What it would take for Charlotte to land Music Midtown

Driving the news: Music Midtown canceled its annual festival in Atlanta’s Piedmont Park over “circumstances beyond our control” last week.

• The festival can’t ban firearms in public parks because of Georgia’s gun laws, as several outlets reported.

Now, local officials want to lure the festival here instead. Gov. Roy Cooper tweeted the festival would be welcome in North Carolina. Longtime Mecklenburg County Commissioner Pat Cotham tweeted Charlotte leaders should take a road trip to Atlanta to woo the festival.

• “We wanted to showcase that there are alternatives, and a major event like that could be successful in North Carolina,” Cooper spokesperson Ford Porter told Axios’ Lucille Sherman. 
• The governor’s office has not been in contact with event organizers, however.

Why it matters: Legislative actions have consequences, and North Carolina knows that all too well after huge events, including the 2017 NBA All-Star game, canceled or relocated because of HB2 – North Carolina’s infamous bathroom bill. 

• Bruce Springsteen canceled his Greensboro concert because of it and PayPal pulled its plans for a Charlotte office. 

Flashback: This isn’t the first time Atlanta lost an event over legislation. MLB pulled the 2021 All-Star Game over S.B. 202  – Georgia’s controversial voting law. 

By the numbers: “The cancellation of Music Midtown will cost Georgia’s economy $50 million,” Democratic nominee for Georgia governor Stacey Abrams tweeted.

• Around 50,000 people attended last year’s event.
• The event, which was canceled in 2020 because of the pandemic, last year drew names like Megan Thee Stallion and Miley Cyrus.

Between the lines: Charlotte Center City Partners chief creative officer & senior vice president of events Robert Krumbine produced all of Charlotte’s big music festivals for the last 30 years, including Carolina Music Fest and Charlotte Center City Fest, which were three-day, five-stage events featuring names like Bob Dylan, Parliament-Funkadelic and the Foo Fighters.

• “There’s a lot that goes into producing a festival of that size,” Krumbine told Axios. “It takes time to do it right.”

Charlotte has plenty of potential venues for a music festival.

• Among them: Bank of America Stadium, Truist Field and American Legion Memorial Stadium.
• A central location is key, per Axios’ Thomas Wheatley, who told us that “density concentrates energy and energy creates a good time.”

Yes, but: Charlotte doesn’t really have a green space that could accommodate something like this in the same way Atlanta does with Piedmont Park or Austin does with Zilker Park. 

• Romare Bearden Park, First Ward Park and Marshall Park are all central options, but they’re too small.

• Even cities like Raleigh would be better suited than Charlotte in terms of access to large parks, like Dorthea Dix Park where Dreamville Festival was held.

Zoom out: While Charlotte is busy looking at Atlanta, longing for things we don’t have, both cities have local festivals. For Charlotte, it includes a homegrown music fest making its debut this month at NoDa Brewing Company called The Queen City Jam Session. 

• “Every urban city seems to have a festival; why haven’t we had one in [almost] 20 years?” MaxxMusic President Gregg McCraw told Axios. MaxxMusic and NoDa Brewing are partnering on the festival, which McCraw said will have a capacity of more than 5,000.

What else: Wheatley from Axios Atlanta offered these other requirements, somewhat tongue-in-cheek.

• Homegrown acts: Atlanta native Future was a headliner before Music Midtown was canceled, and some lesser-known acts made up the teeny tiny print on the poster.
• Transit: Parking’s gonna be a nightmare — especially if you follow rule no. 1 — and the Uber lines will be hell. Transit works.
• No sudden new gun laws: Just to be safe.
• A different name: There’s only one Music Midtown so don’t you dare take that from us.
• You’re welcome. Y’all owe us a case of Cheerwine.