Uptown's Winter Playground: Light the Knights

Photo from : Alex Cason Photography

While Charlotteans often look to the suburbs for holiday magic, the most electric winter experience of the season is found right in the heart of the city.

The Light the Knights Festival, hosted at Truist Field, has officially returned for its sixth year. For those who want more than just a passive light show, this event transforms the home of the Charlotte Knights into a high-octane winter park. Imagine swapping out baseball diamonds for ice rinks and home runs for snow tubing—all set against the glowing backdrop of the Uptown skyline.

The 2025 configuration is the festival’s most ambitious yet. The stadium’s outfield has been overtaken by a 150-foot snow tubing hill featuring ten lanes to keep lines moving as fast as the tubes. Whether you’re a child or just a thrill-seeker at heart, there is something undeniably surreal about sliding down a massive slope of snow in the middle of a baseball stadium.

Meanwhile, the infield has been replaced by a regulation NHL-sized outdoor ice rink. It offers plenty of space for seasoned skaters to show off their form and beginners to find their footing, all while surrounded by tens of thousands of twinkling lights.

Fully integrated into the festival is the Charlotte Christmas Village. Inspired by the traditional Christkindlmarkt of Germany, the stadium concourse is lined with authentic wooden chalets.

It’s the ultimate destination for holiday shopping and seasonal indulgence. You can browse handmade ornaments and local crafts while sipping on a steaming mug of Glühwein (spiced mulled wine) or hot cider. Don’t miss the "Village Bakery" for traditional Austrian strudels and bratwurst to complete the sensory journey to the Alps.

The visual centerpiece of the event is the Tunnel of Lights, a massive, walk-through installation featuring a light show choreographed to holiday classics. For the Vivant reader looking for the perfect seasonal photo, the intersection of the neon-lit tunnel and the towering skyscrapers of Charlotte provides an unmatched urban-holiday aesthetic.