CHARLOTTE — After several delays due to COVID-19, the Charlotte SHOUT! festival will make a comeback in a few months. The city and county are being asked to kick in tax dollars to help.
[ALSO READ: Charlotte SHOUT! festival postponed]
In 2019, the festival hosted concerts, street art and giant inflatable bunnies and pulled in 500,000 visitors who spent about $6 million.
“Being on North Tryon (Street) at night and sitting at a restaurant and having a drink, it felt like you were in a European city,” she said. “There were families. There were people of all backgrounds.”
The Charlotte City Council has been asked to pay $500,000 for the festival. City Manager Marcus Jones says it will be a combination of cash and in-kind donations for things like police and solid waste services.
The taxpayer money would come from the hospitality fund, which legally has to be used for tourism purposes.
Mecklenburg County has already approved $500,000 for the event.
“It is really important we bring people together through art experiences,” artist Meredith Connelly said.
Connelly, the creator behind the Whitewater Center’s lighted trail that attracted tens of thousands of people, addressed the Charlotte City Council about the festival.
The renowned multidisciplinary artist says the festival will show off local talent.
“I think it is something that is extremely needed in order to have artists continue to give back to the community,” she said.
Emmy-winning Poet Bluz agreed and told the council the festival will inspire a generation of artists.
“Charlotte SHOUT! is a defining moment for our city,” he said. “It is a defining moment for the Carolinas, period.”
The Charlotte SHOUT! festival will be held April 1-17 in uptown. Almost all events are free.
The Charlotte City Council will hold a vote in the coming weeks.
If this festival becomes a regular annual event, Charlotte leaders say they would like to consider annual funding through the budget.
Charlotte Center City Partners says the giant bunnies will not return this year, but there will be a similar installation will be place.
(Watch the video below: 2019′s Charlotte SHOUT! festival)
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