16 free and cheap things to do in Charlotte: Friday the 13th, films, festivals
This list is curated by Charlotte on the Cheap, where you’ll find even more free and cheap things to do every day, and detailed by Denise Casalez.
Friday, Oct. 13
Friday the 13th Super-Show: Wrestling Matches with Horror Characters
Location: Lenny Boy Brewing, 3000 S Tryon St, Charlotte, NC 28217
Time: 6:30 p.m.
Cost: Free admission
Xtreme World Wrestling and the Cosplay Wrestling Universe presents the Friday the 13th Super-Show, featuring wrestling matches with all of your favorite horror characters. Watch the wrestlers battle it out while you sip a craft brew, and check out the costume contest with prizes for best fan.
Friday the 13th Presented by Briarcliff Sessions – A Night of Spooky Songs and Stories
Location: 413 Dalton Ave Suite B, Charlotte, NC 28206
Time: 7 p.m.
Cost: Free
Make plans to hang out with the only brewery in town that has had a *confirmed* ghost sighting — and a secret room. Petty Thieves Brewing is hosting a night of costumes, spooky music and haunted stories. Brewery staff will also hand out prizes for the best horror costume.
Location: 4237 Raleigh St, Charlotte, NC 28213
Time: Doors open at 6:30 p.m.
Cost: $10
Looking to watch some films this weekend? The 19th annual, award-winning 15 Short Film Festival is happening this weekend at Independent Picture House. The festival celebrates short films from around the world that are no longer than 15 minutes each.
Location: 19725 Oak St, Cornelius, NC 28031
Time: 6-10 p.m.
Cost: Free
Join friends and neighbors at Oak Street Mill for the finale of the 2023 2nd Friday Street Festival series event, along with Oktoberfest. The festival features live performances by Friends Band and 3rd Rail, an all-star lineup of local craft breweries and food trucks, plus kids activities and more.
Saturday, Oct. 14
Charlotte Monarch Celebration at Reedy Creek Park
Location: 2900 Rocky River Rd, Charlotte, NC 28215
Time: 10 a.m.-1 p.m.
Cost: Free
Meet up with The Charlotte Wildlife Stewards for a celebration of monarch butterflies and other pollinators, and learn how the community can protect their habitats. Activities include crafts, seed giveaways, a monarch march around the pollinator garden, a photo booth with wings and other props, and educational discussions about monarchs.
Charlotte Geek and Grub Market
Location: 209 E 7th St, Charlotte, NC 28202
Time: 12-4 p.m.
Cost: Free
Forget about real life for a few hours at the special Wizard Edition of the Geek & Grub Market. Dress up to represent your house, and enjoy fun wizard-themed competitions and activities. Check out the free scavenger hunt, or drink some butterbeer throughout Geek Fest.
Harrisburg’s 50th Anniversary Celebration, featuring Scotty McCreery
Location: 191 Sims Pkwy, Harrisburg, NC 28075
Time: 2-9 p.m.
Cost: Free
The Town of Harrisburg’s 50th Anniversary Celebration is bringing a special headliner: ACM and CMT award-winning country artist Scotty McCreery, joined by Dylan Schneider. The festivities take place at Harrisburg Park, where you should make sure you don’t miss the special 50th celebration drone show, family and children’s activities, food trucks and much more (plus a huge bouncy house).
11th Annual Laketoberfest Music & Brew Festival
Location: 11536 Bailey Rd, Cornelius, NC 28031
Time: 4-9 p.m.
Cost: Free
Take your family along to the 11th Annual Laketoberfest Music and Brew Festival, happening at Bailey Road Park. This festival includes live music, a kids zone with crafts and games, ax throwing and much more.
Sunday, Oct. 15
Mona’s Jewish Deli Fest in Davidson
Location: 119 S Main St, Davidson, NC 28036
Time: 12-4 p.m.
Cost: Free
The Jewish Council of Lake Norman is bringing Jewish Deli Fest to Downtown Davidson on The Village Green. This is your chance to enjoy Jewish delicacies including New York kosher-style deli sandwiches with corned beef, potato knishes and more. The festivities will also feature traditional Jewish music and dancing, children’s activities and contests.
Live jazz at Embrace sculpture in MoRA: A Sign of the Times
Location: 6697 Monroe Rd, Charlotte, NC 28212
Time: 4-6 p.m.
Cost: Free
Sundays are made for relaxing and listening to the soulful rhythms of jazz. Gather around the Embrace sculpture to hear the powerhouse music of A Sign of the Times of the Carolinas, a nonprofit that aims to preserve the legacy of the African Diaspora. Bring your chairs or a blanket and buy some food or drinks from Hawthorne’s Pizza, Edge City Brewery or a local food truck.
Monday, Oct. 16
MADabolic Workout at Divine Brewing
Location: 3701 N Davidson St Suite #203, Charlotte, NC 28205
Time: 5:45-6:45 p.m.
Cost: Free
MADabolic Charlotte is bringing you barbell-free strength and conditioning workouts on Mondays throughout October. Sign up for these weekly, limited-space classes and get a taste of what the MAD life is all about, then stick around for dinner and trivia at 7 p.m.
Tuesday, Oct. 17
Music trivia at Great Wagon Road Distilling Co.
Location: 610 Anderson St, Charlotte, NC 28205
Time: 7-9 p.m.
Cost: Free
Join Great Wagon Road Distilling Company for music trivia on Tuesday nights. Enjoy good food and drinks while you test your knowledge and play trivia with your friends, family or partner.
Wednesday, Oct. 18
Movie in the Biergarten: “Hocus Pocus”
Location: The Olde Mecklenburg Brewery, 4150 Yancey Rd, Charlotte, NC 28217
Time: 7 p.m.
Cost: Free entry
Join OMB and Aurora Star Lit Cinema for the next Movie Night in the Biergarten Series, featuring “Hocus Pocus.” Gather with family and friends and enjoy the Halloween classic on the big screen while you savor the delight of freshly prepared pretzels, popcorn, brats and beer. You can also get a jump start on the fun by playing retro arcade games and listening to music before the movie begins.
Thursday, Oct. 19
LaLaCaboosa Music Series in Huntersville
Location: 201 Huntersville-Concord Rd, Huntersville, NC 28078
Time: 6-9 p.m.
Cost: Free
In the mood to listen to some live tunes? Grab your lawn chairs and blankets and enjoy an evening of live music with Howdy Huntersville and Trey Calloway in downtown Huntersville. A food truck and beverage vendor will be onsite with food and drinks available for purchase.
Location: 513 Main St, Pineville, NC 28134
Time: 6-10 p.m.
Cost: Varies
Save the date for the 25th Annual Pineville Fall Fest 2023 at Jack D. Hughes Park. Throughout this festival, there will be live music, food, carnival games and rides and even a pie-eating contest and chili cook-off.
Location: 8500 Fairview Rd, Mint Hill, NC 28227
Time: 4-9 p.m., and the event continues through Saturday, Oct. 21
Cost: Varies
Celebrate Mint Hill Madness, which honors the founding of the town. Mint Hill Madness has something for everyone in the family, including delicious food, country and rock music acts, a family carnival and a spectacular firework show.
Visit Charlotte on the Cheap for an expanded list of things to do in Charlotte every day. You’ll find festivals, kids’ activities, date night ideas, art, trivia and much more. You can sign up for a daily email that will keep you in the loop.
