Due to the expected rain showers tonight, Alive After Five will be held inside Whisky River.
Pink Floydian Slip performs.
Thursday, September 17, 2009
Wednesday, September 16, 2009
This week's party picks
Here's the best of Charlotte nightlife this week.
Friday
Mint After 5
6 p.m. 220 N. Tryon St. Free for members; $15 for nonmembers. www.youngaffiliates.org.
Toast the end of summer at 2009’s final Mint After 5, the semi-regular rooftop party thrown by Young Affiliates of the Mint at the Mint Museum of Craft + Design as a way for nonmembers to check out the group. Enjoy drink specials, free food and live music by Jared Allan and Co.
6-10 p.m. 330 S. Main St., Mooresville. Donations accepted. www.lakenormanlaw.com (click on events).
For the past eight years, Homesley, Goodman & Wingo has held a party outside its law firm to raise money for charity. This year’s event benefits HealthReach Community Clinic and the Mooresville Soup Kitchen. Bands include The Part-Time Blues Band and Pat “Mother Blues” Cohen.
6 p.m. Presto Bar & Grill, 445 W. Trade St. $10. www.shelterhealthservices.org.
Shelter Health Services, a free clinic for homeless women and children, hosts its annual benefit with jazz trumpeter Mark Rapp and Charlotte’s own Hipshack. A signed Panthers football will be up for auction and a raffle will be held.
3 p.m. Crawl starts at Stool Pigeons, 214 N. Church St. $10 in advance. www.rockhouseevents.com.
Countdown to St. Patrick’s Day with this yearly bar crawl hosted by the same guys who organize the nationally recognized Rich & Bennett’s St. Patrick’s Day Pub Crawl. Eleven hours, eight bars, free T-shirts and, of course, drink specials.
Next week
Keep your calendars open Thursday for the final Alive After Five of the summer. Charlotte's own Simplified will perform.
Thursday, September 10, 2009
This week's party picks
Here's what's going on in Charlotte nightlife this week.
8 p.m. 210 E. Trade St. $5 donation. www.suitecharlotte.com
Help support the Charlotte firefighters and police officers at this special 97/11 tribute and fundraiser. A $5 donation at the door gets you two free drinks. All proceeds benefit the Charlotte Fire Department and the CMPD Fraternal Order of the Police.
10 p.m. 1820 South Blvd. $10. www.sunsetclubcharlotte.com.
Wear your hottest haute couture (or Forever 21 as the case may be) to Sunset Club as fashionistas celebrate the end of Charlotte’s second Fashion Week.
4 p.m. 200 E. Bland St. $150 entry fee. www.thevistagroup.org.
Put on your p-p-p poker face for Speedway Children’s Charities. The group is hosting its second Charity Poker Tournament at Jillian’s, featuring free food, pool, ping pong and shuffleboard. Have some Texas Hold ‘Em skills? Play your hand at one of the nine tables and help raise money for a good cause.
6 p.m. 400 Hermitage Road. $100. www.dukemansion.com.
The Duke Mansion wants you to get our your dancing shoes for its annual fundraiser to help preserve and protect the historic meeting place in Myers Park. Fun cover band Hot Sauce -- singing the best of the '70s, '80s and '90s -- will provide the groovy tunes.
Panthers parties kick off Friday
Panthers parties begin in earnest this weekend with the first home game of the season (thankfully those preseason games were just practice). The blue-and-black celebrations start Friday and continue through Sunday’s 1 p.m. kickoff. Here’s a sampling:
- Bud Light Prowl Party. The Panther Prowl is back at the EpiCentre for a second season. Head up to the Pavilion every Friday starting at 5 p.m. before a home game. This week, Bud Light is casting fans in a commercial for its weekly tailgate party that will be aired on the big screen at Bank of America stadium. Ladies, you’ll be competing in a Locker Room Challenge and men will face a skills competition. Must be 25 years or older and available for filming on Sunday at 9:30 a.m. The 20 selected for the commercial will get two tickets to Sunday’s game, entry into the Bud Light Tailgate (complimentary food and drinks at the corner of Mint and Morehead streets) and a Bud Light Panthers jersey. (
- Rally in the Alley (Cat). Stop by Alley Cat on Saturday and you could win Miller Lite suite passes to the Panthers home opener. Or try your luck at paper football in the Finger Flick Challenge. It’s all part of a new regular party – hosted by WFNZ’s The Hitman – at the uptown bar. Other highlights include live music by Crash Box, a flip-pong tournament, a performance by the Alley Cat dancers and a free wing buffet from 8-10 p.m. (314 N. College St.; www.thealleycat.com.)
- Sunday Funday. Get to Stool Pigeons at 10 a.m. Sunday to pop the first $2 Bud Light of the season (hey, it’s five o’clock somewhere, right?), sample the new breakfast menu and get a prime table in front of the bar’s wall of TVs. You can also make a table reservation (for parties of six or more) by e-mailing Rich@RockHouseEvents.com. (214 N. Church St.; www.rockhouseevents.com)
- WFNZ Dog House. A staple before Panthers home games is WFNZ’s Dog House that sits in the shadow of the stadium at Mint and Morehead streets. It’s open only on game days when the WFNZ on-air team broadcasts from the bar and fans use it as a tailgating/meeting/game-watching spot. Just added to the back patio is a patch of lush green grass painted to look like a football field where fans can play cornhole. Big Daddy’s is among the vendors grilling burgers and BBQ for tailgaters this season. The Dog House opens two hours before every home game and stays open as late as two hours after the game ends.
Not a Panthers fan?
Looking for a spot to watch football where Steve Smith jerseys won’t block your view? A number of area bars cater to
- Catch Michael Vick’s return to the NFL at Eagles bar Steamers. (
- Hail to the Redskins at Picasso’s Dilworth location (1301 East Blvd.) or uptown at
- Hooters in
- Twirl your Terrible Towel at Steelers bars
- Watch Eli Manning’s quest for a second Super Bowl at Giants bar O’Shea’s (
- See if Tom Brady still has it this season at Patriots bar Beantown Tavern (
- Will T.O. catch the game-winning touchdown? Check him out at Bills bars Tavern on the Tracks (1411 S. Tryon St.) and Town Tavern (200 N. Tryon St.).
Know of others? Post them in comments below.
Thursday, September 3, 2009
Dharma Lounge opens in South End
After months of delays and a location change, Dharma Lounge opens its doors this weekend in South End. I got a first look at the place last night at its Friends & Family party.
I first wrote about Dharma just over a year ago, when plans called for it to be part of the Silos Subdistrict. Owner Eric Pliner, a former partner in Tonic, says those plans fell through when the developer lost his loan.
Now in its current location at Tryon and West Summit, Dharma adds to the growing lineup of nightlife options in South End, joining Apostrophe, Common Market, Gin Mill and Amos'. (And opening soon in the same block is a 5,700-square-foot dance club.)
The Scene: The lounge -- designed by Pliner's co-owner Lora Campbell -- is heavily influenced by the pair's background in Eastern philosophy. Decor is minimalist -- a lotus-blossom mural and a giant gold Buddha are the focal points, while the deep red walls fill in the rest. Day beds swathed in sheer red curtains and scattered with throw pillows serve as cozy places to rest your feet or cuddle up. An outdoor patio is enclosed with tall bamboo and that natural, organic feel also is reflected in the branch-like detail along the bar inside.
Bartenders are plentiful and drink prices are shockingly low -- a mixed drink cost me $4.50 in a town where $6-$8 is the norm.
Pliner says that was intentional and will remain so: "We all know what's going on with the economy," he says. "For longevity purposes and to get people to come in more than once or twice a week, we want to keep prices low."
And it's more than a bar -- Pliner plans to offer free detox yoga classes starting the weekend of Sept. 19. The classes, which will be open to all levels, will start at 1 p.m. both Saturday and Sunday.
The Crowd: A friendly, funky alternative bunch turned out last night -- decidedly not like the people you might find at the EpiCentre. "It won't be a downtown crowd," Pliner says. "We know this -- we're a neighborhood lounge." Curiously, the guy-to-girl ratio was extremely high at Friends & Family. I'll be interested to see if that evens out as more people hear about it. Among the partygoers last night were high-profile attorney Bill Diehl and local songwriter Stephen Warwick.
The Music: A house blend with a live singer accompanying the DJ, That Guy Smitty. Pliner says that the lounge isn't tied to one genre. "We're not going to have one theme," he says. "We'll go from house to electro to drum and bass, and even some retro dance."
The Details: Dharma's grand opening starts Friday with DJ Riddim King and Tredamit. Saturday, Dharma will welcome a surprise internationally known DJ. The party starts at 8 p.m. For more information, click here.
Wednesday, September 2, 2009
This week's party picks
Here's the best of Charlotte nightlife this week.Today
Mix at Six
5-9:30 p.m. Ballantyne Village. Free. www.mixatsixballantyne.com.
Check out Ballantyne's version of Alive After Five at the first of fall's Mix at Six series. Simplified performs.
Thursday
Steelers vs. Panthers
The Panthers take on Big Ben and the Steelers in this week's preseason game. If you're a Steelers fan, head to Dixie's to hang with the rest of your Terrible Towel twirling peeps. Panthers fans, check out the tailgate party in Brevard Court, featuring corn hole, beer pong, flip cup and prizes. (If you're looking for a permanent place to tailgate this season, consider joining the Friends of St. Jude tailgating group at Church and Second streets. You can sign up at Angry Ale's after the game Thursday. The $125 membership dues include free food and drinks and are tax deductible, directly benefitting St. Jude's.)
Thirsty Thursday
7:15 p.m. Knights Stadium, Fort Mill. $7-$13. www.charlotteknights.com.
The Knights kick off their final home stand tonight in Fort Mill which means only one Thirsty Thursday left in the season. Get out to Knights Stadium and enjoy $1 beers and $1 sodas.
8 p.m. Corner of Fifth and College streets. www.rockhouseevents.com.
Start your long weekend off by knocking back a few cold ones courtesy of RockHouse Events. The professional partying company is buying two kegs at Buckhead Saloon. Just mention RockHouse at the door and you’re all set until supplies run out.
3 p.m. 400 W. Tremont Ave. $10. www.tremontmusichall.com.
Fifty bands are set to pack Tremont Music Hall for two days of metal this weekend. Among them: Lucky Five, Final Curse and Junior Doctor. One ticket grants you head-banging access to both days.
6 p.m. 210 E. Trade St. (in the EpiCentre). $5. www.howlatthemoon.com.
More than $500 in cash and prizes will be given away at Howl at the Moon’s holiday bash. Drink specials include $2.75 Coors Light, $6 Beach Bombs and $25 86-ounce Paradise Skyy buckets.
Race for the Cure Kickoff Party
The 2009 Race for the Cure is a little less than a month away and Charlotte's affiliate of the Susan G. Komen Foundation is working to build the buzz surrounding the big event. At next week's kickoff party hosted by radio personality Jacinda of 96.1 The Beat, guests can wear pink, make a donation and celebrate with friends. ($2 beers, $4 Red Bull vodkas and light appetizers will be served.)
Tuesday, September 1, 2009
Mix at Six back for fall
Ballantyne Village's popular Wednesday after-work party returns this week for a fall run. Kicking off this year's second installment of Mix at Six is Simplified.
Bryan Paschal of Paschal Promotions, who also helps put on Alive After Five and this spring's Piedmont Town Center After Five, is hoping to add to the live music and drink specials formula by putting on fashion shows and art exhibits as well as doing promotions and giveaways among the participating restaurants.
The fall Mix at Six series will run 5-9:30 p.m. every Wednesday through Oct. 28.
Here's the lineup:
Sept 2: Simplified
Sept. 9: Big Sam
Sept. 16: Josh Z and Company
Sept. 23: Coconut Grove
Sept. 30: Simplified
Oct. 7: Flashback-The Party Band
Oct. 14: First Call Kings
Oct. 21: The Remedy
Oct. 28: Simplified
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