Dan LaLone and Justin Passick
Contributing Writers

(Joanne Williams/TCJ – The week following the Oddities Festival and its protests, this was the marquee at the local theater. It is Shadow Season in Charlotte.)

Organizers have announced that Festival of Oddities will not return to Charlotte in 2027, ending the event’s six-year run in the city following protests and controversy surrounding this year’s festival.

The announcement came three days after the Charlotte City Council discussed the controversy during its Sept. 14 meeting. The council did not take action related to the festival, but members debated whether the city should reconsider its contract with PotterVilla Applied Technology because of allegations involving the company’s owner during the festival.

Since then, Council heard more comments at its Sept. 28 meeting, and said it planned to review relevant ordinances and processes (See council story in this week’s edition).

Festival organizer Jenn Carpenter said the decision to leave Charlotte was made because of concerns about attendee safety and what organizers described as a lack of adequate response from city officials following the Sept. 5-6 event.

Carpenter, owner of Lansing’s Deadtime Stories, which once had a second store in the Courthouse building, said she felt “super bummed” about the situation.

She was very proud of the support within Charlotte, pointing to her friend, Julie Kimmer, as “the reason the festival was there” and noting that “this is no indictment of the community. This is fully on the administration. How they handled it.”

The festival has been the target of protesters for several years now, but Carpenter noted that in the past she “never called the police, she never had to.” This year was different, and local police response came up short in her opinion.

According to the festival’s announcement, organizers said protesters used megaphones, attempted to interfere with access to vendor areas and directed what organizers described as derogatory comments toward attendees. The organizers also criticized police response.

Charlotte officials have provided a different perspective on whether police had grounds to intervene.

During the Sept. 14 council meeting, council members said the police chief’s report indicated no enforcement action was taken because officers did not observe illegal activity.

Council members also raised concerns about terminating a city contract based solely on allegations when no illegal activity had been established.

During that same meeting, Councilman and mayoral candidate Joseph Chin proposed the city investigate canceling its IT support contract with PotterVilla, given unproven accusations of owner Jonathan Potter’s connection to the protesters.

Half-Chinese and half-Hispanic, Chin said, “I have a sensitivity as a minority on the council and in the community.” The sight of protesters waving signs featuring racist and misogynistic views did not sit well with Chin, who first lived in Charlotte during the late 1980s, when neighbors would warn him of upcoming Klan meetings.

“I was blindsided,” Councilman Justin Brummette said of the night’s discussion, while noting failures on multiple fronts. He said these issues could have been caught during planning stages, admitting,

“We dropped the ball by not asking if everything was all right.” He pressed that people should “focus on local government,” and noted that despite how hot a topic the protests were on social media, when it came to the council meeting, “nobody came. Good, bad or indifferent.”

The remainder of the council could either not be reached, have previously commented on the situation or declined to comment.

The controversy has continued on social media, where reactions have been divided.

Some comments have criticized the protesters and the city’s handling of the situation. Others have said the controversy was exaggerated or that they welcome the festival’s departure. Some people outside Charlotte also have encouraged organizers to consider bringing the event to their communities. It is also the front-page story in the Pulse newspaper in Lansing.

The festival has been held at the Courthouse Square Museum since 2020 and has grown into a two-day event featuring more than 100 vendors, food trucks, entertainment and other attractions. Organizers have said the event draws thousands of visitors.

In its announcement, the festival said it has been contacted by communities around mid-Michigan interested in hosting the event.

Organizers have not announced a new location for 2027, although Carpenter has said the event could remain in the greater Lansing area.

The festival also cited a $1.2 million economic impact in Charlotte during this year’s event. That figure comes from the organizers and has not been independently verified.

Sources also report that the Courthouse Square Museum raised just over $6,000 from entrance donations that weekend.