This is one of those low-key days, but if you must get out here a couple of spots to try. Looking for traditional Easter Brunches? Try this list.
Day Party - Enjoy music by DJ Hot Rod and drink specials at the Easter Brunch & Day Party. 11 a.m. The Mandrake, 333 W. Trade St. Free before 4 p.m.
Mad Monster Party - Meet the stars of Frozen, Deadpool, Star Wars Trilogy and others at the Mad Monster Party. The horror-pop convention is a family friendly event and a chance to dress up like zombies and scary creatures. Multiple days. Sheraton Charlotte Hotel, 555 S McDowell St. Schedule.
I really need to rest up tonight for the Bartender's Ball, but I have a kettle bell class this morning and an afternoon hike. Then I can return to what used to be one of my favorite events. I haven't attended the Bartender's Ball in years. I'm looking forward to seeing how it's changed. Best Brunch - End the HRC festivities at one of Charlotte's best brunch at the HRC Recovery Brunch. 1 p.m. Bistro La Bon, 1322 Central Ave.
For Kids - The interactive LEGO KidsFest is a family event for builders of all skills and interests. 3 p.m. Charlotte Convention Center, 501 South College St.
Don't Forget The Best Ball - The Bartenders Ball was one of my favorite events with mountains of cocktails, well-dressed partiers and great music. It’ll be interested to experience it on the EpiCentre Rooftop, but in the words of Drake, “We gon’ see!” The 15th Annual Bartender’s Ball features live DJ’s, dancing, live entertainment, performers, and more. 7 p.m. Rooftop 210, 210 East Trade St. $70, $100. Tickets.
Whew! I needed that extra hour of sleep, but now I'm ready to end the weekend at a couple of events. Get in your last Halloween hurrah today and tomorrow. See you in the streets... Today Doggie Halloween - Doggie Halloween - Halloween isn’t over. Red Clay Dog Day Howl-O-Ween features complimentary donuts from Suarez Bakery and hot mulled cider for you. Trick or dog treats for the pooches for the dogs. Contests include a doggie costume contest at 3 p.m. w/ prizes, a bobbing for apples contest at 4 p.m. w/ prizes and an Instagram dog photo contest using the hashtag #RCCHowlOWeen w/ even more prizes. Noon - 6 p.m. Red Clay Ciderworks, 245 Clanton Road.
Last One - It’s the last Front Porch Sunday Market of the year. Enjoy Charlotte food trucks, fashion trucks, artisans and entrepreneurs. Beer samples from BREWPUBLIK and South End Hops Festival and free samples of beer and kombucha from Lenny Boy Brewing Co. Food: Southerncakequeen, Yummi Banh Mi Truck, True Crafted Pizza, #BigRedCLT, and King of Pops Charlotte. Vendors: L Squared, Dress Like A Girl Mobile Boutique, 704 Shop, Daylight Derived, Lightbeings, Stix+Stones, PlayGround Phresh Kids, Havok Designs, Journey Home, Ellie's Bijoux, Katelynn Racer, Crowned Sparrow Co., Basha Boutique, CLT Boutique, Jan Harris Studios and more. Front Porch Sundays, 1 -5 p.m., Shook Kelley Building, 2151 Hawkins Street. Details.
Food & Lifestyle - Order/Fire is a culinary web series exploring local chefs personalities and passion. There will be a premiere party for the airing of the first episode. It features Heirloom's Chef Clark Barlowe and The Loose Lugnuts. The first 100 people to arrive get their first beer is on Asterisk Creative. 2 p.m. Sunday, Free Range Brewing, 2320 N. Davidson St. R&B Soulster - Raheem DeVaughn is showing his love for black women with his new project “Queen.” His Queens For A Day supported battered black women. He joins songstresses Leela James. 8 p.m., Fillmore Charlotte, 1000 NC Music Factory Boulevard. $27.50 Standing room only. Parking onsite.
Sunday Working At The Carwash! - Get your car washed and enjoy brunch at Charlotte Pride Brunch & Wash. Proceeds benefit Charlotte Pride. 1-4 p.m., The Bar at 316 Renssalaer Ave.
Jazz Festival Finale - Guitarist Chris Standing headlines the Summerfest Jazz Brunch. 11 a.m. Blue Restaurant and Bar, 206 N College St.
Whoa! I'm still recuperating from yesterday and the most boring fight in the history of fights. To say the Mayweather v. Pacquiao fight was underwhelming is an understatement. However, I have just what you need. See you in the streets. Let's get this party started.
Drag Brunch - Want a little sass with your eggs? Try the Be Brave Drag Brunch featuring Ongina from RuPaul’s Drag Race. Benefits AIDS WALK Charlotte.Show begins at 1:00 PM and it's $5 at the door and $5 for a gourmet breakfast brunch. Arrive early because seating is limited. Bar At 316, 316 Rensselaer Ave. Southend Brunch - Art and Soul wraps up with Front Brunch featuring a dozen chefs, Muddy Mary's by Muddy River Distillers and Bob Peters behind the bar. 2151 Hawkins St. across Atherton Market. $35. Don't Miss Jazz Keyboardist - Start the week with a a little jazz by national keyboardist Brian Simpson. 5 p.m. and 7 p.m. Sydney's Martini and Wine Bar, 401 North Tryon Street #104. $15 and up.
Wow, two of my featured events are so bad for me, but they're going to taste so good. A hangover brunch and a dessert festival. Can a Sunday get any better? See you in the streets...
Beer Brunch - Today the Diamond features an expanded menu along with Pure Intentions Coffee poured all day, specialty themed cocktails, QC Cheesecakes’s speciality themed cheesecakes and the best hangover relief - diner food at Craft Hangover Brunch presented by NoDa Brewing Company. Coco Loco on draft. 11 a.m. - 3 p.m. Diamond Restaurant, 1901 Commonwealth Ave.
Sugar High - Sample desserts galore and help R.A.I.N. at the fourth annual Sweet Tooth Festival. - Omni Charlotte Hotel, East Trade St. $20, $30.
Don't Forget
Film Festival- The Banff Mountain Film Festival visits 400 communities and 40 countries throughout the world. The tour features a collection of action, environmental, and adventure films from the festival. 7 p.m. McGlohon Theater at Spirit Square, 130 N. Tryon St. $12. Parking onsite, street parking and paid parking lots available.
My two favorite meals are Happy Hour and Brunch. Since it's Sunday, let's talk about Spin Sundays at Draught. It's a brunch featuring a DJ, a bloody Mary bar and a mimosa bar. Spin Sundays is relatively new so there have been waits of about an hour, according to the manager. I lucked up on a recent Sunday and got a seat a the bar. The crowd was relatively light.
The vibe: The DJ spun low-key tunes. It's not a raucous party like Disco Brunch at Soul used to be. It's more of a chill weekend, winddown tempo.
The cocktails: The bloody Mary has a nice mix of condiments and Zing Zang for the base. I was more impressed with the mimosa bar. It had a variety of fresh fruits and juices. Nice touch.
The grub: The menu offers plenty of choices including biscuits and gravy, corned beef hash and a traditional breakfast. Now the good stuff: a fried chicken french toast sandwich, giant cinnamon rolls and the blue corn waffle topped with pulled pork.
Apparently, their traditional chicken and waffle is one of the most popular items. I tried the blue corn waffle with the pulled pork. It was good. The blue corn waffle definitely adds a different flavor.
All in all the vibe was good and so was the food. I'd check it out again with friends. Let me know what you think.
If you're looking for a low-key brunch today head over to La Tagliatella in the EpiCentre. I usually shoot food pictures for my brunch posts, but Bobby Sunshine's Bloody Mary is too good not to feature. He adds a little of this, a smidgen of that and a whole lot of personality. Sit at the bar for the full Bobby Sunshine experience. The food is pretty good too. I ate the smoked salmon frittata. It was tasty. Brunch also includes brioche french toast, bacon and egg sandwich and eggs benedict.The restaurant was pretty empty when we went so you can get in, get out and get on with the rest of your day.
MLK Celebration - Enjoy performances, films, stories and exhibits at the Levine Museum of the New South's Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration. 12-4:30 p.m. Levine, 200 E. 7th St. Full schedule of performances and events.
Three Day Weekend! - Dream 3: Annual Holiday Weekend And Zodiac Celebration with music by DJ Skillz and the Might DJ Dr. 10 p.m., Bubble, 210 E. Trade St. $10.
Ladies Night - Charlotte and regional female choreographers unite to present Women’s Dance Showcase. 7:30 p.m. Neighborhood Theater, 511 E. 36th St. $10 and up.
Holla: sipandplayclt@gmail.com
Don't miss
Try A New Brew - Bring a wrapped 22 oz beer to exchange at the White Elephant Bottle Party. No gag beers. This is a chance to share your favorite beer with strangers and experience someone else’s favorite. NoDa Brewing Company, 2229 N. Davidson St.
A big congratulations to the organizers of the Novant Health Thanksgiving Parade. Attendance reached an estimated 70,000 this year! The parade kicked off the most wonderful time of the year when football and basketball collide with shopping and parties. Let's get started.
Thursday
Country star - Brantley Gilbert most recently opened for Toby Keith and Tim McGraw, but now he's headlining his own arena show. 7 p.m. Time Warner Cable Arena,333 E. Trade St.$34.78-$47.89. Read Theoden Janes' article on Gilbert.
Family Fun - Head to The Square for Lights On the Square: The Uptown Tree Lighting. ACC mascots join the festivities to start the ACC Tournament weekend. Families can enjoy Santa Village in Polk Park (free photos!), and a performance by The Wonderettes! Food trucks will be there too. 5:30 p.m. - 8:30 p.m. The Square, Trade and Tryon streets. Tree lighting starts shortly after 6:30pm. Parking tips. Friday
It's Your Anniversary- Birdsong Brewery Third Year Anniversary features new brews each weekend night starting tonight with Puppies on Penguins and Nighthawk Postcard, Sour Stout with Raspberries. The three-day celebration begins at 4 p.m. Birdsong Brewery,2315 N Davidson St.
Cats! Cats! Cats! - Join the Queen City Cats, UK alumni group, when the #BBN takes over Sip Charlotte, 200 N. Tryon St. Suite 100 to watch Kentucky v. Texas. 7 p.m.
Saturday
Family fun - The ACC Football Championship is today so there's lots of free fun. It starts with theACC Fan 5K and Kids Mascot Runat 8 a.m., Wells Fargo Plaza, Uptown Charlotte. Then enjoy free concerts, autograph sessions and watch ACC mascots square off during the ACC Football Championship Fan Fest. Noon - 7 p.m., adjacent to Bank of America Stadium along Mint, Graham and Stonewall streets. Florida State vs. Georgia Techstarts at 8 p.m. Purchase tickets.
Party With Local Grassroots Artists- Cultural Initiative: An Art Social Fresh showcases 25 local and regional grassroots artists. Their works will be on display and for sale, but this is more than an art show. The music will be ridiculous featuring: Miami Dice and Elonzo, and Charlotte's Justin Aswell along with vocals by Charleston's Jordan Igoe. 8:30 p.m. Neighborhood Theater. Limited free street parking. Bring cash for parking.
6th Annual Red Pump/Red Tie Affair - This is the signature event for the Red Pump Project which highlights HIV and AIDS impact on women and girls. The event will feature a fashion show, a silent auction and local boutiques. R.A.I.N. President and CEORev. Debbie Warren is this year's honoree. 7 - 10 p.m., Hart Witzen Gallery, 136 E 36th St. Tickets: $40. Driving Alert: Access via South Tryon Street instead of North Davidson Street because of road construction.
Sunday
New Brunch Spot - Restaurant critic Helen Schwab reports that Lumiere plans to start serving Sunday brunch today. More details on Helen's blog. Update 12/7! Lumiere says they are not serving brunch.
Read more here: http://helendining.blogspot.com/#storylink=cpy
I'm back!!! In 2005, I launched the Paid To Party column for the Observer. Now I'm back with a fresh look at Charlotte's entertainment offerings. For the next few months, I'll be testing a new feature, primarily aimed at weekend events and other ways to entertain yourself, your family, your visitors.
Sip + Play is your guide to fun things to do in Charlotte from Food Truck Fridays to bar crawls to events you've never experienced. I still love a party, so there also will be plenty of that.
Sip + Play will take you all over Charlotte and beyond with live event coverage on the weekends and recommendations of where to go and what to do. I'm looking forward to sharing my adventures with you. #cltevents
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