CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Uptown Charlotte is expected to be packed during the weekend as the city welcomes the Lovin' Life Music Fest for its first year. As final setups are underway, residents are curious if the city and park are ready for the incoming traffic.
Jason Manners lives in the apartment complex just next to where the festival will be.
"Hopefully, they won't be too overcrowded, but we'll see," he said.
Manners adds that he's heard a lot of sound from the recent setups ahead of the first day, like the sound check.
“The last couple of days have been kind of vibrating the pictures on the walls, and you know, you hear it,” he said.
The First Ward area is gearing up for plenty of people coming from all over as nearly 30,000 tickets have been sold. Both Hannah and Joe Leiveris traveled from Connecticut for the event.
“We kind of figured it was a much bigger park and that the whole thing would kind of be in there," Joe Leiveris said. "But apparently it's spilling over the city blocks.”
Schools prepared for the traffic as well. A spokesperson with Trinity Episcopal School said, "Trinity will be closed tomorrow, May 3, in order for our families to avoid the traffic disruptions expected with the 30,000 concert attendees coming into First Ward - four blocks away from campus - during the school day."
The Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department is also prepared to handle security.
“We're going to have a lot of great men and women that are going to step up to the plate and make sure that we cover it and make sure that the safety and security of these events is locked in," said Chief Johnny Jennings.
People who live in the area, like Manners, have noticed the police presence and hope everything goes off smoothly.
"Security presence has been picking up throughout the week. So hopefully, there's some more for the event just to keep it safe and keep everybody safe," he said, "and I think we'll be alright.”
The festival runs from 1 p.m. to 11 p.m. on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday.
Contact Myles Harris at mharris5@wcnc.com and follow him on Facebook, X and Instagram.