As the weather warms up, Charlotte's calendar fills with food and music festivals, art walks, local races and other reasons to get outside.

Here's seven things to do this spring:

• 🍀 Shamrock and roll at The Charlotte St. Patrick's Day Festival and Parade happening today.
• 🌊 Check out the Whitewater Center, starting with their Green River Revival happening today.
• 🏟️ Head to Bank of America Stadium for the USMNT World Cup.
• 🍽️ Get a plate with all the fixin's at the Carolina BBQ Festival.
• 🍷 Sip wine by the water at the University City Wine Festival.
• 🖼️ Stroll the artwork at Kings Drive Art Walk.
• 🏁 Start your engines for a weekend of racing at the Coca-Cola 600.
• 🎢 Ride all the coasters at Carowinds; the season opens today.

Our full spring guide

It's a busy sports day in Charlotte.

Driving the news: Charlotte FC hosts Inter Miami at Bank of America at 7:30pm, which means fans are clamoring to see superstar Lionel Messi.

• Plus, the ACC men's basketball tournament final is tonight at Spectrum Center at 8:30pm. Duke will face Virginia.

Why it matters: Between people celebrating St. Patrick's and cheering on their favorite teams, Uptown will be bursting with people.

State of play: Charlotte FC tickets start at $99.55.

• ACC Tournament final tickets start at $45.22.
• If you're looking for ways to tailgate or sports bars to pregame at, we have you covered. 👇

ACC Tournament guide ... How to tailgate for Charlotte FC

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Ricci's Hoagies, a longtime Philadelphia sandwich shop, recently opened in NoDa.

Why it matters: It's the first North Carolina location for the century-old business, known for its hand-sliced meats and authentic Italian hoagies.

What to expect: More than two dozen hoagies, plus hot sandwiches and sides like whole pickles, pasta salad, mozzarella balls and chips. You can also build your own sandwich.

The vibe: The 1,000-square-foot shop is part of the retail at Centro NoDa. There's no indoor seating, just counter service and catering available.

Dig in: We ordered the "Old Fashioned Italian" (9-inch regular) with prosciutto, soppressata, sharp provolone and roasted red peppers.

• We topped with "the works," lettuce, tomato, onion, pickles, oil, mayo, crushed red pepper seasoning and hot banana peppers. Total: $19.47.

Stop by: Open daily, 11am–8pm Monday–Friday and 10am–8pm Saturday–Sunday at 719 E. 36th St.

Binge-watch a few Oscar-nominated movies ahead of tomorrow's awards show.

Why it matters: The 10 contenders will be vying for Best Picture at the Academy Awards tomorrow, but it's easy to feel overwhelmed by the idea of watching that many movies.

If you've got an Oscar party on your calendar but not a lot of free time, these are the three movies to prioritize:

• "One Battle After Another" — A tale of ersatz political revolutionaries fighting back against an authoritarian government force, this Paul Thomas Anderson Pynchon-inspired magnum opus is exactly the type of timely film Hollywood loves to reward. It's widely seen as the frontrunner for Best Picture. Now streaming on HBO Max.
• "Sinners"— The most-nominated movie of all time is part 1930s period piece, part vampire bloodbath. The Academy often overlooks horror, but writer-director Ryan Coogler's parable about the systemic exploitation of Black culture in American history has been impossible to ignore. Now streaming on HBO Max.
• "Sentimental Value"— A more-fun-than-you'd-think Norwegian tale of generational trauma, with Stellan Skarsgård and Elle Fanning nominated for supporting actor and actress. Available via VOD ($14.99 rental) on Amazon Prime, Apple TV, and YouTube.

What's next: If you're looking to watch the Oscars with a crowd tomorrow night, grab some friends and head to Independent Picture House for its viewing party and fundraiser at 5:30pm. Tickets are $80.