South Carolina Annual Events

GREENVILLE

UPSTATE CULTURE

Artisphere
 Artisphere.org
This three-day visual, performance and culinary arts festival attracts thousands to downtown Greenville each spring. Join in on a celebration of the arts and enjoy the work of more than 100 artists in the open-air Artists Row. Watch live printmaking, woodworking, and glassblowing demos at the Artist’s Demonstration Row. With musical performances, Juried Arts Exhibition, Culinary Arts Café, and Kidsphere for the littlest artists, this festival delights an all ages affair.

CHILI LOVE
Palmetto State Chili Cook-Off
 | PalmettoStateChili.com
This is no ordinary chili cook-off. Sponsored by the International Chili Society (ICS), the event brings together the best chili cooks in the country. Taste mouth-watering samples of chili made by more than 20 ICS cooks, as well as local cooks. The event also features a Beer & Wine Corral, arts and crafts, kids activities, and live entertainment. Get your chili on!

BAGPIPES AND KILTS
Great Scot! 
Parade/Gallabrae Scottish Games and Highland Festival | 
Gallabrae.com
Celebrate Greenville’s Scottish heritage with the sound of bagpipes, the sway of tartan kilts, and the amazing strength of athletes. The parade features pipe bands, marching clans, Scottish Chiefs, floats, Scottish Woods Faeries, Axe-throwers, and Scottish military re-enactors. The Games are held at Furman University.  Border Collie trials, a British Car Show, and a Wee Scotland just for kids are also on site. The celebration ends on Saturday night with Celtic bands worth boogieing to.

CHARLESTON

CELEBRATE THE SHRIMP
Annual Blessing of the Fleet & Seafood Festival 
Memorial Waterfront Park  
Mt. Pleasant, SC 
| ComeOnOverMP.com
Enjoy the family fun on Charleston Harbor at one of the most popular South Carolina annual events! The colorful boat parade and blessing ritual will liven up your Facebook page. And, the best shrimp in the south will delight the most vital of senses. You can also expect local arts & crafts shows, live music, plenty of kids’ activities, and more fun than you can shake a 
flounder at.

EXPLOSION OF THE SENSES
North Charleston Arts Festival 
North Charleston, SC 
| NorthCharlestonArtsFest.com
Check out the UP side of Charleston with festive daily events and two huge weekends of dance, music, and theater presentations. National and local cultural groups and art exhibitions range from traditional to post-funky. Crafts and collectibles are available for purchase, and gems and minerals are on display. Magicians and storytellers will delight the kids, and down-home food will please appetites of all ages.

HOLY CITY RENAISSANCE

Spoleto Festival USA
 | Spoleto.org
An entire city in on a cultural mission! The South’s premier performance arts festival for over 40 years and counting features 17 days of non-stop operas, plays, dance recitals, and musical performances from international artists. Historic downtown theaters, churches, and outdoor venues showcase choirs, chamber musi Choirs, chamber music, jazz bands, and African rhythms. Enjoy new productions of Porgy and Bess, La Double Coquette, The Little Match Girl, and The Importance of Being Ernest. Special one-night concerts feature renowned entertainers, including Grammy-nominated Americana singer, and guitarist Brandi Carlile, plus Piccolo Spoleto introducing awesome local and regional performers. Many shows will be sold out, so get your tickets in advance.

GET YOUR GULLAH ON
Sweetgrass Cultural Arts Festival 
Memorial Waterfront Park  
Mt. Pleasant, SC | 
SweetgrassFestival.org
The ultimate celebration of African-American heritage—the Lowcountry’s Gullah-Geechee culture comes alive with those famous handmade sweetgrass baskets, live music and theater performances, premier documentary films, and authentic Gullah cuisine. An event the whole family can savor.

DANIEL ISLAND

Daniel Island | Charleston, SC
 | Concert in the Park
 | DanielIsland.com
Daniel Island residents and Charleston area visitors are invited! Join in one of the community’s most popular annual events at Smythe Park from 6 – 10 p.m. Enjoy musical entertainment by Jeremy Davis & The Equinox Jazz Orchestra. Bring your lawn chairs and spread your blankets by the lake. And don’t go small on the picnic spread because there will be prizes for the best.

CARNES CROSSROADS

Carnes Crossroads | Summerville, SC | 
Annual Street Party | CarnesCharleston.com
Enjoy family fun on the Village Green with a jump castle, giant slide, and train rides for the kids, plus games for all ages, food vendors and live musical entertainment. Stroll through the farmer’s market filled with fresh, local produce or the craft show with handmade items from area artists. Admission and parking are free.

MYRTLE BEACH

MYRTLE BEACH, SC
Gorgeous Beaches, 
Legendary Golf Grand at Myrtle Beach | VisitMyMyrtleBeach.com
With over 60 miles of sand, sun, and sparkling ocean waves, Myrtle Beach is an irresistible coastal playground. Beyond the Atlantic shores, you’ll find a golfer’s paradise boasting more than 100 championship golf courses.
Myrtle Beach is renowned for its dizzying array of entertainment for all ages. Broadway at the Beach offers the ever-popular Back Stage Mirror Maze, WonderWorks, Dragon’s Lair Fantasy Golf, and Ripley’s Aquarium. There’s shopping galore with fabulous boutiques and brand name stores.
Treat yourself to an evening of top entertainment at the Alabama Theatre, The Carolina Opry, and The Palace Theatre. If you’re looking for nightlife, you’ll find cozy pubs, wine bars, microbreweries, and a lively music scene.
Spend a sunny day at the magnificent Brookgreen Gardens. This 9,100-acre garden features an abundance of native flora and fauna, the largest collection of American figurative sculpture, and a Native Wildlife Zoo.
And don’t miss the area’s most unique sightseeing opportunity: the 187-foot tall SkyWheel ride with its 42 glass-enclosed, temperature controlled gondolas. As this awesome Ferris wheel spins, you’ll enjoy amazing panoramic views of the ocean and the city. The SkyWheel’s one million LED lights put on a dazzling light show every night. Myrtle Beach truly has it all!

Time to Get Crackin’
Annual World 
Famous Blue Crab Festival
 | Little River, SC | 
BlueCrabFestival.org
This is the Southeast’s premier event, which takes place along the historic waterfront in scenic Little River, SC. Only a 30-minute drive from Myrtle Beach, this is the place to indulge your love of fresh, delicious crab cakes and blue crab, along with other festival food favorites. You’ll want to put on your dancing shoes when top beach bands perform, and take a look at the unique creations of more than 250 arts and crafts vendors. There are also lots of fun activities for kids at this family-friendly event.

Music Fans and Beach 
Lovers Unite!
Carolina Country Music Fest 
| CarolinaCountryMusicFest.com
Kick off your summer by gathering at the beach and listening to some of the biggest names in country music. Headliners for this unforgettable event include country mega-stars Tim McGraw, Keith Urban, Florida Georgia Line, Kelsea Ballerini, and Maren Morris. The festival takes place on 18 coastal acres and features a zip line, VIP area, and concessions. Slip on your flip flops, grab a cowboy hat, and head to beautiful Myrtle Beach for the music event of the summer!

SEABROOK ISLAND

Seabrook Island Club | Seabrook Island, SC
 | 
Spring Fling BBQ 
| DiscoverSeabrook.com
One of the newest of South Carolina annual events, Seabrook’s community-wide spring celebration is here! Free admission and no reservations required. 
Enjoy live music, fun activities, delicious South Carolina barbeque, and other refreshments, including a cash bar with beer and wine. Held at Seabrook Island’s award-winning Equestrian Center, which offers boarding, riding lessons, excursions along three miles of trails, and horseback rides on the beach

BEAUFORT

RENDEZVOUS BY THE RIVER
Annual Beaufort Water Festival
 | BFTWaterFestival.com
Experience 10 days of the Lowcountry’s longest-running celebration of summer fun with daily events and activities to delight everyone! The opening ceremony features the Parris Island Marine Band and a huge fireworks show. Enjoy the gigantic Arts & Crafts Market, as well as musical happenings at the waterfront park, including a teen dance, Motown Monday, time warp Tuesday, a talent show, river dance and more. Taste authentic regional cuisine during the entire event, plus a special Lowcountry supper. Stick around for the end of the event with the blowout finale featuring the Commodore’s Ball and the Parade of Boats.

AIKEN

Woodside Communities | Aiken, SC
,
Southern Nights Movies 
| woodsidecommunities.com
See the stars under the stars! In partnership with the City of Aiken and the Southern City Film Institute, Woodside hosts the spring’s biggest outdoor movie screenings. Bring the whole family with your blankets and lawn chairs to enjoy “The Sandlot” (May 21), “The Goonies” (June 17), and “Independence Day” (July 4). Evening entertainment also includes live music, and food trucks will be on hand for spectators who don’t bring their own munchies.

HILTON HEAD ISLAND

BIG PLAID PARTY
The RBC Heritage |Presented by Boeing Harbour Town Golf Links | RBCHeritage.com
Have a ball where plaid is always in fashion! Five-time Heritage champion and 2016 Ryder Cup Captain Davis Love III leads an all-star field of the world’s best professional golfers for the 48th annual tournament that’s the only PGA Tour stop in South Carolina. The competition on the course is always exciting and the party around the iconic Harbour Town Lighthouse goes on all week.

ART FOR EVERYONE
Annual Hilton Head Island Art Festival Shelter Cove | ArtFestival.com
This free two-day event featuring more than 100 artists displaying their paintings, sculptures, pottery, photography, jewelry, and more is the place to be for art lovers who want to view or buy. Enjoy live entertainment and craft marketplace with affordable items on sale.

MEMORIAL DAY MUSIC
Hilton Head Choral Society’s “An Americana Celebration” | HiltonHeadChoralSociety.org
Kick off the summer season with patriot music and a special salute to our military service members and veterans. The First Presbyterian Church hosts this rousing Memorial Day tribute sure to inspire the whole family. Free concert tickets can be reserved online.

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