Twice this month, Uptown's largest crowds will gather on the same few blocks of South Tryon Street, between Brooklyn Village Avenue and Levine Avenue of the Arts. On Saturday, Nov. 14, every distance of the Novant Health Charlotte Marathon starts at 525 S. Tryon St. Eleven days later, the 80th Novant Health Thanksgiving Eve Parade puts its reserved bleachers at that end of the route, between Brooklyn Village Avenue and Good Samaritan Way.
Both events draw big crowds for a few hours. Parade setup causes the month's longest closure on that stretch of South Tryon, shutting it on Monday morning and keeping it closed until almost midnight Wednesday.
Why the south end of Tryon is busy in November
North Tryon gets most of the attention because the parade starts at 9th Street. The south end has more going on. The marathon starts there, the parade's paid seating is there, and the City of Charlotte schedules its earliest parade closure there.
The City's Street Use and Event Notice dated Oct. 29, 2026, lists both events and their closure times. When you line the two schedules up, the stretch between Brooklyn Village Avenue and Good Samaritan Way is the part of Uptown affected most this month.
Saturday, Nov. 14: a five-hour closure
The marathon runs for the 22nd time this year, and for the first time under a new organizer. The City of Charlotte reports that the Charlotte Sports Foundation acquired the rights to the event. The race began as the Thunder Road Marathon in 2005, became the Charlotte Marathon in 2015 and added Novant Health as title sponsor the following year. According to the City, the race sold out on Oct. 22, the earliest sellout in its history, with more than 13,250 runners entered in the marathon, half marathon or Chick-fil-A 5K.
New this year, the City says, are prize purses for qualifying runners, murals by local artists along the course, and a post-race party and concert tied to Grammy-nominated artist Waka Flocka Flame's run series. The foundation also started a cheer-station program for businesses, residents, running clubs and neighborhoods. Miller Yoho, the foundation's director of communications and marketing, explained the idea to the City of Charlotte:
"Cheering for a marathon is one of the most unique spectator experiences. You get to dramatically impact someone's day."
Closures start Friday afternoon and end Saturday afternoon. Here is the schedule from the City's Oct. 29 notice and the Charlotte Sports Foundation's runner information page:
- Friday, Nov. 13, 1 p.m. Mint Street closes between Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard and Fourth Street, along with Third Street between Mint and Poplar and Fourth Street between Graham and Mint.
- Saturday, Nov. 14, 4 a.m. South Tryon closes between Brooklyn Village Avenue and Fourth Street. Levine Avenue closes between South Tryon and Church, Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard between Church and College, and Third Street between Church and College.
- 6:30 a.m. Corrals open. The 5K starts at 7:10 a.m., and the marathon and half marathon start at 7:20 a.m.
- 9 a.m. South Tryon and its cross streets reopen.
- 4 p.m. All streets reopen.
On South Tryon, the marathon closure lasts five hours, from 4 a.m. to 9 a.m. The Mint Street closures near the finish at Fourth and Mint last much longer, from Friday at 1 p.m. until Saturday afternoon. That makes the western edge of Uptown the hardest part to get through on race weekend.
Transit changes too. The Charlotte Area Transit System says the Gold Line will start at 11:30 a.m. on race day instead of its usual Saturday start of 8:06 a.m. Routes 1, 7, 8, 9, 14, 15, 17 and 27 are listed as alternatives. The day before, the free Health and Wellness Expo presented by Fleet Feet runs from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. at the Charlotte Convention Center. It's open to runners' friends and family as well.
Nov. 23 to 25: the 63-hour closure
The parade happens on Wednesday night, but its closures start two days earlier at the south end of the route. The City's notice lists three stages:
| When | What closes |
|---|---|
| Mon., Nov. 23, 9 a.m. | Tryon Street between Brooklyn Village Avenue and Good Samaritan Way, for setup |
| Wed., Nov. 25, 5 a.m. | Tryon from 9th to 11th streets; 9th Street from College to Church; 10th Street from Church to Tryon; Montford Point from Tryon to College |
| Wed., Nov. 25, 4 p.m. | Tryon from 9th Street to Morehead Street, plus all cross streets along Tryon between College and Church |
| Wed., Nov. 25, 11:59 p.m. | All streets reopen |
From 9 a.m. Monday to 11:59 p.m. Wednesday, the block between Brooklyn Village Avenue and Good Samaritan Way is closed for about 63 hours. The marathon closes the same part of South Tryon for five.
At the north end, the closures start at 5 a.m. on parade day around 9th, 10th and 11th streets, where the parade lines up. The full route from 9th Street to Morehead, with every cross street between College and Church, closes at 4 p.m. CATS says the Gold Line will run only between the Charlotte Transportation Center and Sunnyside Station from 4 to 9 p.m. There will be no bus bridge, and Routes 1, 7 and 8 are the alternatives. The Gold Line was cut back the same way for the Veterans Day Parade on Nov. 7, so the Thanksgiving Eve change will be its third event-related interruption this month.
Wednesday, Nov. 25: the parade
The parade has run since 1947, and the official site says this year's is the 80th. It moved to Wednesday night more recently. The Charlotte Observer reported in October 2021 that Charlotte Center City Partners was moving the parade from Thanksgiving morning to the night before. Charlotte Center City Partners still produces it as one of its signature events.
The official parade site lists a 5:30 p.m. step-off and a live WCCB broadcast at 6 p.m. The parade goes ahead rain or shine. It travels about a mile down Tryon, from 9th Street to Good Samaritan Way. Watching is free along Tryon from 9th Street to Brooklyn Village Avenue. Past Brooklyn Village, the curb gives way to the paid seating. Reserved VIP bleacher seats cost $40 on the parade's ticket page. Seats in the bleacher section are first come, first served, and children 2 and under can sit on a guardian's lap without a ticket.
The south end works the same way it did on marathon morning. On Nov. 14 runners fill it before dawn, and on Nov. 25 ticket holders fill it after dark. Bleachers need that block set up days ahead, which is why it closes first.
Between the two events, a few blocks away
Uptown's other holiday events start in the days between the race and the parade. The tree lighting at Bank of America Stadium is Tuesday, Nov. 17. It features a 50-foot tree, holiday activities and appearances by Santa. Admission is free, but you'll need a mobile ticket.
Parade night is also opening night for the seventh annual Light the Knights Festival at Truist Field. The festival includes an NHL-size outdoor skating rink, a 10-lane, 150-foot snow tubing hill, a light show with more than 250,000 lights and a holiday market across the outfield concourse. It runs for 28 dates through Jan. 3. The Charlotte Knights note that skating and tubing tickets are limited and recommend buying ahead.
On South Tryon itself, the newest stop is BRÜ. CharlotteFive reported that founder Kareem Warren's pop-up coffee cart opened its first storefront on Nov. 3 at The Alley at Latta Arcade, 320 S. Tryon St., in the former Knowledge Perk Coffee space. Its Saturday hours start at 9 a.m., the same time the City reopens South Tryon after the marathon start. Latta Arcade itself dates to 1914, when it was built to a design by William H. Peeps. A block or so north, Fogo de Chão opened Aug. 31 at 200 S. Tryon St. in the former McCormick and Schmick's space, according to the Charlotte Observer.
The City's interactive street closure map also feeds into Waze, and the City says it is updated daily.
If you're planning a move, a listing or a closing in Center City around these dates, timing deliveries, showings and walkthroughs around Tryon's closure schedule is part of good preparation. Tiffany Johannes and her team plan around Uptown's event calendar on every transaction. Let's connect.
