Uptown, Unexpected: A wave of playful pop-ups is bringing surprise and delight back to the streets
By: Taylor Bowler
On a typical Monday morning, Uptown teems with busy professionals juggling coffee, laptops, and lanyards as they race to their offices. Then—bam—they’re face-to-face with a group of dancing grannies, a crew of Elvis impersonators, or a band of pirates handing out gold. People stop, phones come out, and suddenly the morning rush doesn’t feel quite so stressful.
These pop-ups might look spontaneous, but there’s nothing random about them. Each one is a product of the Uptown Vibrancy Collaborative, an initiative led by Charlotte Center City Partners (CCCP). The encounters with Spider-Men or the Village People are designed to create little moments of joy in a city with a reputation for being a dull banking hub. They last about an hour, as performers go up and down Tryon and Church streets, interacting with as many pedestrians and cars as possible.
At the heart of this playful chaos is Ashley Everett, Programs and Events Manager for CCCP, who began rolling out the pop-ups about a year ago. During the first year, CCCP planned one weekly pop-up. Now, Everett says, she and her three teammates team aim for two or three each week. “We spend a lot of time thinking outside the box. The weirder and more unexpected, the better.”
And Uptown is loving it.
Grandmothers in head scarves, pearls, and sensible shoes appear, grooving across the sidewalks. Alien flash mobs break out with extraterrestrial figures dancing down Trade Street. Fitness gurus in Richard Simmons-inspired leotards and sweat bands turn Uptown into a spontaneous 80s dance workout. These have all been in partnership with Sigmon Theatrical, a Charlotte-based production company.
In February, Everett’s team set up a custom ice bar at Legacy Union Plaza and served free cups of hot cocoa. For National Talk Like a Pirate Day, pirates roamed the streets, handing out gold coins, catching unsuspecting pedestrians in fishnets, and issuing commands in impeccable pirate speak. Each one draws a crowd—and the occasional bewildered stare.
“The goal is to make people laugh, interact, and linger a little longer,” Everett says. “It creates a different kind of sentiment or connection to the place that people work and live in.”
Planning a pop-up can take up to four weeks because Everett’s team has to secure permits, actors, costumes, music, and all the gear. But when hundreds of people are affected, the effort always pays off, even if the event is over in a blink.
One of her favorite pop-ups involved a squad of 10 Elvis impersonators (“the Elvi”) in white-and-gold jumpsuits, strutting through Latta Arcade. “People love it,” Everett says. “They take pictures, laugh, and dance. We’ve brought them back twice now.”
Another consisted of a bubble bar in Disc Plaza. Bubble blowers flooded the space with iridescent spheres that floated, popped, and occasionally drifted onto a startled pedestrian.
It’s all carefully choreographed on the front end, but there’s no pre-event promotion. The element of surprise is the whole point. And the best part? There’s no barrier to participate. Nothing is gated or ticketed, and everything is free. Anyone walking through the streets of Uptown can engage in the spectacle, or at least witness it. It’s a simple formula with big impact: surprise, delight, and connection.
Everett calls it “creating little moments of joy that people start associating with Uptown.” It’s about more than just a quirky flash mob or a bubble-filled plaza, though. It’s about building a city that feels alive, playful, and approachable. And so far, it’s working. People are talking, snapping photos, sharing videos, and, most importantly, smiling.
“I often hear, ‘This is what I needed on my way into work this morning’,” Everett says. “They don’t get a lot of those fun, whimsical moments.”
So the next time you’re at a standstill on Tryon Street, keep your eyes open. You might just run into a pirate, an Elvis, or a granny who can out-dance you.
