Words & Photos by Sabrina Hamiti (@sabrinahamitiphoto)
Digital Noise Mag had the privilege of attending Day 1 and Day 2 of the Lovin’ Life Music Festival in Charlotte, NC, where the city’s vibrant energy met a powerful lineup of performances, family fun, and unforgettable moments.
The festival returned to uptown for its second year, once again transforming the city into a vibrant all-ages celebration of music, food, and community. Since launching last year in 2024, the spring festival has quickly become a staple in the local area, which has all concert goers marking their calendar for years to come.
Set against the backdrop of Charlotte’s skyline, the festival grounds placed along several city streets opened the gates for everyone to start filling in early afternoon. As many people hurried over to the tents to grab their merch others headed towards the stage to secure their spot!
With over a dozen food vendors with everything from Bojangles and Philadelphia soft pretzels to local favorites offering options for everyone. The festival offered several drink & bar vendors that were set up all over the grounds to keep everyone hydrated. Also scattered amongst the festival were tents from Lovin’ Life’s brand partners such as Miller Lite, Jack Daniels, Tito’s, Monster Energy, Coca-Cola, BeatBox, and so many more who helped power the party all night long.
An estimated 20,000 people per day filled the grounds, bringing together families, friends, and music lovers from all walks of life. This year’s star-studded lineup—featuring Gwen Stefani, Benson Boone, Weezer, and Pitbull—drew a multigenerational crowd and kept the energy high all weekend.
Fans showed up early to catch performances from Evan Honer, flipturn, Lola Young, The Revivalists, Ludacris, and more. Beyond the music, the festival delivered an exceptional experience throughout the weekend. Lovin’ Life rewarded fans who came out for their favorite artists with surprises all weekend long—including secret merch drops, surprise upgrades, and unannounced meet & greets. All anyone had to do was show up and spread the love!
However, Saturday brought a major interruption. Severe thunderstorms forced organizers to evacuate the festival, sending fans into nearby parking decks to shelter from the weather. The delay lasted about an hour and a half, cutting out part of the day’s scheduled performances. Once the storm passed, the gates reopened and the music resumed with Lola Young and DJ Jazzy Jeff, followed by Ludacris. Unfortunately, fans missed out on sets from Gigi Perez and regional artist Adolescent Dreams due to the disruption, which they were not happy about via social media. Despite the weather, the festival wrapped up Day 2 on a high note.
Although we did not attend Sunday’s performances on the final day of the weekend, the organizers announced that the Lovin’ Life Music Festival will return May 1–3, 2026. There is no lineup released yet, but after another memorable year, fans were already planning their return.
Day 1:
Gwen Stefani– the iconic singer-songwriter from sunny California, brought high energy and major nostalgia. Kicking it off with “The Sweet Escape,” a shortened version of No Doubt’s “Sunday Morning,” and “Hey Baby.” The crowd lit up when she brought fans onto the stage for hugs and selfies, creating one of the night’s most personal and memorable moments. She closed the night with back-to-back classic hits, including “Rich Girl,” “Luxurious” (where she may have forgotten the second verse), and “What You Waiting For?” Ending on a high note with No Doubt staples like “Don’t Speak,” “Spiderwebs,” and “Just a Girl,” before she wrapped up with “Hollaback Girl.” The entire audience joined in, proving Gwen Stefani is still forever the ’90s queen we know and love.
Benson Boone– the rising star born and raised in Monroe, Washington, brought his soul and powerful range to the stage Friday night. Brought in a lot of fans of all ages, some even as young as toddlers and infants! As the night goes on, Benson continues to sing and flip all over the stage as expected we are all amazed. He continued performing fan favorites such as “Beautiful Things”, “Slow it Down”, and even his newest viral hit single, “Mystical Magical”. Everyone was captivated from the beginning until the very end, leaving everyone wanting more!
Day 2:
Weezer– the all American rock band formed in Los Angeles, California, in 1992 brought a completely different vibe Saturday night—laid-back, nostalgic, and straight to the point. They opened with classics like “Beverly Hills” and “Island in the Sun”, very early in the set, which was a surprise. Keeping the music going simple and focused, they let the music do the talking. The night wrapped up with fan favorites “Say It Ain’t So,” “Why Bother?,” and “Pink Triangle,” delivering a perfect dose of early 2000s.
Pitbull– Pitbull aka Mr. Worldwide, our International KING, hit the stage Saturday night and brought that high energy we all came for! He kept the crowd moving with cool transitions and mashups of his biggest hits. His exotic dancers were all over the stage, and luckily, night 2 didn’t bring out as many little ones like night 1—definitely more of an older crowd this time. Pitbull gave us several outfit changes throughout his set, which lasted almost an hour and a half, and still managed to keep the energy up the whole time! From start to finish, he had everyone singing and dancing to fan favorites like “Fireball,” “Time of Our Lives,” and “Give Me Everything.” An unforgettable night that left the crowd wanting even more!
Ludacris
Photos were shot by Sabrina Hamiti
If you repost our photos on your site, Instagram, Facebook or any other social media, please give credit and tag sabrinamariehamitiphotography and digitalnoisemag!
