Charlotte On The Cheap

Live well in the Queen City on a budget

114 free and cheap things to do this weekend around Charlotte

POSTED BY
Jody Mace

 

This list is a combination of in-person and virtual events.

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Friday, October 23, 2020

Charlotte Black Restaurant Week

All Day | Various locations

Many NC colleges waiving application fees during NC Countdown to College

All Day | FREE

CLT Burger Week--$6 specialty burgers at 35+ restaurants

All Day | $6.00

Virtual Campfire Tales with Gaston County Museum

All Day | FREE | Gaston County Museum

Cool Globes: Hot Ideas for a Cooler Planet

All Day | FREE

Charlotte Podcast Festival

All Day | FREE | Virtual

Fall Festival at Speedpark ($29.99 for unlimited play, but separate tickets are available)

All Day | The Speedpark at Concord Mills

"It's the Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown" StoryWalk in Kings Mountain, NC

All Day | FREE | Patriots Park (Kings Mountain, NC)

Check out dozens of scarecrows in Mint Hill, and vote for your favorite

All Day | FREE | Various locations

Fort Mill Scarecrow Crawl

All Day | FREE | Various locations

Children's Hay Maze

All Day | FREE | Veterans Park, Fort Mill

Free admission for frontline workers & families to Gantt Center

All Day | FREE | Harvey B. Gantt Center for African-American Arts + Culture

Free admission for frontline workers & families to Mint Museum Uptown

All Day | FREE | Mint Museum Uptown

Free admission for frontline workers & families to Mint Museum Randolph

All Day | FREE | Mint Museum Randolph

Free admission for frontline workers & families to Mint Museum Bechtler Museum

All Day | FREE | Bechtler Museum of Modern Art

Free fries at Steak 'n' Shake

FREE | Various locations

Friday Morning Nature Hike

9:00 am to 11:00 am | FREE | Latta Nature Center and Preserve

Pumpkin Patch at Schiele Museum

10:00 am to 3:00 pm | $5.00-7.00 | Schiele Museum of Natural History

Visit Dallas Lavender Lane Farm and meet the animals

10:00 am to 5:00 pm | FREE | Dallas Lavender Lane Farm

Drive-Through Fair Food at South Carolina State Fairgrounds

10:00 am to 8:00 pm | South Carolina State Fair

TAC Art Gallery Pop-Up

10:00 am to 9:00 pm | FREE | TAC Art Gallery

Weekends at Camp North End -- music, shopping, food (Click link for schedule)

10:00 am to 10:00 pm | FREE | Camp North End

Charlotte Warehouse Sale

12:00 pm to 8:00 pm | FREE | Shoppes at University Place

Starving Artist Market

5:00 pm to 9:00 pm | FREE | Armored Cow Brewing

Friday Night at the Cow

5:00 pm to 9:00 pm | FREE | Armored Cow Brewing

Live music: Josh & John Music Duo

5:00 pm to 9:00 pm | FREE | Eleven Lakes Brewing, Cornelius

Cabarrus Food Truck Friday

5:00 pm to 10:00 pm | FREE | Cabarrus Brewing Company

Josh Daniel's Quarantine Sessions

5:00 pm | FREE | Virtual

Hammond Family Halloween Light Show

6:00 pm to 9:00 pm | FREE | Hammond Lights, McAdenville

StreetEats on N. Tryon Street: outdoor dining, music, more, including free and cheap parking

6:00 pm to 9:00 pm | 6th Street and North Tryon Street

Vintage Bike Night

6:00 pm | FREE | Cavendish Brewing Company

Movies at Victoria Yards: Princess Bride

6:30 pm | FREE | Victoria Yards

Halloween Light Show in Lincolnton

7:00 pm to 11:00 pm | FREE | Halloween Light Show in Lincolnton

Tunnel of Terror: Haunted Car Wash at Aquawave Express Carwash in Belmont

7:00 pm to 11:59 pm | $22.00 | Aquawave Express Carwash, Belmont

Blumenthal Performing Arts Open Mic

7:00 pm | FREE | Spirit Square

Live music: Blue Horizon Duo

7:00 pm | FREE | The Casual Pint (Rivergate)

Movie on the Lawn: Hocus Pocus

7:30 pm | FREE | Johnston YMCA

Nightly Met Opera Streams

7:30 pm | FREE | Virtual

The Comic Strip (Comedy + Sip & Paint)

8:00 pm to 10:00 pm | $20.00 | Catawba Brewing

Moovies on the Farm: Moana

8:00 pm | $5.00-8.00 | Patterson Farm. Mount Ulla

Saturday, October 24, 2020

Charlotte Black Restaurant Week

All Day | Various locations

Many NC colleges waiving application fees during NC Countdown to College

All Day | FREE

CLT Burger Week--$6 specialty burgers at 35+ restaurants

All Day | $6.00

Cool Globes: Hot Ideas for a Cooler Planet

All Day | FREE

Fall Festival at Speedpark ($29.99 for unlimited play, but separate tickets are available)

All Day | The Speedpark at Concord Mills

"It's the Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown" StoryWalk in Kings Mountain, NC

All Day | FREE | Patriots Park (Kings Mountain, NC)

Krispy Kreme "Sweet-or-Treat" Saturday: Buy a dozen doughnuts, get a dozen for $1

All Day | $1.00 | Various locations

Check out dozens of scarecrows in Mint Hill, and vote for your favorite

All Day | FREE | Various locations

Fort Mill Scarecrow Crawl

All Day | FREE | Various locations

Children's Hay Maze

All Day | FREE | Veterans Park, Fort Mill

Free admission for frontline workers & families to Gantt Center

All Day | FREE | Harvey B. Gantt Center for African-American Arts + Culture

Free admission for frontline workers & families to Mint Museum Uptown

All Day | FREE | Mint Museum Uptown

Free admission for frontline workers & families to Mint Museum Randolph

All Day | FREE | Mint Museum Randolph

Free admission for frontline workers & families to Mint Museum Bechtler Museum

All Day | FREE | Bechtler Museum of Modern Art

Free fries at Steak 'n' Shake

FREE | Various locations

Charlotte Open Air Market

7:00 am to 5:00 pm | FREE | Charlotte Open Air Market

Fort Mill Fall Market

8:00 am to 12:00 pm | FREE | Veterans Park, Fort Mill

University City Farmers' Market

8:00 am to 1:00 pm | FREE | Shoppes at University Place

Yoga at Hodges Family Farm every Saturday morning

8:00 am | $10.00 | Hodges Family Farm

Free yoga at University City Farmers' Market

8:00 am | FREE | Shoppes at University Place

HalloWINGO (Halloween Bingo in the Park)

9:00 am to 5:00 pm | FREE | Chestnut Square Park

Charlotte Warehouse Sale

9:00 am to 8:00 pm | FREE | Shoppes at University Place

Fitness Hike

10:00 am to 12:00 pm | FREE | Latta Nature Center and Preserve

Blue Blaze Hiking Club: Reedy Creek Park

10:00 am to 1:00 pm | FREE | Blue Blaze Brewing Co.

Pumpkin Patch at Schiele Museum

10:00 am to 3:00 pm | $5.00-7.00 | Schiele Museum of Natural History

Pumpkin Patch with pumpkin painting, at Camp North End (The Mount)

10:00 am to 3:00 pm | FREE | Camp North End

Family Fall Fun at Sunny Oaks Farm

10:00 am to 4:00 pm | FREE | Sunny Oaks Farm, Albemarle

Visit Dallas Lavender Lane Farm and meet the animals

10:00 am to 5:00 pm | FREE | Dallas Lavender Lane Farm

Drive-Through Fair Food at South Carolina State Fairgrounds

10:00 am to 8:00 pm | South Carolina State Fair

TAC Art Gallery Pop-Up

10:00 am to 9:00 pm | FREE | TAC Art Gallery

Free: Yoga at Promenade on Providence

10:00 am | FREE | Promenade on Providence

Garden Talk (registration required)

10:00 am | FREE | President James K. Polk Historic Site

Socially Distanced Yoga Plus Kombucha

10:00 am | $5.00 | Lenny Boy Brewing Co.

Rooftop Yoga with Habitual Roots (price includes one beer or kombucha)

10:30 am | $10.00 | Devil’s Logic Brewing

Free Pop-Up Workout with Camp Gladiator

11:00 am to 12:00 pm | FREE | Armored Cow Brewing

Fall Festival at Dallas Lavender Lane (price is per car)

11:00 am to 7:00 pm | FREE | Dallas Lavender Lane Farm

Storytelling with Elaine Lindy

11:00 am | FREE | Virtual

Capoeira Saturdays with Queen City GINGA Project

11:00 am | FREE | Virtual

Howl-a-ween at Pet in the City

12:00 pm to 4:00 pm | FREE | Pet in the City

An Afternoon on the Grounds (Price is per car)

12:00 pm to 5:00 pm | $10.00 | Charlotte Museum of History

StreetEats on N. Tryon Street: outdoor dining, music, more, including free and cheap parking

12:00 pm to 9:00 pm | 6th Street and North Tryon Street

Free yoga at University City Farmers' Market

12:00 pm | FREE | Shoppes at University Place

Using Your Unique: Virtual Branding Workshop

1:00 pm to 3:00 pm | FREE | Virtual

Live music at Windy Hill Orchard

1:00 pm to 5:00 pm | FREE | Windy Hill Orchard and Cider Mill

Small Business Saturday, showcasing Charlotte vendors

2:00 pm to 5:00 pm | FREE | Divine Barrel Brewing

Family Fall Fest with Live Music

2:00 pm to 7:00 pm | $0-8.00 | Greenlife Family Farms

Fright Night Drive-Thru Parade in Waxhaw

3:00 pm to 5:00 pm | FREE

Fall Concert Series

4:00 pm to 7:00 pm | FREE | Town Brewing

Josh Daniel's Quarantine Sessions

5:00 pm | FREE | Virtual

Greatest Treat Festival (live music and movie)

5:00 pm | FREE | Hound’s Drive-In

Hammond Family Halloween Light Show

6:00 pm to 9:00 pm | FREE | Hammond Lights, McAdenville

Virtual Game Night with Potions and Pixels

6:00 pm | FREE | Virtual

Drive-In Movie in OTC: Hocus Pocus

6:30 pm | $9.00-15.00 | Lake Norman YMCA

3rd Annual Mount Holly REVERSE Lantern Parade

7:00 pm to 10:00 pm | FREE | Tuckaseege Park, Mount Holly

Live music: Brittney Lee & Gary Ward

7:00 pm to 10:00 pm | FREE | Primal Brewery

Live music: Johnny Rockett

7:00 pm to 10:00 pm | FREE | Eleven Lakes Brewing, Cornelius

Halloween Light Show in Lincolnton

7:00 pm to 11:00 pm | FREE | Halloween Light Show in Lincolnton

Tunnel of Terror: Haunted Car Wash at Aquawave Express Carwash in Belmont

7:00 pm to 11:59 pm | $22.00 | Aquawave Express Carwash, Belmont

A Concert for Charlotte: Charlotte Symphony at Truist Field

7:00 pm | FREE | Truist Field

Arboretum Shopping Center's Free Halloween Drive-In Movie Night: The Addams Family

7:00 pm | FREE | Arboretum Shopping Center

Buzzed Spelling Bee

7:00 pm | FREE | Armored Cow Brewing

Nightly Met Opera Streams

7:30 pm | FREE | Virtual

Moovies on the Farm: Sweet Home Alabama

8:00 pm | $5.00-8.00 | Patterson Farm. Mount Ulla

Sunday, October 25, 2020

Charlotte Black Restaurant Week

All Day | Various locations

Many NC colleges waiving application fees during NC Countdown to College

All Day | FREE

CLT Burger Week--$6 specialty burgers at 35+ restaurants

All Day | $6.00

Cool Globes: Hot Ideas for a Cooler Planet

All Day | FREE

Fall Festival at Speedpark ($29.99 for unlimited play, but separate tickets are available)

All Day | The Speedpark at Concord Mills

"It's the Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown" StoryWalk in Kings Mountain, NC

All Day | FREE | Patriots Park (Kings Mountain, NC)

Check out dozens of scarecrows in Mint Hill, and vote for your favorite

All Day | FREE | Various locations

Fort Mill Scarecrow Crawl

All Day | FREE | Various locations

Children's Hay Maze

All Day | FREE | Veterans Park, Fort Mill

Free admission for frontline workers & families to Gantt Center

All Day | FREE | Harvey B. Gantt Center for African-American Arts + Culture

Free admission for frontline workers & families to Mint Museum Uptown

All Day | FREE | Mint Museum Uptown

Free admission for frontline workers & families to Mint Museum Randolph

All Day | FREE | Mint Museum Randolph

Free admission for frontline workers & families to Mint Museum Bechtler Museum

All Day | FREE | Bechtler Museum of Modern Art

Free fries at Steak 'n' Shake

FREE | Various locations

Charlotte Open Air Market

7:00 am to 5:00 pm | FREE | Charlotte Open Air Market

TAC Art Gallery Pop-Up

10:00 am to 9:00 pm | FREE | TAC Art Gallery

Hop Yoga

10:45 am to 12:00 pm | $5.00 | NoDa Brewing

Fall Festival at Dallas Lavender Lane (price is per car)

11:00 am to 7:00 pm | FREE | Dallas Lavender Lane Farm

Showtime Hot Rods and Family Fun

12:00 pm to 4:00 pm | FREE | Hobby Lobby, Mooresville

Visit Dallas Lavender Lane Farm and meet the animals

12:00 pm to 5:00 pm | FREE | Dallas Lavender Lane Farm

Charlotte Warehouse Sale

12:00 pm to 6:00 pm | FREE | Shoppes at University Place

Family Fall Fun at Sunny Oaks Farm

1:00 pm to 4:00 pm | FREE | Sunny Oaks Farm, Albemarle

Pumpkin Patch at Schiele Museum

1:00 pm to 4:00 pm | $5.00-7.00 | Schiele Museum of Natural History

StreetEats on N. Tryon Street: outdoor dining, music, more, including free and cheap parking

1:00 pm to 4:00 pm | 6th Street and North Tryon Street

Track 'N Treat: drive-thru trick-or-treating on track of Charlotte Motor Speedway

1:00 pm to 4:00 pm | FREE | Charlotte Motor Speedway

Live music at Windy Hill Orchard

1:00 pm to 5:00 pm | FREE | Windy Hill Orchard and Cider Mill

Watch party for NASCAR Cup Series race at Texas Motor Speedway

2:30 pm | FREE | Charlotte Motor Speedway

Sunday Sessions: Music Series and BBQ: Mike Martin and the Beautiful Mess

3:00 pm to 5:00 pm | FREE | The Bottle Tree, Belmont

Josh Daniel's Quarantine Sessions

5:00 pm | FREE | Virtual

Hammond Family Halloween Light Show

6:00 pm to 9:00 pm | FREE | Hammond Lights, McAdenville

Halloween Light Show in Lincolnton

7:00 pm to 10:00 pm | FREE | Halloween Light Show in Lincolnton

Tunnel of Terror: Haunted Car Wash at Aquawave Express Carwash in Belmont

7:00 pm to 11:59 pm | $22.00 | Aquawave Express Carwash, Belmont

Nightly Met Opera Streams

7:30 pm | FREE | Virtual

Posted by Jody Mace Filed Under: best of · Free Events

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