After a two-year pandemic-induced halt from holding its traditional in-person celebration of art, music, theater and more, BOOM Charlotte, the city’s leading showcase of creativity, is now poised to make a comeback April 22-23, with live and in-person performances and presentations at its fifth annual artist-led showcase. 

During the height of the COVID-19 crisis, BOOM Charlotte, like many gallery and venue presentations and performances, was forced to move its sizable collection of creative events to an online venue. 

“The pandemic forced BOOM to think creatively and pushed the contributing artists to be agile, responsive and adaptive,” BOOM’s director and founder, Manoj Kesavan said.   

“With so many other events exploring online offerings, BOOM thought it should try to put something on in an online format that gave the BOOM 2020 [and later 2021] artists a chance to showcase their work in an online atmosphere that gave the audience the feeling of being at BOOM,” he said. 

While the event was able to carry on through the online alternative, BOOM says they are looking forward to connecting with audiences in-person this year. 

“We are very excited to be back at it, connecting artists for a live showcase,” Kesavan added. “There’s nothing like that instant feedback from a live audience and BOOM has really missed that these past two years.” 

BOOM Founder Manoj Kesavan: ‘There’s nothing like that instant feedback from a live audience and BOOM has really missed that these past two years.’  Photo: Facebook

A big part of BOOM’s annual oasis of artwork and entertainment is its Fringe festival, which was the initial event that was born from a group of Charlotte artists who joined together, forming a coalition to promote and make a place where non-conventional creativity could be celebrated. . 

“Fringe has been a cornerstone of encouragement to artists and the art-loving audiences they’ve had the opportunity to share their work with [and] to try something new without regard to what is deemed as acceptable by the mainstream Charlotte art scene,” said Kesavan. “BOOM Charlotte continues to be the space where you can experience art, performance, and the unexpected.”

Go, See, Do

BOOM Charlotte takes place April 22-23 at Camp North End, located at 1824 Statesville Ave. A sizable collection of art, including theater, music, visual art, film, dance and more will be available 1:00 p.m. to 11:00 p.m. the first day of the event and 1:00 p.m. ‘til midnight  the following. 

BOOM Fringe performances take place at indoor venues and require a ticket for entry. BOOM Intersection occurs on outdoor stages in the Boiler Yard (and surrounding locations) and offers free performances, events, installations and activities.

Here’s a list of performers and artists you’ll have an opportunity to see at BOOM Intersection. Click on any name for more details.

Friday

Saturday

BOOM Fringe Artists

Enjoy more intimate indoor performances at BOOM Fringe, which offers individual tickets for $10 and Weekend Passes for $50. Find out more about hit year’s Fringe artists on the list included here, which also includes links to all performers.

Click here to view the 2022 Fringe schedule of performances!

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David Aaron Moore is a former editor of Qnotes, serving in the role from 2003 to 2007. He is currently the senior editor and a regularly contributing writer for Qnotes. Moore is a native of North Carolina...