Internationally Renowned Artist Thomas Dambo Completes Largest U.S. Troll Art Installation Spanning Across North Carolina
CHARLOTTE, North Carolina (Nov. 9, 2025) – Crescent Communities, a nationally recognized market-leading real estate investor, developer, and operator of mixed-use communities, today announced a new neighbor at The River District, its 1,200-acre master-planned community in West Charlotte – and he’s not exactly easy to miss.
Globally acclaimed recycle artist Thomas Dambo will unveil “Big Pete with the Big Feet,” one of seven trolls in his largest North American installation to date, all based in North Carolina. The River District installation joins Raleigh’s Dorothea Dix Park and High Point as permanent parts of a statewide “troll family,” connecting three North Carolina cities and reflecting Dambo’s global mission: to reimagine waste as wonder. Each sculpture in the North Carolina troll family demonstrates that discarded materials can be transformed into joy, storytelling, and environmental reflection.
Perched at the main trailhead of The River District and constructed from recycled wood, collected within the surrounding community and around the Catawba River, Big Pete is a gentle giant who loves the wildflowers, rustling leaves, and magic of the natural world. But with the biggest feet in all the troll kingdom, the 65-foot Pete faces a challenge: every step leaves a mark. His whimsical story invites children and adults alike to consider the footprints we all leave behind, reminding us to tread lightly and live in balance with nature.
“Hosting a Thomas Dambo troll here is a natural extension of our vision for The River District,” said Rainer Ficken, Senior Managing Director of The River District. “Big Pete is more than just a striking public art piece. He’s an invitation for Charlotte and its visitors to engage with the land in a new way, to explore our public trails, and to reflect on the impact each of us has on the environment. With miles of trails interwoven throughout The River District’s open green spaces, parks, preserved tree canopy, and dedicated waterfront access to the Catawba River via our Riverfront Park, Big Pete will be easily accessible to everyone, creating a place where residents, neighbors, and regional visitors alike can experience art and nature side by side.”
The River District was designed around principles of sustainability and stewardship, which it was recognized for earlier this year, earning Bioregional’s esteemed One Planet Living (OPL) Leader designation. By welcoming Big Pete, The River District is furthering its commitment to blending art, nature, and community for residents and visitors, and reinforcing Charlotte as a destination for culture and creativity.
“At Crescent Communities, we believe public art is a powerful tool for building community,” said Aldo Muccia, Chief Creative Officer at Crescent Communities. “Across the country, our communities are shaped by the idea that people connect more deeply to places where creativity and culture are part of the everyday experience. Bringing Thomas Dambo’s work to Charlotte reflects that vision – it’s not just about what we’re building, but about how we can spark moments of joy, discovery, and connection for everyone who comes here.”
“I build my trolls from the things most people throw away – scraps of wood, broken branches, forgotten pieces of the world – and I give them new life,” said Thomas Dambo, artist and creator of Big Pete with the Big Feet. “Big Pete is a gentle reminder that every step we take leaves a mark. At The River District, surrounded by trails, trees, and the Catawba River, he invites everyone to slow down, explore, and rediscover the beauty that’s already around them. My hope is that people who meet him feel inspired to care for the planet, for each other, and for nature we often overlook.”
With more than 100 trolls installed across five continents, Dambo’s creations attract an estimated 4.5 million visitors annually. His work has been featured by National Geographic, NPR, the BBC, and Lonely Planet, transforming natural landscapes and cityscapes into destinations of whimsy and reflection. North Carolina now hosts the largest U.S. collection of Dambo’s work: five trolls in Raleigh’s Dix Park, one in High Point, and one in The River District. Additionally, The North Carolina Arboretum in Asheville will also host Trolls: A Field Study, a temporary exhibition featuring 12 interactive trolls, opening on November 15.
Visiting Big Pete will be free and open to the public at The River District beginning Nov. 8. Visitors are asked to utilize public on-street parking and keep in mind this community is under construction, including the trails that Big Pete resides on. Visitors can follow the global Trollmap or simply stumble upon Pete while exploring The River District’s 30 miles of trails. Big Pete will also be a hub for future events, activations and gatherings in the future. Crescent Communities partnered with Lesli Marshall at Articulation Art to bring Big Pete to life at The River District.
For more information on The River District, visit www.theriverdistrict.com or follow on Instagram, Facebook, or X.
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About Crescent Communities:
Crescent Communities is a nationally recognized, market-leading real estate investor, developer, and operator of mixed-use "communities." We create high-quality, differentiated multifamily and commercial communities in many of the fastest growing markets in the United States. Since 1963, our development portfolio has included more than 96 multifamily communities and 25 million square feet of commercial space. Crescent Communities has offices in Charlotte, DC, Atlanta, Orlando, Nashville, Dallas, Denver, and Phoenix. Our multifamily communities are branded NOVEL, RENDER and HARMON by Crescent Communities, our industrial developments are branded AXIAL by Crescent Communities, and our life science developments are branded THE YIELD by Crescent Communities.
