: Bring your musical talent, kids, dogs and thirst for great beer. 6-9 p.m. Free. Details.

Art in Motion at Coco and the Director: Experience the café’s take on open mic night with live performances, a visual artist and $5 glasses of wine and $4 beer. 7-9 p.m. Free. Details.

Paint Nite at Fox and Hound: Spend a couple of hours drinking and flexing your creative muscles. All supplies are provided and they’ll have a professional to guide you. 7 p.m. $45. Details.

Opening Night at the Charlotte Film Festival at Ayrsley Grand Cinemas: They’ll be playing the haunting docudrama, My Friend Dahmer, which chronicles the early life of notorious serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer. 8-10 p.m. $10. Details.

Awkward High Fives Anniversary Show at Charlotte Comedy Theater: This team is full of energy, excitement and quick wit that will keep you laughing the whole time. 8-9:30 p.m. $10. Details.

Kids

Fall Open House at The Little Gym on Providence: They’ll have Jell-O and friend-themed activities all night for the little ones. 4:30-7:30 p.m. Free. Details.

Saturday, September 23

Food & Drink

Food Truck Brunch at Sycamore Brewing: Gyro Twins and Yummi Banh Mi will be onsite along with live music, craft beer, wine, and cider, prosecco pops and yoga from NC Yoga Bar at 10 a.m. 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Free. Details.

ABITA NOLA Jazz Brunch at The Peculiar Rabbit: They’ll have both an all-you-can-eat and an a la carte menu featuring New Orleans specialties and $3 pints of Abita beer, live jazz music and giveaways (including two tickets for this Sunday’s Panthers game). 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Free. Details.

Pop Up Farmers Market at Lenny Boy Brewing Co.: Wild Hope Farm is popping up to showcase their fall harvest with veggies like kale, squash and broccoli, free range eggs and fresh baked bread. 10:45 a.m.-4 p.m. Free. Details.

Mushrooms 101 at Luca’s Modern Italian Kitchen: Master this ingredient with Chef Luca as cooks his heart out with all kinds of mushrooms 11 a.m.-2 p.m. $42. Details.

Sugar Creek Fall Fest at Sugar Creek Brewing: Expect live music, a pig roast, kids’ games and vendors to shop, including Glory Days Apparel, Johnny Fly, CLT Find and Pet Wants Charlotte. Free. Details.

Love Desserts’ Fall Into Dessert at Sugar Creek Brewing Company: Try desserts from 20+ local bakeries, restaurants and dessert shops and wash them down with with a Sugar Creek pint. 12-6 p.m. Free. Details.

Champagne Saturdays at Tequila House: They’ll be popping champagne all night with three DJs providing the music 10 p.m.-2 a.m. Free. Details.

Uncorked at The U.S. National Whitewater Center: The wine festival is back and features a variety of local, regional and national wineries for guests to sample and enjoy. Enjoy live music throughout the afternoon and evening from our main stage on Belmont Abbey Island.The weekend also includes the Whitewater Film Series, SUP Stream Catawba River Race and the Wild Vine Half Marathon and 5k Trail Race and more. 9 a.m.-10 p.m. $10 for one sample card. Details.

Wu’s Oyster Roast at Wu’s Cajun Sea Food: Starting at 3 p.m., you’ll enjoy $10 oyster trays, cold beer and endless Hurricanes to benefit the Greater Houston Community Foundation. 3 p.m.-2 a.m. Free. Details.

Experience

Grab Bag Charity Event at Plato’s Closet: Fit as many items you can into a bag and it’s all yours for just $15. Proceeds benefit the Levine Children’s Hospital with Plato’s matching up to $5,000. 8 a.m.-12 p.m. $15. Details.

Midwood Gives Back in Historic Plaza Midwood: This event is like the GrubHub of charity. The PMNA will be collecting donations for three different Charlotte nonprofits this Saturday. All you have to do is leave your bag of items on your front porch, and they’ll handle the rest. 8 a.m.-12 p.m. Free. Details.

Splash Bash Pool Party at Craft City Social Club: Expect food, craft beer, a DJ and selfie-ready floats in the pool. 11 a.m.-10 p.m. Free. Details.

Progress in Education Gala at Crowne Plaza Charlotte Executive Park: The night will include dinner, a silent auction, speakers and dancing as they award eight deserving local students scholarships. Proceeds go to funding more scholarships in the U.S. and Ghana 6-11 p.m. $100. Details.

Pop Up Date Night at Koffee Kup Cafeteria: This night is three dates in one – enjoy fine cuisine, talk about love techniques and learn how to give massages. 7-9:30 p.m. $75 per couple. Details.

80s Bar Crawl at Rooftop 210: Your ticket includes free admission into participating bars and drink specials. 7-10 p.m. $10. Details.

Learn Things

Discover the Power of Breath at Hygge Coworking: Learn about meditation and relaxation to help keep you centered even during a stressful week. 10-11 a.m. Free. Details.

Food Advocacy Training at Charlotte Mecklenburg Library Branch Libraries: A day of collective brainstorming and training to support community members as they advocate for programs and policies that will better support food systems and promote healthy communities. 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Free. Details.

Live Well Weekend at Daniel Stowe Botanical Garden: The Garden’s first Live Well Weekend will give you plenty of opportunities to rejuvenate yourself with exercise, healthy eating and paring down your lifestyle. They’ll have vendors, presentations and performances throughout the weekend. 11 a.m.-3 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. $12.95. Details. Details.

Arts & Entertainment

Belmont Avenue Better Block on Belmont Avenue: For one weekend only, the neighborhood will transform a portion of the road into a main street with shops, cafes and businesses that are created by the community. 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. Free. Details.

Spiral Odyssey Dedication at Romare Bearden Park: The public artwork created by Richard Hunt in May will be dedicated by WBTV reporter Steve Crump and a performance by University Park Baptist Church Choir. 10-11 a.m. Free. Details.

Smithsonian Museum Day Live! Celebration at Mint Museum Uptown + Randolph: Marvel at the Mint Museum’s newest exhibition featuring Tony Award-winning Broadway costume designer William Ivey Long. Free at both locations. 11 a.m.-6 p.m. Free. Details.

Bearden Music Series – Pure Louisiana Sound at Romare Bearden Park: Bring your lawn chair and enjoy an evening of jazzy, Louisiana-style music performed by the Grammy Award-winning Chubby Carrier. Expect food and fun for the whole family. 6-9 p.m. Free. Details.

Rockin’ For a Cure at The Fillmore: Come out for an evening of live music and charity. They’ll have great food and brews, an auction, and of course live rock and roll with proceeds benefitting Cystic Fibrosis research. 6:30-11:30 p.m. $50+. Details.

Charlotte Does Sade at Heist Brewery: Enjoy a pint as you relax and listen to Charlotte musicians do their best Sade covers. No, Sade will not be at this event. 8 p.m.-2 a.m. Free. Details.

Fitness

Greater Charlotte Heart Walk at First Ward Park: The walk is a culmination of the year’s work for company and community teams in the area, and the day includes fun and interactive physical activities, survivor area, health screenings, kids zone, and refreshments. 7:30 a.m.-12 p.m. Donation-based. Details.

Cardio Funk at Whole Foods Waverly: LifeTime Athletic will be teaching a Cardio Funk class for those of you who like to infuse a little dancing into your workouts. Just bring yourself and some comfy workout clothes and shoes (no barefoot dancing). 9-10 a.m. Free. Details.

Mega Fitness Class at CorePower Yoga: CorePower Yoga, SweatCycle, Camp Gadiator, Omega Sports and the Juice Bar CLT are joining forces for a donation-based class benefitting Girls on the Run. 9:15-11 a.m. $5 cash donation. Details.

Kenya Cooks Workout Party at The Holiday Inn Charlotte: The celebrity trainer behind Mama June’s transformation is coming to Charlotte to teach an intense workout with games, prizes, music and more. 10:30 a.m.-1 p.m. Free. Details.

Lifetime Fitness Metabolic Assessments at Charlotte Running Company Promenade: Learn how to increase efficiency in your workout through optimizing your personal metabolic profile. 12:30-3:30 p.m. Free. Details.

Sports

Gamecocks vs. Bulldogs Watch Party at Flight: The game will be playing on each TV, and there’ll be drink specials on Miller and Coors Lite and Dos Equis. 3:30-6:30 p.m. Free. Details.

Sand Volleyball Doubles Tournament at SportsLink Sandbox at VBGB: Grab a partner and register to play in one of their 3 divisions, all with cash prizes. 8-11:30 p.m. $50 per team. Details.

Sunday, September 24

Food & Drink

Annual Saints Tailgate at Carolina Ale House: Expect a DJ, jambalaya, beignets and Abita beer starting at 11 a.m. before a watch party upstairs for those not going to the game. 11 a.m. Free. Details.

Proceed Brunch at RuRu’s Tacos + Tequila: Join Making Strides Against Breast Cancer for brunch. 10% of all proceeds will be given back to the charity. 12-3 p.m. Details.

Fitness

Race 13.1 at 3420 Toringdon Way: Follow the course through residential neighborhoods, the Four Mile Creek Greenway and McAlpine Creek Greenway. 7 a.m. $30-$90. Details.

Community Class at Y2 Yoga: Y2 has partnered with International House for a donation-based community class with proceeds going straight back to the House. 4:15-5:15 p.m. $10 suggested donation. Details.

Sports

Whole Hog Tailgate at Sauceman’s: For every home game, Sauceman’s will be smoking a whole hog to help you fill up on beer and BBQ before heading to the game. For $5, you can get a draft and a pork sandwich and watch all the NFL games with their Sunday Ticket. 9 a.m.-4 p.m. Free. Details.

Black & Blue Blaze Tailgate at Blue Blaze Brewing: Expect a hand-crafted Game Day Buffet, drinks pouring at 10 a.m., classic tailgate games and the game to be projected on a 12-foot screen. 10 a.m.-8 p.m. Free. Details.

Piedmont to Panthers Social Bus at Piedmont Social House: Your ticket includes roundtrip luxury transportation to the game, three beers onsite and a couple on the way as well as drink specials before and after the game and access to a VIP tailgating area. 11 a.m.-5 p.m. $40+. Details.

Game Day at Unknown Brewery: Come watch the game and listen to live music from the Willie Douglas Band with a beer in hand. 11 a.m.-6 p.m. Free. Details.

Brows vs. Colts Watch Party at Flight: Watch Cleveland take on Indianapolis with drink specials, shots and a live DJ. 1 p.m.-4 p.m. Free. Details.

Football Raffle at Slate: Enter to win Panthers tickets, autographed items like helmets and footballs and more while you watch the game. Proceeds benefit America’s Tooth Fairy. 1-4 p.m. $5. Details.

NFL Football at Bank of America Stadium: Watch the Panthers take on the New Orleans Saints. 1-4 p.m. $84+. Details.

Women’s Soccer at Irwin Belk Track and Field Center/Transamerica Field: Watch the 49ers take on FIU in a conference play game. 1 p.m. $5. Details.

We’re excited for…

Pink Pint Night at NoDa Brewing Company: Start Breast Cancer Awareness month a little early with pink brews, live music and food trucks. 100% of proceeds benefit the Carolinas Breast Cancer Fund. September 28.

VegFest Jr. at C3 Lab: Enjoy small, reasonably priced bites from the city’s best vegan-friendly stops as well as a donation-based bar with juices and alcoholic drinks. Proceeds benefit the Humane League and VegFest 2018. September 28.

Not Your Mom’s Pop-Up Shop at Lenny Boy Brewing Co.: Girl Tribe Co. and Charlotte Parent have teamed up to give moms a day out with drinks, shopping and surprises. September 29.

See all the upcoming events here.

Feature photo via The Olde Mecklenburg Brewery’s Instagram.
Alivia McAtee contributed to this story.