Ballantyne's Fall Runs From the Wegmans Line to the Ice Rink Inside the Amp
October 22, 2026
October 22, 2026
TD Amp Ballantyne's outdoor concert season ended on Saturday, Oct. 17, with Trampled By Turtles and Futurebirds. After that, the venue's calendar shows nothing but ice skating, which starts Nov. 21. For about five weeks, the place that anchored Ballantyne's summer has no shows listed. This fall, the evenings shift to two newer spots. One is a grocery store a short drive from The Bowl. The other is a two-level restaurant on Bowl Street that has booked live music three nights a week.
This fall, Ballantyne's live music moves indoors, onto Bowl Street, and the Amp turns into a skating rink.
Wegmans opened its first Charlotte store on Wednesday, Oct. 14, at 11550 N. Community House Road. WSOC reported that fans were lined up before the 9 a.m. opening. The store is 110,000 square feet. The Charlotte Observer reported that Wegmans paid $5.5 million for the 14-acre site in January 2025 and is putting $34.7 million into the building.
For anyone who lives nearby, the hours matter more than the size. Wegmans lists the Ballantyne store as open from 6 a.m. to midnight, seven days a week. It sits less than half a mile from The Bowl, off I-485 at Exit 61. That puts a late-night stop for prepared food within minutes of Ballantyne's restaurant cluster.
Most of the store is built around food you can eat right away. In its preopening walkthrough, the Observer described restaurant-style counters with sushi and poke, pizza, subs, breakfast sandwiches and hot bowls. It also counted self-checkout kiosks in the Market Café. WSOC reported that the café seats hundreds and that the store has a children's play area. On a Tuesday with no show at the Amp, that café can handle dinner for a family.
Some practical points for the first few weeks, all from the Observer's opening guide:
The big change on the calendar is Wednesday, Nov. 4. That's the day Culinary Dropout starts serving at 15220 Bowl St. CharlotteFive reports that the restaurant has two levels, covers 9,000 square feet and seats close to 300. The upstairs includes a rooftop patio.
What matters for Ballantyne's evenings is the music schedule. According to CharlotteFive, there will be live music on Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights and at weekend brunch, with DJ sets on Saturdays on both levels. Over the summer, a night out with live music in Ballantyne meant the Amp lawn. Starting in November, it means a table on Bowl Street that isn't tied to a concert calendar.
The menu is gastropub food: BBQ pork nachos, hot wings and soft pretzels with provolone fondue to share, plus sushi, The M.A.C. double cheeseburger and 36-hour pork ribs. Drinks include handcrafted cocktails and mocktails, local craft beer and a curated wine list. The restaurant serves lunch, dinner and weekend brunch. It belongs to Fox Restaurant Concepts, which is based in Phoenix and already runs a Culinary Dropout in South End. That means a Ballantyne household that has been driving to 1120 S. Tryon St. for this menu can now walk to it.
Opening day also gives something back. A portion of sales on Nov. 4 goes to Atrium Health Levine Children's Hospital.
When The Bowl announced Mister O1, the Michelin-recommended pizzeria, on Feb. 9, the plan was an "early fall 2026" opening at 14020 Stream Way, Suite 110. As of mid-October, Mister O1's Ballantyne page still says "Coming Soon" and gives no opening date. The Bowl's tenant directory lists both Mister O1 and Culinary Dropout as coming soon. Of those two, only Culinary Dropout has a date on the calendar. Plan your pizza nights around Mister O1 once it posts one.
The amphitheater's next event is a holiday one. Ice Skating at The Bowl runs from Saturday, Nov. 21, through Sunday, Jan. 10. The rink is set up inside TD Amp Ballantyne at 11115 Upper Ave., the same venue that hosted the concerts.
| Rink detail | What The Bowl lists |
|---|---|
| Monday–Thursday | 4–9 p.m. |
| Friday | 4–10 p.m. |
| Saturday | 11 a.m.–10 p.m. |
| Sunday | Noon–9 p.m. |
| Thanksgiving break, Nov. 25–27 | Noon–10 p.m. |
| Winter break, Dec. 20–Jan. 2 | Noon–10 p.m., Saturdays 11 a.m.–10 p.m. |
| Christmas Eve / Christmas Day | Noon–6 p.m. / 3–10 p.m. |
| General admission | $20, skates included |
| Children 5 and under | $15 |
| Bring your own skates | $18 general admission |
You can buy tickets at the rink during open hours or online. Online orders add a small convenience fee, and in-person tickets cost the flat prices above. The rink is also a donation site for Ballantyne Families Helping Neighbors in Need, which provides food assistance to local families.
Opening day overlaps with another event. Jingle Bowl runs the same Saturday, Nov. 21, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., with Santa selfies, a DJ, Frozen Princesses and crafts. Skating opens at 11 a.m. on Saturdays, so a family could do both in one morning and still be home before lunch is over.
Here are the dates between the last concert and the first skate.
Nov. 7 shows the new pattern most clearly. The market fills the lawn during the day, and that evening the music is on Bowl Street. Over the summer, the Amp handled both.
Right now, Culinary Dropout's Thursday-through-Saturday music is the only recurring live music on Ballantyne's fall calendar, and it starts Nov. 4. Two and a half weeks after that, the Amp reopens with skate rentals for $20.
If you'd like help planning around the new Ballantyne calendar, whether that's a rink night or the best time to get a table on Bowl Street, I'm happy to share what I'm hearing around The Bowl. Reach out to BuyList Love Carolina and Let's Connect.
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