Save the date Charleston. The annual Sweetgrass Festival will be held on Saturday, July 22, from 10 a.m.-3 p.m. at the Memorial Waterfront Park in Mount Pleasant.
The festival will have entertainment, activities, information sessions, and a showcase of local basket makers to promote their merchandise. Admission is free.
This event promotes and brings awareness to the Gullah Geechee culture. Did you know? The Gullah Geechee Corridor extends from Wilmington, NC, to Jacksonville, FL. However, the sweetgrass basket art form originated in Mount Pleasant, which makes the town the perfect host.
The festival began in 2005, and a year later, Jim Hodges, the former governor, made the sweetgrass basket-making art form the SC Official Art Craft.
Sweetgrass basket-making dates back centuries ago and was brought to South Carolina by enslaved West Africans. It has been passed down from generation to generation and remains a vital piece of culture for the Lowcountry. The practice is specifically prominent in Mount Pleasant, which has a seven-mile stretch of Highway 17 called the Sweetgrass Basket Makers Highway.
You can stay updated on the Sweetgrass Festival with its Facebook group.
If you want to celebrate Gullah culture earlier, attend A Taste of Sweetgrass Culture Dinner Experience.
The night before the festival, the African American Settlement Community Historic Commission will host this dinner event in the Cooper River Room at the Memorial Waterfront Park on Friday, July 21 at 6 p.m.
Dr. Tonya Matthews, president and CEO of the International African American Museum, will serve as a guest speaker. Find more information and buy tickets here.
