Every November, the Plaza Midwood Neighborhood Association sets up a cheer station near The Plaza and Chestnut, with live music, food and beer for anyone who brings a sign. In the association's words, the goal is to make sure runners' "mile through Plaza Midwood is the best part of race day." This year the association has the party on its calendar for Saturday, November 14. The race passing that corner will be the largest the Charlotte Marathon has ever run.
Three Saturdays later, the neighborhood's other big late-fall day arrives in a new format. The Holiday Hop and Merry Midwood Market moves from Sunday to Saturday and runs into the evening. A free electric shuttle links the stops. Both days move people through the neighborhood, on foot or by shuttle, which makes the restaurants that opened along Central and Commonwealth since summer more useful than usual.
November 14 Brings the Biggest Field the Race Has Had
On October 22, the Charlotte Sports Foundation announced that the 2026 Novant Health Charlotte Marathon had sold out. More than 13,250 runners are registered across the marathon, half marathon and Chick-fil-A 5K. No sellout in the race's 22 years has come earlier. For comparison, the foundation called 2025 the event's largest race to date, with more than 11,000 runners. That puts this year's field roughly 2,000 runners above last year's record.
The race also has a new operator. According to The Charlotte Ledger, the Charlotte Sports Foundation acquired it earlier this year. The foundation has added several things for 2026: a first-ever prize purse, a commissioned mural painted while runners pass, and what it calls an enhanced cheer station program. That program is meant to encourage businesses, run clubs, neighborhood groups and spectators to cheer runners along the route. The Ledger describes it as a grant program that community groups can apply to for funding. For years, PMNA's corner party was something the neighborhood organized on its own. This year the race itself is putting money behind exactly that kind of setup.
The course changed a little, but the changes are not in Plaza Midwood. The Ledger reports that both races now take a new route between miles 7 and 8, turning onto East Boulevard and cutting through Dilworth to Morehead Street. Full marathon runners also skip a hilly loop near mile 24. The same article still names Plaza Midwood among the neighborhoods on the courses, along with Eastover, Myers Park, South End and NoDa. It also notes that the full and half share the same course for nearly 13 miles before they split. The race's communications director, Miller Yoho, kept expectations in check when he told the Ledger: "There's no such thing as an easy 26.2 miles."
Planning Race Morning From the Neighborhood Side
The official start times are on the foundation's runner info page. That page also links the 2026 marathon and half marathon course maps, which are the best place to check your own block.
- 6:30 a.m.: Start corrals open.
- 7:10 a.m.: The Chick-fil-A 5K starts.
- 7:20 a.m.: The marathon and half marathon start together.
- Mid-morning: Runners reach the neighborhood. The 2026 timing for the Plaza Midwood stretch has not been published yet, so last year's numbers are the closest guide.
In 2025, WCNC's turn-by-turn guide put runners on The Plaza, Central Avenue, Pecan Avenue, Chestnut Avenue, Thomas Street and Belvedere Avenue. It estimated the Plaza Midwood segment at roughly 9:09 a.m. to 12:09 p.m. Those are last year's streets and times, not this year's. With the course changes concentrated elsewhere, they are still a reasonable starting point if you need your car that Saturday morning or have plans across Central. Check the 2026 map before you count on them.
Last year, Charlotte on the Cheap placed PMNA's station on The Plaza between Chestnut and Kensington, with live music from the Loose Lugnuts. PMNA's own description of the station still says "near The Plaza and Chestnut," which is where most neighbors will head on the 14th.
The Smaller Dates Between the Two Saturdays
The weeks between race day and the Holiday Hop are mostly about local shops. Wiloe Home & Gift at 1520 Lyon Court anchors much of that calendar, and its events page has several dates in this window:
- November 1 through December 21: Bring your own wish list. You scan your favorite items in the store, staff print the list and keep it on file for family shopping on your behalf.
- Thursday, November 19, 6 to 8:30 p.m.: Mahjong with Mrs. Merriman, with beginner lessons and intermediate or advanced open play. Registration is $40. The listing mentions light refreshments, typically bubbles and Culture Shop charcuterie, plus a 10% store discount during the event that excludes local art. The session needs at least eight registrants or it will be canceled.
- Saturday, November 28: Small Business Saturday during regular store hours, the first Saturday after Thanksgiving.
December 5: The Holiday Hop Moves to a Saturday
The Merry Midwood Market is not new, but its format is. Wiloe's past-events listing shows a similar market on Sunday, December 7, 2025. It started at Wiloe with pop-ups from @adokken and @midwoodmaps, then shoppers took a free shuttle to the main Plaza Midwood business district. The 2026 version, listed as Holiday Hop and Merry Midwood Market, adds more to the day.
| 2025 Midwood Market | 2026 Holiday Hop and Merry Midwood Market | |
|---|---|---|
| Date | Sunday, December 7 | Saturday, December 5 |
| Market hours | Noon to 6 p.m. | Noon to 4 p.m. |
| Evening | None listed | Santa Ray, 5 to 7 p.m., then the NoDa Krampus Krawl later that night |
| Getting around | Free Jump Transit shuttle from Wiloe to the business district | Free Jump Transit shuttle between multiple neighborhood locations |
| Pop-ups | @adokken and @midwoodmaps at Wiloe | Vendors to be announced, plus a Caddis Eyewear trunk show at Wiloe from noon to 4 |
The market window is two hours shorter. The day as a whole runs longer, from a noon start through Santa Ray at 7 and into a NoDa event after that. Wiloe describes the market as pop-ups hosted alongside Plaza Midwood businesses, "all connected by a free Jump Transit shuttle" that lets shoppers hop between locations. The vendor list has not been released, so follow @plazamidwood, @wiloeco and @jumptransit on Instagram for the lineup as December gets closer.
The shuttle fits the neighborhood. JUMP describes itself as a locally owned and operated Charlotte company running 100% electric, on-demand neighborhood shuttles. Its regular NoDa and Plaza Midwood service already runs Saturdays from noon to 11 p.m. Moving the Hop to a Saturday lines the event up with hours JUMP already runs on the same corridor. Stops and hours specific to the event have not been posted.
The New Stops Along the Way
Both Saturdays move people up and down Central Avenue and Commonwealth, and several places on those streets are new since summer. Any of them makes a good stop after the cheer station or between shuttle rides.
- La Vecina, 1306 Central Ave.: An outdoor taco restaurant that opened this summer in a soft opening phase, CharlotteFive reported.
- Touché Restaurant & Lounge, 2308 Central Ave.: An American-fusion restaurant and lounge that opened August 21 in the former Club House Kitchen & Cocktails space, per CharlotteFive.
- Postino, 1606 Commonwealth Ave., Suite 101: Opened Monday, September 21, with a grand-opening celebration that Saturday, CharlotteFive reported.
- Taqueria Number 1, 2801 Central Ave.: Moving from East Independence Boulevard into the former Deli St. space, CharlotteFive reported this summer. The taqueria's own site now says "We've moved" and lists the Central Avenue address.
On the race's 2025 route, Central and The Plaza carried runners for about three hours on a Saturday morning. If this year's route is similar, brunch at the Central Avenue spots may mean walking to the restaurant rather than driving until the course clears. On December 5, the shuttle connects the shops, and the newer restaurants sit along the same corridor for a late lunch before Santa Ray.
If race morning or the shuttle loop has you wondering how close your next home should be to The Plaza and Central, Ashley Hannah Murphy knows these streets and is glad to talk through it. Schedule your free consultation.
