What to expect at Charlotte SHOUT! 2025
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Queen's Greens, a putt-putt course designed by local artists, is located on Levine Avenue of the Arts this year. Photo: Ashley Mahoney/Axios
Charlotte SHOUT! returns to Uptown April 4-20.
Why it matters: The popular spring festival, which celebrates art, music, food and ideas, draws hundreds of thousands of people to Uptown each year.
By the numbers: More than 642,000 people attended the 2024 festival.
- According to Charlotte Center City Partners, the festival organizer, it produced $17.1 million in economic impact for Uptown businesses.
What to expect: The family-friendly festival includes more than 200 events and art installations, like massive inflatable characters called Oracles and a mini golf course.
- You'll be able to interact with Oracles Apollo and Athena through their AI-powered voices. You'll find them at ImaginOn.
- Queen's Greens, a putt-putt course at Levine Avenue of the Arts, will have nine holes designed by local artists.
- CanStruction is a competition where engineers and designers will create CanArt® sculptures in Bank of America's Founders Hall. The cans of food will later be donated to local food bank Second Harvest.
- Familiar favorites include E/motion (the light-up see-saws), Eggs on Parade (massive Easter eggs designed by local artists in the Green), and Pianodrome (an amphitheater constructed from 40 recycled pianos inside the Wells Fargo Atrium).
- There will be a pre-festival ticketed event on April 3 at 7pm at the newly restored Carolina Theatre, celebrating art, music, food, ideas, and fashion. Noelle Russell, CEO of the AI Leadership Institute, will deliver a keynote speech examining the impact and future of AI.
- Find a full events schedule here and map here.
Charlotte SHOUT! will serve as the umbrella for three additional festivals:
- The Charlotte Ideas Festival runs April 3-8 and will feature astrophysicist and musician Matt Russo, who will speak about the sounds of the cosmos, plus bestselling authors Ann Patchett and Kevin Wilson.
- Carolina BBQ Festival is April 4-5, featuring live music, local vendors and top pitmasters.
- Charlotte StrEATs runs April 12-13, highlighting Charlotte's food scene. StrEATs Uncorked returns on April 4, focusing on North Carolina wine.
Editor's note: This story was first published on Feb. 21, 2025 and was updated on April 2 to reflect additional events and locations.