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Festival in the Park • Charlotte NC
For over half a century, Charlotte has held its annual Festival in the Park event. With all sorts of theater performances, great fair food and rides and games for the whole family, a summer trip to Charlotte isn't complete without a visit to the festival. Held at the very end of summer, this festival is a great way to welcome in the fall. The festival takes place around Freedom Park Lake, offering festival-goers magnificent scenery. With almost 1,000 entertainers and nearly 200 artist booths, this festival is one of North Carolina's largest.
Special Events
Between the music, circus acts and theater performances, there's enough here to keep everybody entertained. The music is a big hit at Festival in the Park. Seven stages host live music with acts ranging from local youth bands to big names like Tiffany Ashton and the Mannish Boys at past festivals. Be on the lookout for single-time events like 2015's Yellow Brick Road tribute to Elton John.
For aspiring artist, the Artist's Walk is sure to please. If you think your art is up to it, enter one of your pieces into the event and hope to win up to $500 for the best of show prize. Typically about 150 artists are booked for the event so the competition is steep. However, the art here is amazing, making it perfect for a day trip. No commercial artists or vendors are allowed, so expect to see some highly original pieces. With separate events for 2D art and 3D art, there's a lot to see here.
You can also find all kinds of circus acts at Festival in the Park. From the Carolina Clown Stage to the Magician Stage, there's plenty of family-friendly entertainment options. The Clown Stage is where you go for an awesome face painting, clown games and hilarious skits. There's also a juggling stage that usually goes on for the entire festival. Different acts make the scene each year, so be on the lookout for the act for next year. But honestly, the Cirque Stage is where all the fun happens. Put on by the only aerial circus company in the city, dancing and death-defying leaps, dives and catches all make this one of the premier performances at Festival in the Park.
Food
No festival is complete without good food, and Festival in the Park delivers in spades when it comes to food. Freedom Park is packed when food vendors when the festival is going on. Deep-fried Oreos, elephant ears and numerous specialty vendors form the bulk of the food choices. Greek vendors, ice cream bars and barbecued this and that are staples, so be sure to come to the festival with an empty stomach.
While Charlotte is typically on the better side of parking when it comes to large cities, all the good parking spots get filled early on during Festival in the Park. Whether you want to party on board a party bus traveling from attraction to attraction or if you're looking to visit the festival from out of town, our bus services have you covered. Don't waste time and money on finding and paying for an abysmal parking spot. Make sure you arrive on time and stress-free to the festival.
