The top five nightlife-related events going down tonight, Feb. 11, as chosen from the folks at Creative Loafing.
• Hair and lingerie show at Luna Lounge
• Southeastern Young Alumni Association (SEYA) Happy Hour party at Dixie's Tavern
• V-Day Charlotte 2010 Festival at Amelie's Bakery
• Galactic at Visulite Theatre
• Shiprocked's 3rd annual anti-Valentine's Day party at Snug Harbor
After being rescheduled due to the “winter storm” that the Charlotte area experienced the weekend before, the Crown Jewels Chapter of The Links Inc. held its 6th annual Mardi Gras Gala at The Blake hotel this past weekend. The weather undoubtedly caused a bit of a shake-up in logistics, but destiny kinda has a funny way of working these things out.
The Links’ Mardi Gras event actually ended up falling on the weekend before the final week leading up to one of the most famous Carnival celebrations in the world — the city of New Orleans’ Mardi Gras, or Fat Tuesday, scheduled for Tuesday, Feb. 16. For about two weeks before and all through Fat Tuesday, the day before Ash Wednesday, the city hosts several celebrations, with the final week hosting the largest and most over-the-top parades and shindigs of the season. So, basically, this week is kinduva big deal down there.
That being said, I’m sure it would take a lot more than three inches of snow on the ground to interfere with the New Orleans Mardi Gras. In fact, just about the only thing that could would even come close to causing the celebration to alter its traditional plans (like the parade krewes of Hyacinthians and Titans rolling an hour earlier than usual on Sunday) would be a little event known as the Superbowl, and only because the New Orleans “Who Dat” Saints, a team once referred to as the New Orleans Aints, were finally playing in it. And so it follows that the rescheduling of The Links’ Mardi Gras event actually went off with impeccable timing.
A veritable who’s who of Charlotte was on hand to partake, including Charlotte Mayor Anthony Foxx, WSOC-TV News Anchor Erica Bryant, County Commissioner Harold Cogdell and Congressman Mel Watt. Indulging in their own version of a Mardi Gras parade, Links members danced, swayed and sashayed during the Second Line portion of the program in colorful outfits and carrying umbrellas that were as unique as they were elaborate. An array of green, purple and gold adorned every table and each piece of carefully selected décor, and masquerade masks shielded the faces of several in attendance.
Long before Colts quarterback Payton Manning threw the interception that basically ended the game, Saints fever was already at a high pitch. Having so much to play for, Who Dat nation has been in full swing for weeks now and ultimately silenced their naysayers on Sunday, yours truly included, who could do nothing but nod our heads in respect at the final score. So, it all seemed somewhat fitting for The Links Mardi Gras event to be, even if unwittingly, another spoke in the loudly churning New Orleans Saints victory wheel.
Though I’m not able to be among the revelers on Bourbon Street this week who likely won’t give a second thought to doing anything productive before next Wednesday given the Saints’ dramatic Superbowl win, it was nice to attend The Links’ Mardi Gras event this particular year and kind of gain an idea, even if just a glimpse, of what a frenzy the city of New Orleans must be in. Who dat, indeed.
The massive CIAA party list is FINALLY posted! (And man, am I ever glad to have THAT done. I think I've sifted through enough press releases and Facebook invites to just stay home that weekend, thanks.)
Don't know what I'm talking about? Well, CIAA stands for Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association and it's a huge basketball tournament, the largest amongst Historically Black Colleges & Universities (HBCUs). It'll be here Feb. 21-28 and is one of the largest and successful basketball tournaments in the United States.
With the basketball tournament come parties — day parties, night parties, breakfast parties, parties hosted by national celebrities like P. Diddy and Ginuwine, concerts, fish frys ... it's nuts! And we've got all the details on our massively huge CIAA party list.
Of course, as with any nightlife event, it's a good idea to go ahead and buy your tickets in advance.
If somehow you missed the link to the list of CIAA parties, click HERE.
The top five nightlife-related events going down tonight, Feb. 10, as chosen from the folks at Creative Loafing.
• Royal Wednesdays at Blue Restaurant
• Creative Loafing's Lust List Party at Uptown Cabaret
• Charlotte Young Professionals monthly social at On The Roxx Southend
• Mike "The Situation" from MTV's Jersey Shore at Suite
• Pop Life with DJ DR at Luna Lounge
Creative Loafing's Lust List — The Ladies-Only Edition debuted today. Don't know what the Lust List is? Well, it's our picks of the sexiest citizens in Charlotte. This time around, we focused on the gentler sex. Check out the pics here.
Wednesday night we'll be celebrating the hard work we put into this issue (it IS pretty stressful to gauge the hotness factor of hundreds of nominations, you know) by hosting a party at Uptown Cabaret. Come out and bask in the sexiness — some of our winners will be there, too.
The top five nightlife-related events going down tonight, Feb. 9, as chosen from the folks at Creative Loafing.
• Good Eats & Meet's Winter Wonderland at Crave Dessert Bar
• Will Spit For Sol Food poetry event at The Evening Muse
• Evan Dando at Tremont Music Hall
• College night at The Pub at Gateway
• Tropical Tuesdays at Cosmos Cafe Ballantyne
The top five nightlife-related events going down tonight, Feb. 8, as chosen from the folks at Creative Loafing.
• Amuse Bouche happy hour at Chima
• Buff Faye's Monday Night Drag Race at Bar At 315
• Monday Night Mixer at Prevue
• Rock and roll record party at Snug Harbor
• Bill Hanna's Vintage Dance Band at Grand Central Events
The Superbowl is finally here. Will we have another Janet Jackson/Justin Timberlake moment? Will the Saints finally get to win? Will Peyton Manning cry? Who knows — but if you haven't made plans yet as to where you'll be watching the big game, here's a list of some places you can go. Why? Because you can't talk shit about the other team by yourself. Go Saints!
• Town Tavern: Drink specials and free wing and appetizer buffet at halftime. Doors open at 3 p.m. (200 N. Tryon St.)
• The Men's Club: $3 beer specials and complimentary stadium style buffet during game time. Register for the chance to win a 42" HD Plasma TV. Doors open at 3 p.m. (444 Tyvola Road)
• The Alley Cat: $40 entry fee gets you all-you-can-eat buffet courtesy of Cosmos' Cafe, all-you-can-drink alcohol, beer and soft drinks, games, the chance to win tickets and more. 18+. Doors open at 4:30 p.m. (314 N. College St.)
• Dixie's Tavern: $1 Bud Light Bottles, $2 Beer of the month, $3 Wells, $3 Dixie’s Super Bowl Shot, $5 Red Bull Vodka and $.35 wings. Doors open at 4:30 p.m. (301 E. 7th St.)
• Mez: Watch the game on a 52-foot screen. Drink specials. Doors open at 5 p.m. (Epicentre, 210 E. Trade St.)
• Club Ice: Free wings and beer/drink specials. After party after the game. Doors open at 5 p.m. (300 E. Stonewall St.)
• Hartigan's: There will be free snacks, $2 Miller Lites, games, and more. Doors open at 1 p.m. (601 S. Cedar St.)
• Black Finn: $25 ticket includes appetizer buffet, beer and a chance to win a gas grill or a flat-screen TV. Proceeds to benefit the Charlotte Regional Sports Commission. (EpiCentre, 210 E. Trade St.)
• Allure Lounge: $5 wings and fish sandwiches. Doors open at 5 p.m. (1508 S. Mint St.)
• Petra's Piano Bar: Doors open at 6 p.m. (1919 Commonwealth Ave.)
• Picasso's Uptown: BBQ cookout and drink specials. (222 S. Church St.)
• Club Onyx: An exclusive ladies' male revue event. Strip-a-thon at halftime. $15 advance tickets. Doors open at 6 p.m. (5300 Old Pineville Road)
• Strike City: $60 all you can eat and drink or $90 all you can eat, drink, and bowl. Doors open at 5 p.m. (EpiCentre, 210 E. Trade St.)
• Boardwalk Billy's: $5 bombs all day, $.50 wings. (1636 Sardis Road North)
The top five nightlife-related events going down tonight, Feb. 5, as chosen from the folks at Creative Loafing.
• Go Red Happy Hour at Blackfinn
• Diamonds Are A Girl's Best Friend at Town Tavern
• Suits and Suite-hearts feat. DJ Spider from LA
• Free First Fridays at Kiss Lounge
• Karaoke Night at Havana
R.I.P. Michael Jackson. How we miss him, but alas life goes on. It's just too damn bad we can't see him perform a live show (that's why when you want to see someone in concert you should seize the day. After all, you never know when their doc might be a "smooth criminal" and give them too many meds). Keeping that in mind, when B. Jackson -- a popular Michael Jackson impersonator, dubbed an "impressionist" with countless shows under his belt and to be featured on the upcoming season of America's Got Talent -- visits the Q.C. for The Breakfast Club's 7th Year Anniversary Party, you'd better not put it off. B. Jackson will be performing three sets of '80s favorites by the King of Pop. You can't beat it! 21 and up. $8. Doors open at 8:30 p.m. Breakfast Club, 225 N. Caldwell St. 704-374-1982. www.that80sclub.com.
—Anita Overcash
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