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The coronavirus pandemic has wreaked havoc on Charlotte’s entertainment scene. Among the casualties: the long-planned and much-anticipated “We Are Hip Hop” festival. Fear not; this weekend at Camp North End, you can still experience a scaled-down version of the event.
“We Are Hop Hop: The Reveal” kicks off Friday at 6 p.m. and ends Sunday with a “Virtual After Church Party at McGlohon Theater in uptown. In between, expect to experience a range of high-energy performances that will include dancers, emcees, a B-Boy battle, DJ competition and more.
Boris “Bluz” Rogers, director of creative engagement at Blumenthal Performing Arts, which is hosting “We Are Hip Hop,” calls this weekend’s event a “pivot” from the much larger festival that Blumenthal had planned (and subsequently canceled) for October.
Rogers said he’s especially excited about the deejay competition, which will see two old-school deejays compete, followed by a competition between two younger DJs. The winners of those competitions will then square off for a cash prize and Hornets jersey.
“We Are Hip Hop” builds on the success of “Breakin’ Convention,” an international festival of hip-hop dance theater that took place at Knight Theater from 2015 to 2017. It was part of a Blumenthal effort to reach new, younger audiences.
“Blumenthal has always been dipping its toes in the hip-hop element,” Rogers said. “It’s just now kind of ramping it up with ‘We Are Hip Hop’ because they are a little bit more savvy and comfortable with what they’re doing now.”
Here is the lineup:
We Are Hip Hop: The Reveal
Friday 6 p.m.
Saturday 2 p.m.
Camp North End
Presented by Blumenthal Performing Arts
Explore Camp North End’s unique small businesses and alfresco dining options while enjoying a FREE preview of We Are Hip Hop events to come with pop-up performances, art installations, DJ battles, live B-Boying and a huge mural reveal. These social distance-friendly activities will take place at various locations across Camp North End’s massive historic campus on Friday, Nov. 6 and Saturday, Nov. 7.
We Are Hip Hop: The Reveal – Virtual After Church Party
Sunday, 4 p.m.
McGlohon Theatre
Presented by Blumenthal Performing Arts
The weekend will conclude with a virtual “After-Church Party” live from McGlohon Theater on Sunday, Nov. 8 at 4 PM. A limited number of free in-person tickets are available for this closing celebration. For more information and to register, click here.
Other Uptown fun:
Night Out at Mint Museum Uptown
Friday, Nov. 6
6 p.m. – 9 p.m.
Plan a Friday night out at Mint Museum Uptown complete with art, live music, and a cash bar. Enjoy live music and a cash bar at Mint Museum Uptown from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. every Friday night. Pre Vox Trio will perform on the Van Allen terrace on Nov. 6. Be sure to reserve your timed ticket in advance.
Saturday fun at Victoria Yards
7th and Tryon – 408 N. Tryon Street
Noon – 5 p.m.
Enjoy live music, food trucks and cold brews from Resident Culture. Must be 21 or older.
Family First: Envision Your Dreams Collage Workshop
Harvey B. Gantt Center for African- American Arts + Culture
Saturday, November 7
Noon – 1 p.m.
Free
Have you ever wanted your dreams to become a reality, or create a visual narrative that represents who you really are? In this workshop, participants will source images from magazines to illustrate a variety of personal goals they want to see come true.
7th Street Public Market
For a decade, locally owned restaurants and retailers in the 7th Street Public Market have created an urban public market vibe. Weather permitting, the Market will have special pop-up sidewalk markets on Saturdays from 11 a.m. until 4 p.m. The indoor Market is open Thursday – Sunday from 10 a.m. until 5 p.m. with coffee, breakfast/lunch/dinner, juice, fruit specialties, salads, wine by the bottle and glass, beer on weekends, Italian specialties, salads and desserts, as well as special retail finds, specialty popcorn.
Try out the new curbside pickup and delivery in uptown. There are two new businesses to check out: Good Earth Essentials and Momo Station. For more info, visit 7thstreetpublicmarket.com.
Visit uptowncharlotte.com for a full schedule of Uptown events and dining experiences.
