Oct. 14, 2023 6-9 PM

Embrace the cooler evenings and beautiful, golden hues of fall as you attend “Cigars, Bourbon & Benefactors,” an indoor-outdoor and tented charity event that has raised over $500,000 in four years to help children heal from abuse and hold their offenders accountable. Leave the tie and stilettos at home. This stylish but not stuffy event promises an unforgettable evening of fine cigars, allocated bourbons, food, live music, full bars, spirits tastings, and camaraderie.

It's the only charity event that feels more like cocktails with friends than a fundraiser. This is why in four short years it became one of Lake Norman's largest and most anticipated, annual nights out for charity. Attendees treat it as an enjoyable date night, group outing, or opportunity to entertain clients in an upscale but relaxed setting.

Intimate outdoor lounge areas adorned with string lights and rustic-chic décor create conversation spaces that encourage socializing and provide the opportunity to enjoy the process and experience of smoking a cigar. A cozy patio, flanking a gas-burning fire boulder, is nestled near the rear, providing warmth, ambience, and a place to welcome nightfall while standing and mingling with those you know and those you just met. The nonsmoking, lodge-inspired interior invites leisurely enjoyment of a drink by the stone fireplace, conversation at the bar, or respite in a comfortable leather chair.

Drew Estate is renowned for manufacturing handmade, top-quality cigars with the best tobacco, fillers, and wrappers. This year, Drew Estate joins Lake Norman’s premier destination for premium cigars, Burner’s Cigar Co., as cigar co-sponsors. Whether you are a seasoned aficionado or a curious newcomer, their tobacconists will ensure that you enjoy the perfect taste, strength, and size.

The open bar features Buffalo Trace and Knob Creek, a selection of top-shelf spirits, wine, nonalcoholic options, and mixers. Broken Shed New Zealand Vodka hosts a vodka cocktail bar and BIN 110 will craft its famous Old Fashioned. D9 Brewing returns to pour craft beer. Food options include a “boat load” of oysters on the half shell from The Waterman Fish Bar and live-action pasta station, brisket carving station, slider station, and cross-cultural fusion taco station catered by SavorybyDDT. This format allows you to choose when you want to eat and how much. (This is not a seated dinner. Guests primarily stand and mingle. A few cocktail tables are available.)  And this year, LKN Cheesecakery joins us!

With drink, cigar, or food in hand, wander at your own pace, enjoy the live music, and explore Ferraris, Porsches, and luxury cars, while you interact with brand ambassadors from Knob Creek, Brown-Forman, Penelope, Yellowstone, Remus, and Weldon Mills. Sample their flagship and emerging whiskeys, gins, and tequilas, or cocktails featuring them.

As the evening unfolds, friendships will be forged, laughter will echo, and memories will be etched in hearts for years to come. Purchase tickets today and join us for an unforgettable journey through the world of cigars and bourbon, where sophistication and genuine enjoyment converge. “Cigars, Bourbon & Benefactors” invites you to savor every moment of a fall night under the stars.

To learn more about attire, dinner format, parking, and more, visit the FAQs page.