Moonlight on Main – Belmont, NC
You might remember a few weeks ago we went to see an art piece in Charlotte called Gaia by UK artist Luke Jerram and did a vlog about it. If you missed out on that, good news because the sister piece Museum of the Moon is in downtown Belmont, NC right now. The best part is that the Museum of the Moon is just a piece of the Moonlight on Main festival going on right now as well!
Some quick facts:
When? Weekends October 22nd to November 7th, see the exact schedule here: https://moonlightonmain.com/events/
Times? The Museum of the Moon is up 24 hours during the weekend (Thursday starting at 5pm to Sunday), the GOBO Public Art Tour turns on at sunset every day, The Underground Railroad & Mushrooms are up 24 hours every day, and the event times vary for the rest of the fun!
Where? Stowe Park in downtown Belmont, NC
What? Three weekends of art-centric fun!
Museum of the Moon
The Museum of the Moon is an international touring artwork by UK artist Luke Jerram.
The moon is 23 feet in diameter, so it is HUGE!! It also features 120dpi detailed NASA imagery of the lunar surface. It looks realistic even up close.
It is at a scale of 1:500,000, and each centimeter of the internally lit spherical sculpture represents 5km of the moon’s surface.
So needless to say, it is SUPER realistic and truly looks like the moon somehow popped out of the sky and landed in downtown Belmont, NC.
Since the moon is internally lit you can see it at both day & night for completely different effects! Our favorite time was right at sunset so you could snag some daylight photos before grabbing the nighttime silhouette.
The best part it since so much detail and attention was put into this piece by Luke Jerram, it is SO EASY to snag a truly out-of-this-world photo. There are so many creative ways to use it too. So it really is a blogger & vloggers dream to check out for some great content!
Downtown Belmont has put a ton of attention to details around the moon to get some great photos. The “official” entrance from Stowe Park is lit in blue for a really spectacular way to see the moon first, we suggest definitely heading in this way!
Our other favorite view of the moon is over by the Stowe Park fountain, it’s truly spectacular with the fountain lit in blue for a perfect photo spot!
Of course, use your creativity too and you will not be disappointed with this photo spot! Plus you can grab takeout from any of the restaurants downtown and you can have a perfect date night or family night under the moon. It’s perfect for all ages, it’s breathtaking and truly an experience you won’t forget!
GOBO Public Art Tour
Like we mentioned before, the Museum of the Moon is just a small piece of Moonlight on Main. The GOBO Public Art Tour is another of the major pieces of this festival.
The GOBO projected art tour is an outdoor projected art gallery that features 19 local artists. They are displayed throughout the downtown on various buildings.
It’s like an art-infused scavenger hunt to find them all and they truly are spectacular to see! You can see the full guide and artist details here: https://moonlightonmain.com/public-art/
Some of the GOBO projections are smaller & some are MASSIVE, there there is a good variety and some more awesome places for photo ops throughout the town.
The GOBO Public Art Gallery is open every day until November 7th starting at sunset.
Art Installations
There are a few other art installations to complete the Museum of the Moon as well in Stowe Park. The first is the Underground Railroad by artist T’afo This series takes you through the moon being the guide for many to escape slavery on the Underground Railroad.
Artist Meredith Connolley has her ever-popular Mushrooms art exhibit surrounding the fountain in Stowe Park as well, right beside the Underground Railroad. You might remember her art from the I Heart Rail Trail Lights 2021 blog post. It’s a perfect spot surrounding the fountain!
Downtown Businesses
The Downtown Belmont businesses have really stepped up as well to support this festival and many have decorated their storefront and lit the whole town in blue. Most are staying open late, so make sure to stop in and #ShopLocal while you are in Belmont! Unsure what to do during your visit? Visit Belmont has a great list of everything this town has to offer. Plus here is a full eating & drinking list for you to find some yummy items during your visit. 
SO many events!
There are SO many events happening during the festival, so if you want some extra fun make sure to head down on one of these days:
Museum of the Moon: Weekends Oct 22 – Nov 7, check the event calendar on the website for start time each weekend: https://fb.me/e/2FmB4z5Wv
GOBO Public Art Exhibit: Oct 21 – Nov 7, during the evenings (FREE): https://fb.me/e/1LsgMtPzD
Opening Night Art Exhibit and Downtown Art Tour: Oct 21, 6:00 – 9:00 pm (FREE): https://fb.me/e/1cVeGwycm
Morning Yoga with the Moon https://studiobookingsonline.com/belmontyog…/workshop.html
Boo Fest: Oct 23, 2:00 – 7:00 pm (FREE)
Charlotte Jazz Band: Oct 24, 7:00 – 9:00 pm (FREE): https://fb.me/e/1AaGo4GF9
Noel Freidline & Maria Howell: Oct 28, 7:00 – 9:00 pm ($25/person): https://fb.me/e/RAJGhbaJ
The Pink Floyd Experience with Caleb Davis & Friends: Oct 29, 7:00 & 9:30 pm ($25/person): https://fb.me/e/XcS9aixR
Halloween Bar Crawl: Oct 30, 4:00 pm – Until (FREE): https://fb.me/e/1FYH85wgF
Alex Francisco Caruthers Band: Oct 30, 7:00 – 9:00 pm (FREE): https://fb.me/e/V33oBWKg
Howl at the Moon Dog Friendly Event: Oct 31, 1:00 – 3:00 pm (FREE): https://fb.me/e/1nPz0GveI
Villains Cabaret: Oct 31, 6:00, 7:00, & 8:00 pm (FREE): https://fb.me/e/16DPk1LD4
New Moon Drum Circle: Nov 4, 7:00 – 9:00 pm (FREE): https://fb.me/e/1fuVqamLL
Music of the Night Broadway Revue: Nov 5, 6, & 7th, 7:00 – 9:00 pm (FREE): https://fb.me/e/2li28vu0d
The Lunar Experience: Nov 7, 1:00 – 4:00 pm (FREE): https://fb.me/e/1CmlmFFHO
So make sure to head down to downtown Belmont, it’s literally a Hallmark movie-worthy town itself. That’s why so many Hallmark movies have been filmed there ? We might be biased with it being Heather’s hometown but we love it! You don’t want to miss this incredible event, it is on weekends October 22nd to November 7th and all details are on http://moonlightonmain.com
If you are visiting the Charlotte area in general there is SO much public art to explore that is permanent! Start here with some of our other blog posts here:
Uptown Charlotte Public Art Tour
Top 20 Lesser Known Instagrammable Spots
