April 3-8, 2025

The Charlotte Ideas Festival is a 5-day festival within a larger 3-week Charlotte SHOUT! festival that celebrates Food-Art-Music-Ideas. We bring leading thinkers to Charlotte and share local thought-leaders with the world! You won’t want to miss it!

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Noelle Russell is a multi-award-winning technologist who will kick off CharlotteSHOUT with a keynote speech about the implications and future of AI at the newly renovated Carolina Theatre. Tickets opening soon!

Can planets carry a tune? Do black holes scream? What is the heartbeat of a star? Matt Russo is an astrophysicist, musician, and educator who shares the wonders of the cosmos through sound. Tickets opening soon!

Interested in a day of ideas and conversation? Join us for a full day of panel discussions, interviews, presentations, creative activations, and connection! Details coming soon!

Enjoy an evening with Ann Patchett and Kevin Wilson, New York Times bestselling authors, in conversation on April 8, 2025, at the newly renovated Carolina Theatre. Tickets opening soon!

2024 | Charlotte Ideas Festival RECAP

What a whirlwind! From the future of AI to the timeless poetry of Rumi, to our Big Ideas contest and panel discussions on Humanities+, the 2024 Charlotte Ideas Festival attracted hundreds of curious minds to the heart of Charlotte. Thank you to everyone who participated and to our partners who made it all possible!

Why The Festival?

There is power in coming together as a community. We hope to embody the humanities in an immersive experience that contributes to a flourishing city. Our programming strengthens connection and spurs innovation so we might lives our best lives.