The Carolina Panthers threw open a free pep rally Friday evening at The Bowl at Ballantyne, giving south Charlotte fans one last taste of game-day energy before Sunday's season-opening kickoff against the Chicago Bears. The event ran from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. along Bowl Street at 15119 Bowl Street, with mascot Sir Purr and former Panthers players scheduled to appear alongside balloon artists, face painters, and game day-style player introductions.
Admission was free, but according to WSOC-TV Eyewitness News Charlotte, attendees needed to claim digital tickets online through Ticketmaster to enter the event footprint. Those who showed up could also enter a sweepstakes for autographed merchandise and tickets to Sunday's home opener, the outlet reports. The rally sat along a stretch of Bowl Street between Lower Avenue and Mid Street, inside the roughly 20-acre pedestrian district that developer Northwood Investors built as part of the broader Ballantyne Reimagined project, according to Cooper Carry. Northwood acquired the 535-acre Ballantyne corporate park back in 2017 for $1.2 billion, the same account notes.
A Rematch With High Stakes for Two Young Quarterbacks
Sunday's 1 p.m. kickoff at Bank of America Stadium pits the Panthers against the Bears in a matchup loaded with quarterback intrigue. Bryce Young, Carolina's 2023 No. 1 overall pick, faces off against Caleb Williams, the Bears' 2024 No. 1 overall pick, with both passers coming off 2025 seasons that saw their teams win surprising division titles and reach the playoffs before both were eliminated by the Los Angeles Rams, according to the Associated Press. Heading into Sunday's rematch, the Bears hold a 9-4 all-time record against the Panthers, including an active four-game winning streak over Charlotte's franchise, per Champs or Chumps.
Ballantyne's Growing Role as a Fan Gathering Spot
Friday's rally wasn't The Bowl at Ballantyne's first turn hosting Panthers fans this year. The district previously hosted the Ballantyne NFL Kick-Off Night on August 12, when wide receiver Jalen Coker headlined a $10 event with player appearances tied to the district's brewery. That venue, Olde Mecklenburg Brewery, anchors the development with a 14,000-square-foot space and a one-acre outdoor biergarten, and brews under the 1516 German Purity Law, according to Axios Charlotte's earlier reporting on the district. Before either Ballantyne event, the Panthers had already opened their 2026 fan calendar on July 31 with a $5 Fan Fest at Bank of America Stadium benefiting Carolina Panthers Charities, featuring open practices and team entertainment squad performances, according to Charlotte On The Cheap.
Stadium Renovations Begin as Panthers Commit Through 2045
Sunday's opener also arrives as Bank of America Stadium — which opened in Uptown Charlotte in 1996 and seats 75,037 for both the Panthers and MLS's Charlotte FC, per Wikipedia — enters a new era of construction. In June 2024, the Charlotte City Council voted 7-3 to approve an $800 million renovation agreement, committing $650 million in municipal hospitality and tourism tax revenues and tying Tepper Sports & Entertainment to the stadium through at least 2045, according to a report carried by NFL.com citing ESPN. That renovation work is scheduled to begin in 2026 under a joint venture between Clark Construction and D.A. Everett, upgrading seating, concourses, and audio/video systems while adding a new indoor practice field house by 2030, according to Construction Dive.
For now, the focus in south Charlotte stayed squarely on Friday's celebration — balloon animals, face paint, and a shot at autographed gear — as the Panthers built toward Sunday's opening whistle. Whether Young can finally flip the script against Williams and the Bears will play out at Bank of America Stadium, but for one evening, Ballantyne's pedestrian-friendly Bowl Street corridor carried the pregame buzz.
