The Charlotte events calendar features free and cheap things to do every day. Think there's nothing to do? Look at this list of Charlotte events to get some ideas. You'll find festivals, free food, music, kids' activities and much more.
Click each title to see more information about the event or deal. You can also view the whole month (click "By Month") or see a specific date (click By Day).
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Double-Check Before You Head Out!
We make every effort to make sure that everything on Charlotte on the Cheap is 100% accurate.
However, sometimes things change without notice, and we are not always notified. It's also possible that we can make a mistake.
Please verify all deals and events with the venue or organizer before you go.
You might also be interested in one of these more specific calendars:
Wednesday, September 3, 2025
| Event | Time | Price | Location |
|---|---|---|---|
| Charlotte International Arts Festival | All Day | FREE | Various locations |
| Students: buy one ticket get one free at Independent Picture House on Wednesdays | All Day | Discounted | Independent Picture House |
| Birkdale Buds -- activities for preschool children | 10:30 am to 12:00 pm | FREE | Birkdale Village |
| Golden Bull Bite Wednesdays at the West Complex | 11:00 am to 7:00 pm | FREE | West Complex |
| Disc Golf League | 3:00 pm to 8:00 pm | FREE | Heist Brewery & Barrel Arts |
| Wednesday Night Live: Free admission to Uptown museums | 5:00 pm to 9:00 pm | FREE | Various locations |
| Free Wednesday Evening at Museum Museum Randolph | 5:00 pm to 9:00 pm | FREE | Mint Museum Randolph |
| Free Yoga | 5:30 pm | FREE | Sycamore Brewing |
| Chess Time! At West Boulevard Library | 6:00 pm to 7:00 pm | FREE | West Boulevard Library |
| Free Yoga at Hindu Center of Charlotte | 6:00 pm to 7:00 pm | FREE | Hindu Center of Charlotte |
| Open Mic Night | 6:00 pm to 9:00 pm | FREE | Muddy River Distillery, Mount Holly |
| The OG Boot Camp | 6:30 pm to 7:30 pm | FREE | Lenny Boy Brewing Co. |
| Tommy's Trivia | 6:30 pm | FREE | Sycamore Brewing |
| Open House at MakerSpace CLT | 7:00 pm to 9:00 pm | FREE | Makerspace Charlotte |
| Open Mic at Summit Coffee Basecamp | 7:00 pm to 9:00 pm | FREE | Summit Coffee, Basecamp, Davidson |
| Bunco! | 7:00 pm to 9:00 pm | FREE | Eleven Lakes Brewing, Cornelius |
| Open Hearts Open Mic | 7:00 pm to 10:00 pm | FREE | Starlight on 22nd |
| Puzzle Race and Half-Priced Wine | 7:00 pm | Discounted | Middle James Brewing, Pineville |
| Wednesday Night Yoga | 7:30 pm to 8:30 pm | $5.00 | Lenny Boy Brewing Co. |
Thursday, September 4, 2025
| Event | Time | Price | Location |
|---|---|---|---|
| Charlotte International Arts Festival | All Day | FREE | Various locations |
| Hornets Nest Auto Fest | 8:00 am to 5:00 pm | $10.00 | Charlotte Motor Speedway |
| Trails and Tales: free monthly event for kids at Cabarrus County parks | 10:00 am to 11:00 am | FREE | Rob Wallace Park, Midland |
| ArtBreak at the Gantt: Free lunchtime tour | 12:00 pm to 12:30 pm | FREE | Harvey B. Gantt Center for African-American Arts + Culture |
| Free "Explore Creative Art" classes for adults and teens | 1:00 pm to 3:30 pm | FREE | Berewick Recreation Center |
| MODA Digital Arts Open Studio Oasis (pre-registration required) | 1:00 pm to 5:00 pm | FREE | Harvey B. Gantt Center for African-American Arts + Culture |
| Hope Street Food Pantry Food Distribution | 4:00 pm to 7:00 pm | FREE | Hope Street Food Pantry |
| CSO Roadshow @ Metalmorphosis | 5:00 pm to 8:00 pm | FREE | Whitehall Corporate Center |
| Yappy Hour Thurstdays | 5:00 pm to 10:00 pm | FREE | Southern Strain Brewing Company, Plaza Midwood |
| 5th Street Live | 5:00 pm | FREE | Truist Center Plaza |
| Plaza Midwood Chess Club Meetup | 6:00 pm | FREE | Common Market Plaza Midwood |
| Weekly Ping Pong Club | 6:00 pm to 8:00 pm | FREE | Hi-Wire Brewing Charlotte |
| Bluegrass Jam | 6:00 pm to 9:00 pm | FREE | Birdsong Brewing Co. |
| Charlotte Fit Fam | 6:00 pm | FREE | HopFly Brewing Company |
| Name the Music at Rhino Market & Deli South End | 6:30 pm to 9:00 pm | FREE | Rhino Market South End |
| LangTree Live Concert Series | 6:30 pm to 9:00 pm | FREE | LangTree Lake Norman (Mooresville) |
| Board Game Night | 6:30 pm to 9:30 pm | FREE | Hi-Wire Brewing Charlotte |
| Open Mic Night | 6:30 pm to 10:00 pm | FREE | Traust Brewing Company, Mount Holly |
| Bingo w/ Shane | 6:30 pm | FREE | Model A Brewing, Tega Cay |
| NFL Trivia | 7:00 pm to 9:00 pm | FREE | Neoteric Brewing Company |
| River Jam live music series (free admission; parking is $12) | 7:00 pm to 10:00 pm | FREE | U.S. National Whitewater Center |
| Open Mic Night | 7:00 pm to 10:00 pm | FREE | Cabarrus Brewing Company |
| Trivia at Pilot Brewing | 7:00 pm | FREE | Pilot Brewing |
| Crossroads Cinema at Camp North End: The Cheetah Girls | 8:00 pm | FREE | Camp North End |
Friday, September 5, 2025
| Event | Time | Price | Location |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bandcamp Friday: Bandcamp waives its revenue share and artists keep all the revenue | All Day | Virtual | |
| Charlotte International Arts Festival | All Day | FREE | Various locations |
| Hornets Nest Auto Fest | 8:00 am to 5:00 pm | $10.00 | Charlotte Motor Speedway |
| Free Birding Walks on trails of Stowe Conservancy | 9:00 am to 10:00 am | FREE | Daniel Stowe Botanical Garden |
| Free Public Tour of Innovation Barn | 9:00 am | FREE | Innovation Barn |
| Yiasou Greek Festival | 11:00 am to 10:00 pm | $0-5.00 | Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Cathedral |
| Cabarrus County Fair | 4:00 pm to 11:59 pm | $6.00-8.00 | Cabarrus Arena and Events Center |
| Food Truck Friday | 4:00 pm to 7:00 pm | FREE | Resident Culture Brewing Plaza Midwood |
| First Fridays Pineville | 5:00 pm to 9:00 pm | FREE | Historic Downtown Pineville |
| University City Food Truck Friday | 5:00 pm to 9:00 pm | FREE | Armored Cow Brewing |
| Asian Night Market | 5:00 pm to 11:00 pm | FREE | Urban District Market |
| CSO Roadshow at University Park Creative Arts School's Back to School Bash | 5:30 pm | FREE | University Park Creative Arts Elementary |
| Rock the Park: Buffett and Beyond | 6:00 pm | FREE | Liberty Park, Mooresville |
| Live Under the Oaks music series | 6:00 pm to 8:00 pm | FREE | Birkdale Village |
| South End Gallery Crawl | 6:00 pm to 9:00 pm | FREE | Historic South End |
| Maker's Market CLT at Primal Brewery Huntersville | 6:00 pm to 9:00 pm | FREE | Primal Brewery, Huntersville |
| Friday Nights at Camp North End | 6:00 pm to 9:00 pm | FREE | Camp North End |
| South End Food Truck Friday | 6:00 pm to 10:00 pm | FREE | Hi-Wire Brewing Charlotte |
| North Carolina Baroque Orchestra | 7:00 pm | FREE | Grace Lutheran Church, Rock Hill |
| Friday Night Live Music at Confluence | 7:00 pm to 9:00 pm | FREE | Confluence, Cramerton |
| River Jam live music series (free admission; parking is $12) | 7:00 pm to 10:00 pm | FREE | U.S. National Whitewater Center |
| Friday Night Live Music | 7:00 pm to 11:30 pm | FREE | Hi-Wire Brewing Charlotte |
| The Comedy Market: Open Mic | 7:30 pm to 9:00 pm | FREE | Common Market South End |
| Brews & Views | 8:00 pm | FREE | Heist Brewery & Barrel Arts |
Saturday, September 6, 2025
| Event | Time | Price | Location |
|---|---|---|---|
| Free museum admission first weekend of month for Bank of America/Merrill customers | All Day | FREE | Various locations |
| Charlotte International Arts Festival | All Day | FREE | Various locations |
| Hornets Nest Auto Fest | 8:00 am to 5:00 pm | $10.00 | Charlotte Motor Speedway |
| Home Depot Kids' Workshop: Crop Duster | 9:00 am to 12:00 pm | FREE | The Home Depot, multiple locations |
| Free Tai Chi Class with Taiji Matthews | 9:00 am to 10:00 am | FREE | Stumptown Park, Matthews |
| Streetside Classics -- Charlotte Caffeine and Classics | 9:00 am to 12:00 pm | FREE | Streetside Classics Charlotte |
| Community Yoga | 9:30 am | FREE | Patagonia Charlotte |
| Free recycling class for kids | 10:00 am to 11:30 am | FREE | Innovation Barn |
| WDAV Holding One-Day Record Sale at Book Buyers | 10:00 am to 2:00 pm | FREE | Book Buyers |
| International Vulture Awareness Day at Carolina Raptor Center (free admission if you're bald) | 10:00 am to 3:00 pm | $0-16.00 | Carolina Raptor Center |
| Lowe’s gives away free water bottles | 10:00 am | FREE | Lowe’s (multiple stores) |
| Charlotte Doodle Meetup | 10:00 am to 11:00 am | $5.00 | Skiptown |
| Saturday Morning Yoga | 10:00 am to 11:00 am | $5.00 | Lenny Boy Brewing Co. |
| Visit Eastern Cabarrus Historical Society Museum | 10:00 am to 3:00 pm | FREE | Eastern Cabarrus Historical Society & Museum |
| Free Yoga | 10:00 am | FREE | Sycamore Brewing |
| Art Walk on Union in Concord | 11:00 am to 4:00 pm | FREE | Downtown Concord |
| Charlotte Soul Fest: New festival at First Ward Park with live music and dance workshops | 11:00 am to 9:00 pm | FREE | First Ward Park |
| Bowl Street Pop Up Market presented by Shop Local QC | 11:00 am to 3:00 pm | FREE | The Bowl at Ballantyne |
| Elevate Shops Market | 12:00 pm to 6:00 pm | FREE | Heist Brewery & Barrel Arts |
| VAPA Center: Open Studios -- art market, music, more... | 12:00 pm to 6:00 pm | FREE | VAPA Center |
| Cabarrus County Fair | 1:00 pm to 11:59 pm | $6.00-8.00 | Cabarrus Arena and Events Center |
| Free Public Tour of Innovation Barn | 1:00 pm | FREE | Innovation Barn |
| Hopfly Bike and Brew | 1:30 pm | FREE | HopFly Brewing Company |
| Pickin' on the Porch -- free acoustic music series at Stowe Conservancy Trailhead Store | 2:00 pm to 4:00 pm | FREE | Trailhead Store at Daniel Stowe Conservancy, Belmont |
| Harvest Moon Festival | 4:00 pm to 8:00 pm | FREE | Traust Brewing Company, Mount Holly |
| CSO Roadshow at Mayfield Memorial Baptist Church's Back to School Bash | 4:00 pm | FREE | Mayfield Memorial Missionary Baptist Church |
| Live Music at Patriots Park: Rivermist | 5:00 pm | FREE | Patriots Park (Kings Mountain, NC) |
| Festival of Food Trucks in Mooresville | 5:00 pm to 8:30 pm | FREE | Downtown Mooresville |
| Maker's Market at Pilot Brewing | 5:00 pm to 9:00 pm | FREE | Pilot Brewing |
| To Infinity and Beyond: Free Buzz Lightyear Meet and Greet | 7:00 pm to 8:00 pm | FREE | Cabarrus Brewing Company |
| North Carolina Baroque Orchestra | 7:00 pm | FREE | Saint Patrick’s Episcopal Church, Mooresville |
| River Jam live music series (free admission; parking is $12) | 7:00 pm to 10:00 pm | FREE | U.S. National Whitewater Center |
| Movies in the Park: X-Men | 7:30 pm | FREE | Wilmore Centennial Park at South End |
| CabCo Movie Series: Toy Story 2 | 8:00 pm | FREE | Cabarrus Brewing Company |
| Live Music: Flying High Again | 9:00 pm | FREE | Old Armor Beer Company, Kannapolis |
Sunday, September 7, 2025
| Event | Time | Price | Location |
|---|---|---|---|
| Charlotte International Arts Festival | All Day | FREE | Various locations |
| Free museum admission first weekend of month for Bank of America/Merrill customers | All Day | FREE | Various locations |
| Sunday Fundays | 10:00 am to 10:00 pm | Discounted | Gilde Brewery |
| Front Porch Sundays | 10:30 am to 4:30 pm | FREE | Atherton Mill |
| Sensory-friendly hours at Discovery Place Science | 10:30 am to 1:30 pm | $18.00-23.00 | Discovery Place Science |
| Yiasou Greek Festival | 11:00 am to 6:00 pm | $0-5.00 | Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Cathedral |
| QC Fitness Games x NoDa Brewing Workout Class | 11:00 am to 12:15 pm | FREE | NoDa Brewing North End |
| Dog Days of Summer *Rescheduled Date* | 12:00 pm to 4:00 pm | FREE | Birdsong Brewing Co. |
| Maker's Market CLT at Fonta Flora | 12:00 pm to 5:00 pm | FREE | Fonta Flora Brewery at Optimist Hall |
| Southern Resonance Roots Festival | 12:00 pm to 7:00 pm | FREE | Heist Brewery & Barrel Arts |
| Southern Resonance Roots Festival | 12:00 pm to 7:30 pm | FREE | Heist Brewery & Barrel Arts |
| Browns Watch Party | 1:00 pm to 5:00 pm | FREE | Heist Brewery & Barrel Arts |
| Cabarrus County Fair | 1:00 pm to 10:00 pm | $6.00-8.00 | Cabarrus Arena and Events Center |
| Mint Hill Car Show -- Hot Rods on the Lawn | 1:00 pm to 3:00 pm | FREE | Chick-fil-A Mint Hill |
| Something Brewing: Fusion Jam Sessions | 1:00 pm to 4:00 pm | FREE | Town Brewing |
| Family Meal Community Dinner | 2:00 pm to 5:00 pm | FREE | Resident Culture Brewing Plaza Midwood |
| Sensory-Friendly Hours at Discovery Place Kids | 2:00 pm to 4:30 pm | $15.00 | Discovery Place Kids |
| Free Tour at Torance House & Store | 2:00 pm | FREE | Hugh Torance House & Store |
| North Carolina Baroque Orchestra | 3:00 pm | FREE | Davidson College Presbyterian Church |
| Savona Sunday: Pickleball, live music, free ice cream, more... | 4:00 pm to 7:00 pm | FREE | Savona Mill |
| Soul Sundays (free, but donations accepted) | 4:00 pm to 8:00 pm | FREE | Starlight on 22nd |
| CSO Roadshow at McCrorey YMCA | 6:00 pm | FREE | McCrorey YMCA |
| Downtown Jazz Jam in Rock Hill | 6:00 pm to 8:00 pm | FREE | Power House Rock Hill |
