This Weekend's Agenda: 25+ Events (March 9-12)

THURSDAY (March 9)
GAME OF THRONES LIVE CONCERT EXPERIENCE
Bust out the chainmail for this immersive concert experience that brings the sounds of the beloved HBO show to the city’s biggest venue. Game of Thrones' composer, Ramin Djawadi, conducts an 80-piece orchestra, paired with enormous imagery from the series. Warning: There will be dragons.

ERTH'S DINOSAUR ZOO LIVE!
Travel back to prehistoric Australia in this live "zoo" experience, in which dinosaurs from the Mesozoic are resurrected as life-like puppets. The interactions take place in the intimate Booth Playhouse.

BEST NEW RESTAURANTS PARTY 
For the first time, we’re hosting a party to celebrate the winners of our annual Best New Restaurant list. Nearly two dozen chefs and mixologists from our winning restaurants will be at this celebration to offer tastings of their fare. There will also be live music and a live auction. Tickets cost $126 for this party from 7 p.m. until 10 p.m. at CenterStage@NoDa, 2315 N. Davidson St.

GUINNESS BEER DINNER 
To jumpstart your St. Patrick’s Day celebrations, 204 North hosts this four-course dinner. The hook? The restaurant pairs each course with a Guinness-based drink. Tickets to the dinner, which runs from 7 p.m. until 10 p.m. at 204 N. Tryon St., cost $42.

PINK MASQUERADE 
This party promises to be a night of fantasy, music and dance, and it all benefits Pink House of Charlotte. For $133, you’ll get appetizers, drinks, access to the live music and dancing. The gala is at Dressler’s, 1100 Metropolitan Ave., from 7 p.m. until 11 p.m. 

FRIDAY (March 10)
THE HEAD AND THE HEART
Folk-rock darling The Head and the Heart headlines a show at Ovens, bringing tunes from its 2016 record, Signs of Light. The LP was its first through Warner Bros. Records. 

THE BODYGUARD
The Grammy-nominated, multi-platinum singer Deborah Cox stars as Rachel Marron in the U.S. tour of The Bodyguard. The show is based on the 1992 film of the same name, and it features Whitney Houston songs like "I Wanna Dance With Somebody" and her cover of the Dolly Parton hit "I Will Always Love You."

CHARLOTTE BALLET: SLEEPING BEAUTY
The fairytale narrative of Princess Aurora is retold through the Charlotte Ballet. The original ballet was crafted by choreographer Marius Petipa and composer Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky in 1890. 

MARTINI MAYHEM 
For those who like their drinks shaken or stirred, this party is for you. Bubble’s bartenders will craft four spring-themed martinis for your tasting tonight. Doors open at 8:30 p.m. at 210 E. Trade St., and tickets cost $35.

ST. PRACTICE DAY
If you feel the need to indulge yourself before the pub crawl tomorrow, this is your chance. Wear your best green and sample a $4 Irish beer or $7 Irish Car Bomb. There’s no admission fee to this annual event at Whisky River, 210 E. Trade St. The party is from 10 p.m. until 2 a.m.

LAUGH FOR THE CURE 
This laugh-out-loud event raises funds for the Susan G. Komen Foundation. In addition to two stand-up comedians, the evening at the McGlohon Theater, 345 N. College St., also features food, a silent and live auction experience. Doors open at 5:30 p.m., and tickets start at $65. 

SATURDAY (March 11)
HOUSINGFEST: ST. PAUL AND THE BROKEN BONES
Six-piece soul outfit St. Paul & The Broken Bones performs at the annual fundraiser from the Urban Ministry Center. Funds go toward the non-profit’s efforts in ending chronic homelessness in the Charlotte region. 

ST. PATRICK’S DAY PUB CRAWL 
It’s back. For the 17th year, “The world’s largest pub crawl” returns to Uptown to celebrate America’s favorited adopted holiday, which still isn’t for another week. More than 20,000 revelers are expected to paint Uptown green today, so prepare yourself accordingly. Registration begins at 219 E. Seventh St from noon until 3 p.m. and also includes food trucks, DJs and more bars. The crawl goes all day and takes you across center city, so may the luck of the Irish be with you.

LENNY BOY RELEASE PARTY 
If all the hubbub in Uptown doesn’t appeal to you, join Lenny Boy Brewing Co. for beer and barbecue today. Buy a 22-ounce SouthendMAAgic Yogi and get a free plate of barbecue. There’s live music from 1 p.m. until 3 p.m. and 4 p.m. until 7 p.m. There’s no admission fee to the party at 3000 S. Tryon St.

GREEN RIVER REVIVAL 
Always serving as a same-day alternative to the St Patrick’s Day Pub Crawl, this event returns for another year. The all-day affair begins at 9:30 a.m. with yoga, continues with the Color Me Green race at 10 a.m. and live music beginning at 11 a.m. The Whitewater Center’s river turns green at 1 p.m. and the cornhole tournament starts at 2 p.m. Prices vary, but the event is at 5000 Whitewater Center Parkway. 

BECHTLER MUSEUM OF MODERN ART
​Niki de Saint Phalle’s iconic outdoor sculpture “The Firebird” welcomes visitors. Inside, you’ll find fine art exhibitions, films, jazz, classical concerts, and talks. Bechtler Collection: Relaunched and Rediscovered, THROUGH APRIL 23, is an exhibition put together by curator Jennifer Edwards, who pulls pieces from the museum’s extensive permanent collection and presents them in a new light.

CHARLOTTE MUSEUM OF HISTORY
Built in 1774, the 5,000-square-foot Hezekiah Alexander House is the oldest surviving structure of its kind in Mecklenburg County. Guided tours are available. Charlotte’s Road to Revolution, THROUGH JUNE 15, displays the works of Charlotte artist Dan Nance, who has been painting scenes of American history for more than 20 years.

CIEL GALLERY
​Ciel Gallery is a combined teaching space and mosaic gallery in South End that showcases paintings, mosaics, photography, jewelry, pottery, sculpture, and more. Art classes are available for all ages and levels. A March salon show focuses on works on paper from the gallery’s artists.

JERALD MELBERG GALLERY
Once a curator for the Mint Museum, Jerald Melberg founded this gallery in 1983. Since, the gallery's garnered relationships with New York's Museum of Modern Art, the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C., and other institutions. Argentinian painter Raul Diaz’s exhibition, THROUGH MARCH 18, presents his mixed-media works, which have dreamlike environments. 

SUNDAY (March 12)
SWEETWATER MARCH MADNESS 420 FEST
The Peculiar Rabbit, 1212 Pecan Ave., hosts this party today with $4 pints of SweetWater 420 and SweetWater Grass Monkey. Partygoers have a chance to win a three-day pass to the brewery’s 420 Fest in Atlanta. There’s no admission fee to this party from 3 p.m. until 2 a.m. Happy March Madness! 

SELECTION SUNDAY BASH
Sugar Creek Brewing is helping Blackfinn, 210 E. Trade St., throw this party to prepare for March Madness. The bar will have raffles and prizes throughout the entire party, $15 domestic buckets as well as $18 domestic beer towers. That is, if you’ve survived the weekend. There’s no admission fee to this party from noon until 8 p.m.

DISCOVERY PLACE: NATURE
Formerly known as the “Charlotte Nature Museum,” the 13,000-square-foot facility is embedded into a 100-year-old forest located between Dilworth and Myers Park. There are several indoor activities, from hangouts with live creatures and animal exhibits to puppet shows. The Fort Wild outdoor exhibit includes activities that require teamwork and allows kids to get their hands dirty. 

DISCOVERY PLACE: SCIENCE
Genghis Khan, THROUGH APRIL 30, examines the life of the legendary conqueror. The exhibit displays more than 200 artifacts from Khan’s treasures and possessions, including jewelry, clothing, pottery, musical instruments, and weaponry. Mysteries of China, THROUGH APRIL 30, is an IMAX film that explores ancient and modern China through the lens of a stunning archaeological find in 1974—the discovery of the Terracotta Warriors and the First Emperor’s Tomb. $5 for members, $10 for adult nonmembers, $9 for seniors and children 2-13. 

HARVEY B. GANTT CENTER FOR AFRICAN-AMERICAN ARTS + CULTURE
Named for Harvey Gantt, the first African-American mayor of Charlotte, this 46,500-square-foot museum celebrates the contributions of Africans and African-Americans to American culture. The Future is Abstract, THROUGH JULY 8, highlights mixed-media artists and painters Rushern Baker, DeShawn Dumas, Torkwase Dyson, and Brenna Youngblood. Alison Saar: The Nature of Us, THROUGH JULY 8, is a solo exhibition for Saar, who explores motherhood and femininity. Zun Lee: Father Figure, THROUGH JULY 8, looks at African-American fatherhood through black-and-white photography. And finally, Jordan Casteel: Harlem Notes, THROUGH JULY 8, offers paintings from Harlem-based artist Jordan Casteel.

BONUS WEEKDAY EVENTS:
MONDAY (March 13)
KODO: DADAN 2017
In a large-scale, theatrical demonstration, Kodo displays the power of the taiko, a traditional Japanese drum. The group has brought this program to five continents since the early 1980s.