The Rundown: Things to Do Thursday, December 21 – Sunday, December 24

By Shawn D. Allison, II

Seasons’ Greetings Brothers and Sisters! I hope everyone is doing well and full of joy as I am. Check

Shawn Allison shares all the places you’ll wanna be in the Queen City.

the method, there’s not a whole lot going on this weekend, however, I was able to scrape up a few goodies for everyone to enjoy. Now if you really want to know where Santa Claus will be partying this weekend before he starts his long journey, be sure to check out my “Hot List” below!

 

  • THURSDAY – December Edition Uptown Crawl
  • THURSDAY – Silent Night Dance Party at Blue Olive Lounge
  • FRIDAY – Jazz N’ Soul Music presents “A Charlie Brown Christmas” and Soul Holidays at The Morehead Tavern
  • FRIDAY – Album Listening Party/Birthday Celebration for Eliah Soul at Loft & Cellar
  • SATURDAY – The Last Holiday Brunch at Three Spirits Brewery
  • SATURDAY – Art Wars: The CHAR-LIT Edition at MediaPlexx
  • SATURDAY – Afrobeats Christmas Affair 2017 at Bakadi Lounge
  • SATURDAY – Su Casa – The December Edition at Petra’s
  • SUNDAY – OutenLove Events’ “A Boozy Christmas Story” at Press Box Bar & Grill

 

If you would like your event to be listed in “The Rundown” please send a detailed e-mail to me at: sdallison85@yahoo.com

 

——-THURSDAY, DECEMBER 21——-

Everyone come and get all 360 degrees of your being filled with art at the December Edition Uptown Crawl! All of Uptown Charlotte’s art treasures will be open for the general public this evening and you’ll get an opportunity to scour and scope art at The Gantt Center, Mint Museum Uptown, New Gallery of Modern Art, Sozo Gallery, The McColl, UNCC Center City, Goodyear Arts and The Levine Museum of the New South. You’ll be able to begin the tour at any of the featured institutions, then travel freely between the stops by foot, trolley, or bike. Each stop on the tour will feature a special look at the art held within. Admission is FREE! All venues and museums are in the Uptown area and will begin at 6 p.m.

What’s the one thing you desire most at Christmas time? Peace and quiet? This Thursday evening, get ready for a tranquil yuletide like no other and come out to Blue Olive Lounge for “Silent Night!” Gather your friends and come experience a “quiet” selection of music as you dance to a variety of channels through special headphones! Three DJs playing three stations of music (Hip Hop, Old School R&B, Reggae) and you dance the night away as the music comes straight to your earholes from the headphones! Tickets can be purchased here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/silent-nightblue-olive-lounge–tickets-41100352260. The event will begin at 8 p.m. Blue Olive Lounge is located at 14021 Conlan Cir. in Ballantyne.

Join Rock Soul, Ent. at World Night Club and come out for the Rock Soul Holiday Party this evening! In conjunction with the beautiful, Grammy Award-winning soul siren Fantasia, this classy and upscale celebration will highlight and benefit selected families that are in need of love and support during this holiday season. You’ll be sure to enjoy this wonderful evening of live performances and special guests as you party for a worthy cause. Tickets can be purchased here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/rock-soul-holiday-party-tickets-41100816649. The event will begin at 10 p.m. World Night Club is located at 900 NC Music Factory Blvd.

Africana Connections wants to put some tribal flavor in your Thursday as they invite you out to Vault for the December session of “Global Thursdays!” Join my good friend The Dynamic DJ Kato as he takes you on a whirlwind of sounds from across the African Diaspora with tunes ranging from Afrobeat, House, Reggae, Hip Hop, Soul, R&B, Dancehall, Indie and more! Admission is FREE before midnight but please be sure to RSVP here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/global-thursdays-at-vault-charlotte-in-epicentre-tickets-39236077163. The event will begin at 10 p.m. Vault is located at 210 E. Trade St. at The Epicentre in Uptown.

——FRIDAY, DECEMBER 22——-

Jazz N’ Soul continues to get you in the holiday mood and this Friday, head out to The Tavern for another edition of Ella’s Speakeasy as The Sean Mason Trio presents “A Charlie Brown Christmas!” Enjoy classic tunes from this beloved tale with everyone’s favorite gang! Joining this trio of young instrumentalists is the lovely Ahree Onoh on vocals and songstress extraordinaire Gena Chambers serving as narrator. Tickets can be purchased here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/a-charlie-brown-christmas-and-cool-jazz-favorites-featuring-the-sean-mason-trio-tickets-41230943863. Children 12 and under are admitted FREE. Showtime is at 7 p.m. The Tavern is located at 300 E. Morehead St. in Uptown.   #JazzNSoul

Alright people, get your friends, get your threads together with the most hideous holiday sweaters and come out for the Ugly Sweater Swag Party! Join host Monique James-Hill for an evening of food, drinks, fellowship and wretched tackiness all in the spirit of fun! Power 98 FM’s DJ Danny Diaz will be handling business on the 1s and 2s spinning all of today’s hottest jams! Tickets can be purchased here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/ugly-sweater-swag-party-tickets-41020618775. The event will begin at 9 p.m. at Kanvas Gallery & Lounge. 525 E. 6th St., Suite #117 in Uptown.

More jazz you say? Jazz N’ Soul returns this evening with a special encore of performances as they host Soul Holidays feat. Gena Chambers & the Christmas All-Stars! Relax on this Friday evening as Gena takes you on a vocal whirlwind along with John “JD” Dillard on bass, Brian Houze on drums, Howard McNair laying the melody on the 88 keys and a special vocal treat from Ahree Onoh! Tickets can be purchased here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/soul-holidays-featuring-gena-chambers-and-the-christmas-all-stars-tickets-41264402940. Showtime is at 9 p.m. at The Morehead Tavern. 300 E. Morehead St. in Uptown.

While some folks will be enjoying the smooth vibes of jazz at The Morehead Tavern, a different and more vibrant energy will be occurring in another part of the building! Come one come all to the Funkiest Ugly Christmas Sweater Party! Quentin Talley & The Soul Providers are back to shake Santa’s sleigh with a rousing selection of Christmas jams with their own distinguished energy! From funk, to soul with a little bit of improvisation, you’ll be sure to ears filled more than your stockings! Also, be sure to stick around as DJ Tab D’Bia$$i rocks the house with hot selection of Hip-Hop, R&B and more! Tickets can be purchased here: https://moreheadtavern.primetix.com/Tickets/?perfid=1022. The event will also begin at 9 p.m. 300 E. Morehead St. in Uptown.

Charlotte, get ready to spend an evening with one of the city’s most gifted and versatile crooners—the one and only, Eliah Soul! Tonight is a special occasion for very important reasons—this is a release party for his sophomore LP “Night & Day” and it is also the Soul Brother’s grand birthday celebration! Come and get an earful of the new flavors, past favorites and some special guest performances from some local R&B vocalists. DJ C.K. will be on hand providing some extra tunes for the after party. There will be food and drink specials all night long. Also, ladies, come dressed in red and gentlemen, be dapper and debonair in your attire. Tickets can be purchased here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/eliah-official-album-release-party-night-day-tickets-39236057103. The party will begin at 10 p.m. at Loft & Cellar. 305 W. 4th St. in Uptown.

——-SATURDAY, DECEMBER 23——-

Everyone wake up and do yourselves a “flavor” and join mighty men and youth of The Males Place as they host their Collard Greens Fundraiser Sale! Collard greens are a historic staple crop of the holiday season and today, these Brothers will be out selling bundles of organically-harvested and grown collard greens at $5 each to benefit their upcoming trip to Ghana in West Africa in Summer 2018. To place your orders, please scroll to the bottom of the website for fundraiser order information: https://www.themalesplace.org/. Donations can also be given on the website as well. For additional information, please contact Baba Reggie Singleton at (704)-713-3824 or email: Reggie.Singleton@malesplace.org. The pick-up will be from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the West End Fresh Seafood Market. 2206 Beatties Ford Rd.   #TheMalesPlace

Start your Saturday off with food, friends and fellowship at Three Spirits Brewery as they are proud to present “The Last Holiday Brunch” this afternoon. With your cuisines curated by Fork & Boot Food Truck, come enjoy a delectable and delicious brunch menu featuring door prizes, music and much more all while supporting Love Lives 365’s community efforts. Love Lives 365 is a local nonprofit whose mission is to restore core family values through the development of activities that promote trust, bonding, unity, youth empowerment and providing our homeless brothers and sisters with basic everyday needs and love. They will be onsite collecting nonperishable food items and kitchen cleaning supplies for deserving families. Admission is FREE but donations are also welcome. The event will begin at 12 noon. Three Spirits Brewery is located at 5046 Old Pineville Rd.

Calling all entrepreneurs—join Little Brown Girl Publishing at Amelie’s in NoDa for a special Small Business Networking Mixer this afternoon! Share your ideas, inspire new goals, make new connections and forge new bonds as you all enjoy a delightful and quaint brunch menu. The event will be hosted by Little Brown Girl Publishing Senior Submissions Editor, the beautiful Resha K. Washington. To participate, please send an RSVP to: lilbrowngirlpub@gmail.com. The event will begin Saturday at 12 noon. Amelie’s is located at 2424 N. Davidson St. in the NoDa District.

 Get ready for an afternoon of splendiferous color, art and energy and come out to “Art Wars: The CHAR-LIT Edition!” Art, culture, music, fashion and community collide in this day of nonstop action. Vendors, live art creations, gift bag giveaways, body painting, free massages and much, much more! This event also doubles as an art competition and participating creatives will be in the running to win some cool cash prizes and some art supplies. The event will be hosted by Asia Bahar, Jazzy “Blackrabbit” Jay and Wade the Massage Guy. Music will be provided by DJ Blocc. Tickets are $10 and can be purchased by calling (917)-365-2099. The event will begin at 1 p.m. at MediaPlexx. 8112 Statesville Rd., Suite “A”.

CBT Global, LLC invites you out to Studio 1212 for the 2nd Annual Art of Fashion this evening! Music will be sewn together with some of the most extravagant fashions of the season in this invigorating expo of style, sound and sophistication.   Local vendors and fashion designers will be showcased along with a special lineup of local artists. DJ Micki Blendz will be your sonic pilot for the evening and there will be cocktail specials to enjoy as well. Tickets can be purchased here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/2nd-annual-art-of-fashion-tickets-39205007232. The event will begin at 7 p.m. Studio 1212 is located at 1212 E. 10th St. in the Plaza-Midwood District.

NBOC Entertainment and Africana Connections are back with another special experience just in time for the holidays! Come out to Bakadi Lounge for the Afrobeats Christmas Affair 2017! Get ready to feel the flavor of Nigeria in the QC as The Dynamic DJ Kato, DJ Unique and DJ Quee will be ensuring the dopest tribal Christmas vibes! Event will be hosted by Paul Prince and DJ Kato. Tickets can be purchased here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/an-afrobeats-christmas-affair-bakadi-lounge-tickets-40176220156. The party starts at 10 p.m. Bakadi Lounge is located at 4205 Monroe Rd.

The Sol Kitchen is ready to rock your holidays something proper like as they invite you out to Snug Harbor for the Throwback Christmas Party feat. The Mighty DJ DR! Santa is preparing to come and before he stops in town, stop by and get down as one of Charlotte’s finest turntablists rocks out with a wide array of throwback jams, today’s joints and everything in between! Tickets can be purchased here: http://snugharbor.tunestub.com/event.cfm?id=272084&cart. The party starts at 10 p.m. Snug Harbor is located at 1228 Gordon St. in the Plaza-Midwood District.   #TheSolKitchen

Charlotte has been on a whirlwind of positive energy in 2017 and tonight, come get this year’s finale at the city’s premiere oasis for the culturally-starved as Jasiatic hosts “Su Casa – The December Edition!” Celebrate all elements of your life on the dance floor and be ready to freely express yourselves in rhythm to a vibrant soundtrack of Afrobeat, House, Soul, Reggae, Deep House, Funk, Downtempo, Dancehall and more indigenous flavors from in-house maestros DJ Justice and DJ Steel Wheel feat. Loot-Tenant Trax! Be sure to scope out the canvas flyness from Dammit Wesley, get your face done up colorfully proper by the beautiful Catherine, grab some goodies from local vendors and spread nothing but love! Admission is $10 all night long. The party starts at 10 p.m. at Petra’s. 1919 Commonwealth Ave. in the Plaza-Midwood District.

——-SUNDAY, DECEMBER 24——-

For some fly eats and cool treats, head down to Cuzzo’s Cuisine for Soul Food Sundays! Chef Andarrio Johnson and crew invite you to add some delicious and delectable delight this afternoon! Whether you’re leaving church service, out for a stroll, exercising, leaving another event or just plain ol’ hungry, gather all of your friends and come on down and enjoy a meal that’ll sho’ nuff stick to your ribs! From Cajun fried chicken, collard greens, World Famous Lobster Mac & Cheese, rice pilaf and so many other choices your stomach will be more than satisfied! Other menu items include a wonderful dining experience, fellowship and lots of community love! Admission is $15 per person. The buffet will be open from 12 noon to 5 p.m. Cuzzo’s Cuisine is located at Tuckaseegee Rd.  #CuzzosCuisine

What do the lonely do at Christmas? They head out to Press Box Bar & Grill for A Boozy Christmas Story – OutenLove Events’ Second Annual Singles Holiday Bash! Last year’s shindig brought out over 300 people and this year, the anticipation of more peeps is on the horizon! Come dressed as if you’re about to find your crush underneath the mistletoe and party the night away with some fly holiday grooves provided by DJ Heff. Make your spirits bright and don’t miss this event! Tickets can be purchased here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/a-boozy-christmas-story-tickets-41131845457. The event will begin at 10 p.m. Press Box Bar & Grill is located at 9609 N. Tryon St. in the University Area.   #OutenLoveEvents

 

 

COMING SOON…

12/28 – Unity March for Charlotte

12/30 – Pre-New Years Eve Jazz Night

12/31 — NYE 2018 Extravaganza Charlotte

12/31 – Resolution 2K18

1/5 – Blow Your Head January Edition

1/14 – Classic Black Cinema Series presents “Losing Ground”

 

May the love of Christ encircle you and your families this weekend and always remember to extend your love to your neighbors! Peace.

 

Live. Laugh. Love. Learn. Listen. Give.

 

#WeekendWarrior   #TheBlackFerrisBueller   #CommunityFirst