Novant Health will mark ‘new normal’ with NC street festivals as vaccinations rise
Novant Health is ready to celebrate a “new normal” in North Carolina this summer as the number of people vaccinated against the coronavirus continues to rise.
The hospital system will host “welcome back festivals” — street festivals in Charlotte, Winston-Salem and Wilmington, Chief Consumer Officer Jesse Cureton announced Tuesday.
The festivals are free and open to the community, Cureton said. The festivals will also host pop-up COVID-19 vaccination locations, he told reporters Tuesday.
The street gatherings will be held over three Saturdays through July and August, and will include entertainment, vendors and food from local restaurants, Cureton said.
The Charlotte festival will be held July 24 from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. The other festivals will be held in Wilmington from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Aug. 7 and in Winston-Salem from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Aug. 21.
Additional details, including location and vendors, will be announced in coming weeks.
Local businesses, food trucks and entertainers who want to participate can contact Novant online at welcomebackfest2021.com.
“These festivals are a way to acknowledge all that we’ve been through over the course of the pandemic and welcome each other back to a new normal,” Cureton said. “This will be a moment to celebrate how far we’ve come.”
NC COVID vaccination rates
The events are only possible due to vaccination efforts across the state to slow the spread of COVID-19, Novant Health infectious disease expert Dr. David Priest said.
Novant Health has administered almost 500,000 doses of the coronavirus vaccines across its markets, Priest said.
Across the state, more than 53% of adults have gotten at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccines, according to state Department of Health and Human Services data.
And more than 45% of Mecklenburg County residents are at least partially vaccinated, according to the state numbers.
