Tea and drag queens

The days are longer and the weather is warmer. Time to party spring-style with tea, beer crawls, and a weekly rally in NoDa. Oh yeah, spring is coming. See in you in the streets. Let's get this party started!

Wednesday

Downton Ballantyne – I love PBS’ “Downton Abbey” and tea so I’m naturally excited about “Downton Abbey Tea.” I had a chance to do an English-style afternoon tea while visiting in Hong Kong and it was a great afternoon break. But you don’t have to travel abroad. The Ballantyne Hotel & Lodge will offer "Downton Abbey Tea" from 1 to 5 p.m. today through Saturday, with "Countess of Grantham’s favorite tea savories and sweets." Attendees are encouraged to dress in 1920-1930s period clothing. $36 reservations required: 704-248-4100. The Ballantyne Hotel & Lodge, 10000 Ballantyne Commons Parkway. More details on Helen’s blog.

Queen of Drag – See the live version of RuPaul's Drag Race: Battle of the Seasons. The event is hosted by Michelle Visage, featuring Adore Delano, Bianca Del Rio, Detox, Ivy Winters, Jinkx Monsoon, Phi Phi O’Hara, Sharon Needles, plus special guest Cary NoKey. 18 and over. 8 p.m., Amos' Southend, 1423 S Tryon St. $29.50/$35. Parking available.

Thursday

Artist Showcase – Support underground artists at Raw Showcase, from tattoo artists to poets and more.  The event will feature 30 artists of varying genres, hosted by Jatovi McDuffie and music by DJ SPK. See the full list. 7 p.m. – 11 p.m. Tremont Music Hall, 400 Tremont Ave.

Spring Is Coming - The spring edition of the NoDa Food. Art. Music. Rally starts today. The weekly free event (Ends April 9^th) features local food trucks, bands, vendors and artists. The kick-off party will feature local musicians including Josh Daniel and DJ Ahuf. Food trucks will be on hand including Taco Green-Go, Maryland Crab, Yummi Banh Mi, Plated Pallate, Roaming Fork, Two Chix and a Truck, K.O. Food Truck, All Star Café and Sweet Cakes Bakery. The rally is dog friendly and will feature a weekly dog costume competition and photo booth. There will be a weekly art competition. 6 p.m. -9 p.m. Parking lot and patio area of The Chop Shop, 399 E. 35th St. in Charlotte.

Friday

Barbie Birthday – Celebrate all things Barbie at the “The Life of Barbie” party. Champagne toast, birthday cake, giveaways and my favorite - Barbie and Ken Look a Like contest. 7 p.m.,  Bubble Champagne Lounge, 210 East Trade. Free.

Saturday

Beer Crawl - Rare kegs tapped every two hours at different locations in South End. Take the free trolley between the eight stops from 11 a.m. - 9 p.m. Live music at every stop. Free. See the list of bars here. Parking available.

Holla: sipandplayclt@gmail.com

Shiprocked! gets funky and cool art events

Last week was fun with the Queen City Brewers' Festival, Haunt at Earl's Grocery and of course the Super Bowl. My biggest disappointment was Party Your Way Around the World at Whisky River. It was a cute concept. Hang out and taste food from different regions of the world. For some odd reason, I thought the food would be a little more creative than tacos from Mexico and gnocchi from Italy. I don't know what I was thinking. The people seemed to enjoy themselves. The tacos were the most popular.

Wednesday

Artistry Honors Art - Poets, ballroom dancers and other local artists will honor the work of NC notables at Remembering the Artistry & Times of Romare Beardon & Maya Angelou: Art, Poetry & Music. Featured local visual and performing artists include Yolanda Bynum, Sean Mason, Brock and Charli Montgomery, Quentin Talley, Stacy Utley, and Symphony Webber. 6:30 p.m. Mint Museum Uptown, 500 S. Tryon St. Free. Street and paid parking available.

Thursday

Funked Up! - Shiprocked gets funky with Shiprocked! Classic Funk, Soul & Disco Edition.  This will be a “semi-regular” Thursday homage to “Soul Train,” R&B, funk and disco from the ‘60s-‘80s. 10 p.m., Snug Harbor, 1228 Gordon St. Free. #TJturnup

Latino Art Exhibit - Arte Latino Now 2015: An Exhibition of Latino Artists showcases cultural and artistic contributions of Latinos in America in partnership with ArtSi and artist Edwin Gil. More than a dozen artists were selected through a national competition. Opening reception will also feature literary pieces by Margarita Pignataro, Kurma Murrain and spoken-word artist David Romero. 5:30 p.m. Max L. Jackson Gallery, Watkins Building, Queens University, 1900 Selwyn Ave.

Friday 

Symphony For Novices - Charlotte Symphony makes the genre less intimidating for newbies with A Waltz to Remember, part of Knight Sounds Series. Along with soaking up beautiful music, attendees will see a performance by the Metropolitan Ballroom dancers. It ends with a champagne toast. 12 p.m. and 7:30 p.m., Knight Theater, 430 S. Tryon St. $15.50, $29.

PM Art Crawl - Head over to Plaza-Midwood for the Crawl B4U Ball Art Crawl at Pint Central, Salon 1226, Tuft and Fumanchu cupcakes. Starts at 7 p.m.

Saturday

Gantt Exhibit - Venturing Out of Darkness uses interactive exhibits, mixed mediums and features more than a dozen artists. The exhibit examines the impact of colonialism on societal attitudes that define black culture in America. Opens today. Harvey B. Gant Center, 551 S. Tryon St. Street and paid parking available.

Art Experience – Artists were tasked with finding the perfect frame to match their creative style at Cultural Initiative 6: Frames - An Arts and Social Experience. The event showcases more than 75 regional artists along with bands, DJs, aerialists, interpretive dancers, a photo booth, a merchant market, pop up cafe, and more. 8 p.m., The Chop Shop NoDa, 399 East 35th St. $10. 

Sunday

Candid Discussion - The Levine Museum of the New South continues to explore the intersection of race and culture at Freedom Forum: Unfinished Business. Panelists will discuss the challenges post- Brown v. Board of Education. Panelists will include historians, educators and advocates. 2:30 p.m., Levine Museum of the New South, 200 E. 7th St.

Holla: sipandplayclt@gmail.com