Your Charlotte Week Ahead, Oct. 12 to 18: Gatsby at the Belk, Checkers Opening Night, BalloonFest, and Two Free Fall Festivals

Big week ahead. A Broadway tour settles into the Belk Theater, hockey comes back to Bojangles Coliseum, Charlotte's first Wegmans opens in Ballantyne, and on the weekend you can choose between hot air balloons in Statesville, wizards in Huntersville, and two free town festivals. Here is what we confirmed with the organizers, day by day.

Monday, Oct. 12

The airport's next building program goes before City Council. At 5 p.m. in Room 267 of the Government Center, 600 E. Fourth St., Charlotte Douglas International Airport presents a proposed new lease agreement with American, Delta, Frontier, Southwest, and United. If Council later approves it, the deal launches a program the airport calls CLT Beyond: a Concourse C expansion with more gates, a passenger tunnel from the main terminal to Concourse C, international arrivals renovations, airfield work tied to the fourth parallel runway, and planning for future expansions. Monday is a presentation only. A review period follows, and the vote comes at a later meeting that has not been scheduled. The city will stream it live. (CLT Airport)

Charlotte Strings Collective at Davidson College. 7:30 p.m. in Tyler-Tallman Recital Hall, with music by Chevalier de Saint-Georges, William Grant Still, and Adrian Gordon. Free, but you need a ticket from the Union Box Office. (Davidson College)

Tuesday, Oct. 13

• The Great Gatsby opens its Broadway Lights run at the Belk Theater and plays eight shows through Sunday. Tickets start at $47.02. (Blumenthal Arts)
• Jonas Brothers play Spectrum Center. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. The venue's page lists both 7 and 7:30 p.m. as the start, so check your ticket. (Spectrum Center)

Wednesday, Oct. 14

• Wegmans opens in Ballantyne. We covered the details in our opening guide.
• Free night at the Mint. Both Mint Museum locations, Uptown on South Tryon and Randolph Road, are free from 5 to 9 p.m. (Mint Museum)
• Don Omar brings The Last King World Tour to Spectrum Center at 8 p.m. (Spectrum Center)

Thursday, Oct. 15

• NC Music Hall of Fame inductions in Mooresville. The 2026 class includes George Clinton, Billy Strayhorn, and MC Sha-Rock. Tickets are $80 and include the 5:30 p.m. VIP reception at the Charles Mack Citizen Center. (NC Music Hall of Fame)
• The Infamous Stringdusters play the Neighborhood Theatre in NoDa at 8 p.m. (Neighborhood Theatre)
• Kindred the Family Soul at the Booth Playhouse, 8 p.m. (Blumenthal Arts)
• For the kids: Amazing Bubble Factory Live at the Cain Center in Cornelius, 4 p.m. (Cain Center)

Friday, Oct. 16

• Checkers Opening Night. Hockey returns to Bojangles Coliseum at 7 p.m., with magnet schedules for fans while supplies last. (Charlotte Checkers)
• Charlotte Symphony, The Music of Tina Turner. 7:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday at the Knight Theater. (Charlotte Symphony)
• The Smashing Pumpkins at Spectrum Center, 8 p.m. (Spectrum Center)
• Carolina BalloonFest opens in Statesville at 3 p.m. More on the weekend below.

The weekend, Oct. 17 and 18

Balloons in Statesville. Carolina BalloonFest gates open at 6:30 a.m. Saturday and Sunday for the morning launches. Saturday is listed as sold out. Sunday tickets are $22.22 for adults and $11.62 for ages 7 to 12, with 6 and under free, and parking is extra. (Carolina BalloonFest schedule)

Wizards in Huntersville. The Carolina Renaissance Festival's Wizards and Revels Weekend runs 9:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. both days, rain or shine. (Carolina Renaissance Festival)

Free town festivals. Fort Mill's Fall Festival fills Walter Elisha Park from 2 to 6 p.m. Saturday with live music, costume contests for all ages, and Touch a Truck. (Town of Fort Mill event page) The Gastonia Fall Festival runs 3 to 7 p.m. Saturday at the Rotary Pavilion downtown, with a free KidsZone. (City of Gastonia event page)

Outdoors in York County. At the Anne Springs Close Greenway in Fort Mill, a backyard habitat workshop runs 10 a.m. to noon Saturday, and Freddy Trip plays the Greenway Canteen from 6 to 9 p.m. (Greenway workshop, Greenway Canteen) NAMIWalks York County starts at Winthrop Lake in Rock Hill, with registration at 8:30 a.m. (NAMIWalks)

Music and shows.

• Charlotte Symphony's family concert, The Music of Harry Potter, Saturday at 11 a.m. at the Knight Theater. It is concert only, with no film footage. (Charlotte Symphony)
• Dark Echoes, a Pink Floyd tribute, Saturday at 7:30 p.m. at the Cain Center in Cornelius. (Cain Center)
• Old time music with Jon Singleton, Sunday at 3 p.m. at Davidson College. Free with a ticket. (Davidson College)
• Teddy Swims at Spectrum Center, Sunday at 7 p.m. (Spectrum Center)

Before you go

Ticket prices above are the organizers' listed starting prices and can change. Weather or schedule changes can move outdoor plans, so check the organizer's page the day you head out. Every event here is on our events calendar, with addresses and links.

Last verified October 11, 2026.