What to Do in Charlotte in July: 2023

Festival

CLT Edge Fest
Saturday, July 15, 3-9 p.m.

Watch local artists paint murals at this festival hosted by the Charlotte Street Art Collaborative, plus enjoy music, dance, spoken word, yoga, interactive art exhibits, an art scavenger hunt, food and drink, and more. Charlotte Art League, 4237 Raleigh St., Free

Courtesy, CLT Edge Fest

Exhibitions

Garden of Earthly Delights 
Saturday, July 1, 11 a.m.-5 p.m.
Lexicon Gallery
904 Pecan Ave., Ste. 101

Summer Residency Showcase Opening 
Friday, July 28, 6-9 p.m.
Goodyear Arts
301 Camp Road, Ste. 200

Opportunities to Learn

Laureate Workshop Series
Saturday, July 8

Poet Cedric Tillman hosts a poetry workshop from 1-3 p.m. Then Charlotte’s poet laureate, Jay Ward, holds office hours from 3-5 p.m. for anyone who wants feedback on poems or manuscripts. Charlotte Mecklenburg Library, University City Regional Branch. Free 

Crochet Baskets
Saturday, July 15, 10:30 a.m.

Join artist Jillian Mueller in Matthews for a two-hour workshop to learn crochet basics and how to incorporate different materials into your work. You’ll leave with your own hand-stitched basket. Ages 16 and up. Registration required. Matthews Library. Free

Piano Lessons
Through Sept. 30

B Music Youth offers free group piano lessons at the Eastway Regional Recreation Center every Wednesday and Thursday through September. Classes are at 5:30 p.m. for ages 5 to 12 and 6:30 p.m. for ages 13 to 18. At the end of the program, attendees can participate in a student concert. Eastway Regional Recreation Center. Free

Outdoor Concerts

Celebrate America!
Sunday, July 2, 7 p.m.

The Charlotte Symphony’s ready to let freedom ring. A night of patriotic favorites, conducted by Christopher James Lees and followed by a fireworks display. Symphony Park at SouthPark Mall. Tickets start at $18 for adults, $5 for youth (13-18). Kids are free. 

Charlotte Symphony

Wednesday Night DJ
Wednesdays, 5-8 p.m.

Every Wednesday, join DJ See Bird Go for a curated set while you nosh at the Keswick food stalls. Camp North End. Free

Music on Main
Friday, July 28, 6:30 p.m.

Each month through September, the city of Monroe hosts bands downtown. Follow the music to the stage in front of Americana Beer Company. Monroe, Free

River Jam
Multiple dates

On Thursday, Friday, and Saturday nights through September, the Whitewater Center hosts rock, Americana, bluegrass, folk, and funk bands on its stage near the rushing whitewater rapids. Whitewater Center, Free

Movie Nights

Fight Club: Celebrating Martial Arts and Action Cinema
Thursday, July 6, 7 p.m.

This listing breaks the first rule of Fight Club, but how else would you know about VisArt’s series, which screens martial arts and Asian action movies? VisArt Video. Free

The Room: 20th Anniversary Screening with Greg Sestero
Saturday, July 8, 7 & 10 p.m.

Two showings of the 2003 cult classic with Greg Sestero, a star of the film and co-author of The Disaster Artist: My Life Inside The Room, the Greatest Bad Movie Ever Made, later adapted into a film of its own. (Which stars James Franco as, incredibly, a creep.) The night will also include a Q&A, a behind-the-scenes documentary about the making of The Room, and a meet-and-greet. Independent Picture House. Tickets: $20

More Independent Picture House Showings:

Kamikaze 1989:
July 11, 13, & 16

Savage Beach:
July 21, 22, & 26

Once Upon a Time in Uganda: 
Opens July 14