Where to Celebrate Earth Day in Charlotte: 2023
From festivals to hikes and other sustainable activities, here’s your guide to celebrating Earth Day in Charlotte. Plus, a few Arbor Day events.
Earth Day Events
April 15
Earth Day Celebration at First Ward Park
First Ward Park
10 a.m.-3 p.m.
Get ready for a full lineup of music, variety performances, food trucks, educational activities for kids and adults, and a grand finale parade with Paperhand puppets.
April 15
Earth Day with Kids in Nature Day
Squirrel Lake Park, Matthews
10 a.m.-1 p.m.
Join the Matthews chapter of the North Carolina Wildlife Federation for catch-and-release fishing, hands-on nature exhibits, crafts, a scavenger hunt and a meet-and-greet with falconers from the North Carolina Falconers Guild (and their birds of prey), plus much more.
April 15
Robbins Park, Cornelius
4-7 p.m.
Enjoy live music, food, and drinks from local breweries while visiting interactive presentations from 25 local organizations dedicated to conservation and sustainability.
April 21-23
Anne Springs Close Greenway Earth Day Celebration
Anne Springs Close Greenway, Fort Mill
Check the schedule online
Get out and get active! This weekend-long celebration has outdoor recreation opportunities such as kayaking, beginner archery, mountain biking, horseback riding, and more. There is also an Earth Day Campout (registration required) and a speaker series.
April 22
Sardis Presbyterian Church
4-7 p.m.
Celebrate Earth Day with a clean-up project, nature education, live music, and outdoor games. Bring your own refillable water bottle and get a free sticker.
April 22
Davidson Town Green
10 a.m.-1 p.m.
Pick up a free native seedling and participate in hands-on science projects, games, and more. Earn a prize by sharing a personal action you’re proud of, and visit more than a dozen sustainable vendors.
April 22
Earth Day at the Gateway Trail
Kings Mountain Gateway Trail
11 a.m.-3 p.m.
Learn about ways to protect and appreciate our environment, dig for fossils, visit animals at the petting zoo, try your hand at woodworking, shop the upcycled artisan market, and more.
April 22
Reedy Creek Nature Preserve
9:30-11:30 a.m.
Join the Charlotte Museum of History for a hike with museum historians and environmental educators. Examine Charlotte’s early settlement, and learn about modern-day land use.
April 22
McDowell Nature Center
1-3 p.m.
Fully experience the nature center and its trails through a scavenger hunt for all ages. Check back in at the front desk when you’ve finished for a prize.
April 22
Bell Tower Green Park, Salisbury
11 a.m.-10 p.m.
Head to the park for a day-long jam to benefit Happy Roots, a nature-based wellness provider in Rowan County. In addition to the music lineup is a number of diverse, sustainable educators, and farms.
Arbor Day Events
April 16
Divine Barrel Brewing
1-5 p.m.
Celebrate all the wonderful things the tree canopy does for the NoDa neighborhood. There will be seedling giveaways, free tree-hugger books for kids and adults, games, live music, and showings of “The Lorax” at 1:30 and 3:30 p.m.
April 29
NoDa Brewing Co., North End
1-4 p.m.
Get a free seedling at this inaugural event and join in the tree-friendly arts and crafts, visit the “Ask an Arborist” booth, and enjoy live music from Ellie Morgan. Food trucks will be on hand.
