Family Fun: October 4-5 Weekend What-To-Dos

Take advantage of ‘festival season’ this weekend by partaking in one or several of the local happenings in Charlotte. 

Hola Festival

September 15 to October 15 is National Hispanic Heritage Month and on Saturday, October 4, the Hola Festival takes place from 12 pm – 7 pm in uptown Charlotte on Tryon St. between 5^th and 8^th streets. There will also be activities going on at Levine Museum of the New South, ImaginOn, 7th St. Public Market, and Discovery Place. This is a free event.

Highlights:

•   2 stages that will have continuous entertainment! One featuring cultural performances, and one featuring live Latin music throughout the day

•   The Latin American Cultural Village highlighting 10 Latin countries

•   The Cultural Passport

•   Salsa Dancing

•   Authentic Latin Food and Beverage

•   Cultural Dance Performances

•   Zumba Demos and Instruction

•   Live Latin Musical Performances and Singers

Ongoing cultural activities at Levine Museum of the New South, ImaginOn, 7th St. Public Market, and Discovery Place

Charlotte Book Fair

The 3rd Annual Charlotte Book Fair highlights the joy of reading, and features authors, storytellers, musicians, workshops and vendors. It takes place Saturday, October 4th, 2014, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. at Little Rock Cultural Center, 401 North Myers Street. It’s free, but donations are welcome.

There will be four main areas: the Main Floor, The Outdoor Pavilion, the Children’s Village and the Studio Theater. Authors will present on the Main floor, while the studio theater hosts a mini-film festival, On Q Productions and Oneaka Dance Company. Entertainment will be provided by On Q Productions, Oneaka Dance Company, The McCrorey African Drummers, Buffalo Soldier Henry Legendre, poets Voz ES, Afropunk rockers Harry Hunter, and more.

Charlotte Classic Jazz Festival

Blumenthal Performing Arts and Jazz Arts Initiative present CharlotteClassic Jazz Festival, a free jazz festival for the whole family on Saturday, October 4th, 2014. After the festival, there will be a jazz concert at Knight Theater at 7:00 p.m., and this is a ticketed event, costing $5. The festival, however, is free, and takes place in Knight Theater from 11:00 a.m. to 6:45 p.m.

11:00 AM – 12:00 PM
Jazz 4 Tots: Intro to Jazz for the little ones

12:00 PM – 4:00 PM
Kids’ Jazz Playhouse

12:30 PM – 3:30 PM
Loonis McGlohon Young Jazz Artist Competition

5:30 PM – 6:45 PM
Keynote Conversation: Jazz Legends in the Carolinas

6:15 PM – 6:45 PM
CLT Classic Jazz Fest Secondline Jazz Parade
(From Trade and Tryon to the Knight Theater)

7:00 PM – 10:00 PM
MUSIC: World-class live jazz performances from the region’s top artists
Tickets are $5 for this concert in the Knight Theater.

Plaza Midwood Art Crawl

The Plaza Midwood Merchants are presenting the Plaza Midwood Art Crawl Saturday, October 4th, 2014, from 4pm to 9pm. Artists will be showcasing their talents through live performance from aerial silks performers to cartoonists and fairy sculptors, in venues ranging from a hair salon to a dog salon. Works of Art on display will include paintings, pottery, glass art, stained glass, quilting, handmade jewelry and mixed media, and much more. This will take place in the Plaza Midwood business district, mostly on and between Central Avenue and Commonwealth.