Charlotte’s NYE celebration moves to Truist Field

CHARLOTTE — Charlotte’s New Year’s Eve celebration is moving from Tryon Street to Truist Field in Uptown.

Center City Partners said the move has been in the works for a while and it is not because of past violence tied to the event.

Five people were hurt in a shooting last New Year’s Eve. Some witnesses said there were several fights before shots rang out.

Police say the gunman, 19-year-old Daevion Crawford, shot Amanda Salazar and four others in Romare Bearden Park during the festivities.

“I am trying to do things to continue with my life but I can’t go outside my home,” Salazar tells Channel 9′s Joe Bruno.

After the chaos of last year, Salazar says she’s not ready to return. “I am still having issues with my knee and I can’t stand up for long periods of time.”

Salazar thinks moving the party to Truist Field is a better call. “I think it will be more organized,” she says.

On July 4, 2023, there was an incident similar to last December’s shooting.

The Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department arrested 47 people in and around Romare Bearden Park with 17 of them being teenagers.

Police said after both incidents they would work hard to improve safety around Uptown.

CMPD visited the homes of each juvenile involved in last year’s chaos to talk about safety ahead of Independence Day this year.

Ten teens were arrested on the last Fourth of July.

Police said they will continue Operation JADE this holiday season where officers make house visits to juvenile offenders to address crime at large events.

All guests who attend this year’s crown lighting will have to go through security.

Admission will cost $10, and the celebration will be part of the Charlotte Knights’ “Light the Knights Festival”.

“Light the Knights” runs from Nov. 27 through Jan. 3.

Tickets for the New Year’s Eve crown lighting are limited and will go on sale to the general public starting at 10 a.m. Thursday. Fans can purchase tickets by phone at 704-274-8300 or online at www.CharlotteKnights.com.

Admission includes a glass of champagne for fans 21 years old and up, or a glass of apple cider. The two-hour event will conclude with a fireworks finale.

“I think it would be pretty cool to see,” resident Terrell McKinnon says, even though he and his family are planning to start the new year at home to avoid traffic.

And while the event will cost money to attend, Charlotte Center City Partners says people can watch the fireworks in Romare Bearden Park for free.

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