You can download the 2026 event schedule here.
Discover Fun in Kannapolis returns this summer with an incredible lineup of great concerts, movies, and of course, fireworks from May to September. This year’s free Village Park Concert Series will feature legendary group Cheap Trick on June 6, The Four Tops on July 11, the award-winning Josh Turner on June 20 and Andy Grammar and Walk Off the Earth on August 8. The crowd favorite, the Charlotte Symphony Orchestra, returns on June 27. All concerts start at 7 p.m. Village Park is located at 700 West C Street in Kannapolis.
The fun continues with the popular Thursdays on Main Concerts which feature free beach music performances. The $2 Gem Theatre Children’s Movie Matinees are back as well as the Swanee Children’s Theatre series, Stories Under the Stars, and much more.
Kannapolis Residents, check your mailbox- the City event schedule is coming soon.
Children 18 & under must be accompanied by a parent/guardian. You are welcome to bring your lawn chairs. No pets or smoking please. Food and drinks will be on sale in the parks during the events. Events will be held from May to September.
Details on the concerts and other summer events below:
Village Park Concerts: 7 p.m. (Free admission/No ticket required)
Saturday, June 6 Cheap Trick
The Rock ‘n’ Roll Hall of Fame Band will start the Summer Concert Series in Kannapolis. Cheap Trick formed in Rockport, Illinois in the 1970’s. The band's work bridges elements of 1960s guitar pop, 1970s hard rock, and the punk rock sound. Over the years they have helped set the template for other artists around the world.
Cheap Trick released its debut album in 1977. Later that year, the band found success in Japan with the release of its second album, In Color In 1979, the band released the triple platinum live album At Budokan and a Top 10 single, a live recording of "I Want You to Want Me". The band followed with its most commercially successful studio album, Dream Police, which reached No. 6 on the Billboard 200 chart. In the 1980s they topped the U.S. charts with the power ballad "The Flame". The band's other hits include "Surrender", "Voices", "She's Tight", "Tonight It's You", a cover version Elvis Presley’s “Don’t Be Cruel,” “Ghost Town” and "Can’t Stop Lovin You”.
Cheap Trick continues to release new music with more than 20 million albums sold.
Saturday, June 20 Josh Turner
Known for his unmistakable, buttery baritone and timeless songs like “Long Black Train” and “Why Don’t We Just Dance,” Turner’s five No. 1 singles include “Your Man,” of which the official music video surpassed 237 million views. Currently, Turner has 6 billion career global streams. His debut album,?Long Black Train,?was released over 20 years ago and was certified Platinum with nearly 1.5M album sales, 1.4M track downloads,?and over 331.2M life-to-date streams. The lead single of the same name was also certified 3x Platinum,?making up over 1.1M track downloads and over 275.7M global streams.
Turner's,?This Country Music Thing, has acquired 10M release-to-date global streams and debuted Top 10 on the Country Albums chart. From this project, he's released "Two Steppin' On The Moon," which garnered him an invitation?to perform for NASA astronauts,?on the International Space Station,?from Mission Control at Houston's Johnson Space Center. His "Unsung Hero" classic is a song he wrote about his grandfather who served in World War II.
A native of South Carolina,?Turner?has been nominated for three GMA Dove Awards and won his first GMA Dove Award in 2021 for “I Saw The?Light” featuring Sonya Isaacs, off his?I Serve a Savior album. Grammy-nominated Turner has been awarded the?Order of the Palmetto?in his home?state of South Carolina, the highest civilian honor, and?was?inducted into the?South Carolina Entertainment?and Music Hall of Fame.?Turner released his first?Greatest Hits?album in fall of 2023.
To support music and arts education, he created?The Josh Turner Scholarship Fund for the Arts?to help students pursue their studies in these fields. More than 20 students have been recipients since the fund's inception.?Turner and his wife Jennifer, whom he met when they were both students at Nashville’s Belmont University, have four sons.
Saturday, June 27 Charlotte Symphony
(fireworks will follow the concert)
Always one of our most popular concerts of the year, the Charlotte Symphony, is our kickoff to the July 4th holiday. The Charlotte Symphony Orchestra is one of the premier music organizations in the Southeastern United States and the oldest continuously operating symphony orchestra in the Carolinas. As Charlotte's most active performing arts group, the Symphony presents around 150 concerts each season, reaching more than 150,000 music lovers.
Led by Music Director Kwamé Ryan, the symphony employs 65 professional full-time orchestra musicians, fosters four youth orchestras, and offers significant educational support aimed at serving the under-resourced areas of our community. Founded in 1932, it plays a leading cultural role in the Charlotte area and serves the community as a civic leader, reflecting and uniting the region through the transformative power of live music.
Saturday, July 11 The Four Tops
Formed in Detroit in 1953 as the Four Aims, the group soon changed its name to the Four Tops to avoid confusion with the Ames Brothers. What began as four high school friends singing at a birthday party would become one of the most enduring and influential vocal groups in American music history.
With the legendary Levi Stubbs on lead vocals and Abdul "Duke" Fakir, Renaldo "Obie" Benson, and Lawrence Payton providing rich harmonies, the Four Tops stood apart—especially with Stubbs’ powerful baritone voice, a rarity in an era when tenors typically led male vocal groups. Their sound helped define the "Motown Sound"—a polished, soulful blend of pop, R&B, and gospel that would take the world by storm.
Signed to Motown Records in 1963, the group became the primary male vocal act for the famed Holland–Dozier–Holland songwriting and production team. Their first major hit, “Baby I Need Your Loving,” cracked the Billboard Top 20 in 1964, launching a string of chart-topping singles. Their back-to-back classics included “I Can’t Help Myself (Sugar Pie, Honey Bunch)” and the transcendent “Reach Out I’ll Be There” - songs that became global anthems and cemented their place in music history.?
Unlike many groups of their era, the Four Tops maintained their original lineup for over four decades - a testament to their unity and brotherhood. Their catalog spanned soul, R&B, doo-wop, disco, jazz, and even show tunes, reflecting their versatility and broad appeal. They also supported Motown peers such as the Supremes and Martha and the Vandellas with backing vocals, further contributing to the label’s iconic sound.?
Throughout the 1960s and ’70s, they released hit after hit, including “It’s the Same Old Song,” “Bernadette,” “Standing in the Shadows of Love,” and “Ain’t No Woman (Like the One I’ve Got),” showcasing their evolution while staying rooted in emotional storytelling and sophisticated vocal arrangements.?Their success garnered numerous accolades, including induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (1990), the Vocal Group Hall of Fame (1999), and the National Rhythm & Blues Hall of Fame (2013). In 2010, Rolling Stone ranked them No. 79 on its list of the "100 Greatest Artists of All Time."
Today, the legendary music of the Four Tops continues with Lawrence Peyton, Theo Peoples, Ron McNeir, and Michael Brock.
Friday, August 8 Andy Grammer with Walk Off the Earth
Andrew “Andy” Grammer is an American singer, songwriter and record producer. His debut album, Andy Grammer, was released in 2011 and spawned the hit singles “Keep Your Head Up” and “Fine by Me”. His second album Magazines or Novels was released in 2014, with “Back Home” as the first single, produced by Jon Levine and Ryan Met. The album’s second single, “Honey, I’m Good” produced by Steve Greenberg, Brian West and Nolan Sipe, was co-written by Grammer with Nolan Sipe.
Grammer was born in Los Angeles, but grew up in Chester, New York, graduating from Monroe-Woodbury High School. As a child, he learned to play the trumpet and later the guitar and the piano. He began writing songs at age 15. At 20, he left Binghamton University and returned to the Los Angeles area. He later graduated from California State University, Northridge, with a B.A. in Music Industry Studies.
Opening the night will be Walk Off the Earth, a Canadian indie pop band. The band has been releasing music independently and creating a variety of cover versions of songs as well as their own music with multiple albums over the years.
Other Notable Kannapolis Summer Events:
Veterans Park - Thursdays on Main: 6 p.m. (Free admission/No ticket required)
Thursday, May 7 Band of Oz
Thursday, June 11 Rivermist
Thursday, July 9 The Embers
Thursday, August 13 Too Much Sylvia
Thursday, September 1 Jim Quick & The Coastline
Village Park Movies: 8:45 p.m. (Free admission/No ticket required)
Friday, May 22 Inside Out 2
Friday, May 29 Lilo & Stitch
Friday, June 12 Zootopia 2
Friday, July 17 How to Train Your Dragon
Friday, July 31 Super Mario Brothers Galaxy
Kannapolis Library - Stories Under the Stars: 7 p.m. (Free admission/No ticket required)
Saturday, April 18 Porkchop Productions (Main Kannapolis Library)
Saturday, May 16 Story Ship (Afton Library)
Saturday, June 13 Sparkpoint Innovations (Afton Library)
Saturday, July 18 B-Rad Kids Magicians (Main Kannapolis Library)
Saturday, August 15 Gravity Check (Main Kannapolis Library)
Swanee Children’s Theatre Series: 11 a.m. (Ticket required. Purchase tickets at www.swaneetheatre.com)
Thursday, June 11 Peter Pan
Thursday, June 25 The Wonderful Wizard of Oz
Thursday, July 9 Dino ROAR
Thursday, July 16 The Cat in the Hat
Thursday, August 6 The Tale of Beauty and the Beast
Gem Theatre $2 Summer Movie Matinees return every Tuesday and Thursday. Purchase tickets at www.gem-theatre.com.
Other events in Kannapolis to enjoy in 2026 include the Run Kannapolis 5k Series, Kannapolis Cannon Ballers Baseball Games (www.milb.com/kannapolis), the Kannapolis Farmers Market, Christmas Events and much more.
You can download the event schedule here.
www.kannapolisnc.gov or find it on the City’s Facebook or Instagram channels.
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