Seventeen days. More than 200 events. Free admission to most of them. Charlotte SHOUT! opens today in Uptown and runs through April 19, and if the schedule is any indication, the city's annual arts-music-food-and-ideas festival has decided that a long weekend was never going to be enough.

Produced by Charlotte Center City Partners, SHOUT! spreads across First Ward Park, Victoria Yards, Levine Avenue of the Arts, The Green, and the Uptown street grid between them. The programming spans four pillars — art, music, food, and ideas — and most of it is free.

Street closures are already in effect. The stretch of Eighth Street between North Brevard and the LYNX Blue Line tracks stays shut through April 20. Drivers should expect detours near First Ward Park for the duration.

This Weekend

SHOUT! launches tonight with StrEATs Uncorked, a ticketed wine-and-food event. The free programming starts in force tomorrow.

Saturday, April 4:

• Mo Betta SHOUT! takes over First Ward Park from 1 to 10 p.m. — an all-day outdoor jazz concert hosted by Charlotte's own Braxton Bateman. The lineup pays homage to the past, present, and future of jazz, culminating with an evening set from Atlanta's Renaissance Orchestra. Free admission.
• The Kids' Market runs 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. for young entrepreneurs. It returns April 11.
• Seventeen pitmasters set up at Victoria Yards for a Whole Hog BBQ display — a preview of the full Carolina BBQ Festival weekend on April 17–18.

Sunday, April 5:

• Gospel SHOUT! — a Gospel Sunday Easter edition at First Ward Park. Free.

Six Nights of Free Live Music

The SHOUT! Showcase is the centerpiece of the festival's music programming — six nights of free concerts at First Ward Park over two weekends.

Weekend One: April 10–12

• Friday, April 10: 5 to 9 p.m. Falllift at 5, Mike Strauss Band at 7:30.
• Saturday, April 11: 5 to 9 p.m. Doubting Thomas at 5:30, Buffet & Beyond at 7:30.
• Sunday, April 12: 6 to 8 p.m. Groove Machine.

Weekend Two: April 17–19

• Friday, April 17: 5 to 9 p.m.
• Saturday, April 18: Noon to 9 p.m. — the longest single session of the festival.
• Sunday, April 19: 2 to 8 p.m.

More than 80 local and regional musicians perform across four stages, including the Ally Main Stage at First Ward Park and a showcase stage at Victoria Yards. The full lineup and set times are on the events schedule.

Food

StrEATs

The StrEATs programming runs across three events:

• StrEATs Uncorked — tonight, April 3. Ticketed.
• StrEATs Tasting Tour — Saturday, April 11. Ticketed. Thirty-plus pitmasters and chefs from across the Carolinas and beyond.
• Charlotte StrEATs Festival — Sunday, April 12, noon to 5 p.m. at First Ward Park. Free. The community-facing version: food trucks, neighborhood cook-off battles, and live music.

Carolina BBQ Festival

Victoria Yards hosts the Carolina BBQ Festival on April 17–18, featuring 17 pitmasters celebrating whole-hog barbecue culture in the Carolinas.

Art and Installations

More than 20 art installations are scattered across Uptown for the full 17 days. Highlights:

• "Portal to the Imagination" by Jeff Cason — a futuristic portal that opens to one of eight randomized destinations, from the ocean floor to deep space.
• "Tumbling Textures" by Claire Kiester — three large orbs made of recycled plastic containers that visitors can spin by hand.
• Easter Eggs on Parade — 13 oversized eggs on The Green, each created by a different artist.
• !CONS — seven giant exclamation points at the Fifth Third Bank Lobby, each designed by a local artist.
• The WonderDome at the Wells Fargo Atrium — music-making workshops, immersive sound experiences, and interactive "Curiosity Buttons" stations designed to spark conversation among strangers.

All installations are free. Most are outdoors and accessible any time.

Ideas

The Charlotte Ideas Festival runs April 9–14 — a five-day festival within the festival, with both free and ticketed programming exploring culture, creativity, and civic life.

Every Weekend: Street SHOUT! on The Green

Street SHOUT! on the Green runs every Friday through Sunday for the duration of the festival: 6 to 9 p.m. Fridays, 1 to 8 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays. Kid-friendly entertainment, food vendors, and live performances.

Getting There

The closest LYNX Blue Line stations to the festival footprint are 7th Street Station, CTC/Arena, and Convention Center. Parking is free at most Park & Ride stations along the Blue Line — the transit option is worth considering given the Eighth Street closure and Uptown congestion.

A downloadable guide and interactive map are available at charlotteshout.com. The FAQ page covers accessibility, pets, and what to bring.

The theme this year is "Let wonder lead the way." Seventeen days is a long time to prove it. The schedule suggests they're serious.