Matthews commissioners voted unanimously on August 24 to let organizers sell and serve beer at a designated area of Stumptown Park when the Romanian-American Cultural Festival returns to downtown Matthews on October 24, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. The Romanian American Carolina Alliance is organizing its second annual event, building on a debut gathering last November that drew Romanian folk music, traditional dance, Eastern European food trucks and local artisan vendors to the two-acre park.
Carmen Gogu, who sought the alcohol exemption on behalf of organizers, told commissioners that beer alongside traditional Romanian food and music is simply part of the cultural experience, noting that Romanian and European community celebrations have long included food, music, conversation and sharing a drink together, according to Charlotte Media Group. Commissioner John Urban, who had visited Romania several months before the meeting, made the motion to approve the exemption, and the board passed it without dissent.
Alcohol is otherwise off-limits in Matthews' public parks unless the Town Board of Commissioners grants a special waiver and organizers secure NC ABC special event permits, a regulatory step required under North Carolina Alcoholic Beverage Control Commission rules and town ordinance. Designated beer zones are already standard at other major Stumptown Park gatherings, including Matthews Summerfest and the four-day Labor Day festival Matthews Alive, both of which have partnered with area craft breweries in cordoned festival sections.
A Second Year for a Young Tradition
Gogu, who left Romania for the United States 17 years ago, sang Romanian folk music at last year's inaugural festival and said the celebration remembers Romanian origins while celebrating the community's current home. She called the first event incredibly special for the community, and said the festival introduces American family, friends and neighbors to Romanian traditions, bringing Romanian music, traditional clothing, dancing, food and hospitality to Matthews.
Mayor John Higdon said these festivals introduce people to unfamiliar things, according to the same Charlotte Media Group report, framing the event within Matthews' broader calendar of community celebrations. The Romanian American Carolina Alliance hopes to expand the festival with more authentic food, entertainment and experiences in future years. Gogu said the alliance itself makes her feel closer to home.
Stumptown Park's Role as a Festival Hub
Stumptown Park, at 120 S. Trade Street in downtown Matthews, is a two-acre municipal park with a covered performance stage, dance floor, open lawn and picnic facilities, and it functions as the primary outdoor gathering space for downtown Matthews, according to prior Hoodline coverage of Matthews Summerfest. Matthews hosts several festivals each year, and the park's compact layout allows performances to radiate out across the surrounding Trade Street commercial district.
Town ordinances also restrict commercial food trucks from operating in public parking spaces or right-of-ways without an explicit municipal event permit, according to WCNC Charlotte, which makes festival partnerships like this one essential for the Eastern European food vendors expected to return to the park.
A Growing Community, and a Non-Sectarian Gathering
The festival's return also reflects a broader demographic trend: U.S. Census Bureau estimates cited in 2026 put North Carolina's Romanian-heritage population at roughly 11,420 residents, according to World Population Review. The Romanian American Carolina Alliance, a Charlotte-headquartered non-profit, was formed to connect Romanian and American communities across both North and South Carolina, and in April it launched an official portal, RoCarolina.org, featuring a regional Romanian Business Directory meant to promote Romanian-owned small businesses throughout the two states.
Organizers have designed the Romanian-American Cultural Festival as an independent, non-sectarian civic event not affiliated with any single religious denomination or church, according to the alliance. That framing is meant to keep the celebration open to all backgrounds even as it draws on traditions historically tied to Eastern Orthodox and Eastern-rite communities. With commissioners' approval now secured, organizers are turning their attention to October 24, when Stumptown Park will again fill with Romanian food, music and dancing, this time with a beer garden alongside it.
