Punxsutawney Phil has spoken… looks like we’re getting an early spring. 🌸 With warmer weather comes one of the best times of the year: spring festival season. We recently shared a concert guide of the can’t-miss events going on in the next few months, including High Water Festival + Spoleto USA. There are also some delicious fests coming up like Charleston Wine + Food + Charleston Beer Festival. And you can’t forget about SEWE.
But with all the great festivals we DO have, we started thinking about what type of festivals we don’t have. For example, why don’t we have a festival like Irmo, SC’s Okra Strut that is a celebration of all-things okra + family fun? What about a golden retriever festival highlighting all of the beautiful pups in the Lowcountry like they have in Scotland? How about an old fashioned Renaissance Fest like the Carolina Renaissance Festival & Artisan Marketplace in Asheville? Or what about an all-encompassing music, food + drink festival like Fall for Greenville?
Tell us what kind of festival you’d dream up for Charleston. Join the conversation on Facebook here or fill out the form below.
Question
Answers
Y’all did your part – with nearly 100 answers on our Google form and social posts.
Here’s what y’all said:
Food
○ Pierogi
○ Cheese
○ Sugar
○ Vegan
○ Vegetarian
○ Italian food | “In Italy, they have the Spoleto Italian Food Festival the week after the Spoleto Arts Festival.” Though the city of Charleston doesn’t have its own Italian food festival as far as we know, there is an annual Italian fest up the road in Summerville. This year’s event is set for October 18.
○ Seafood festival | “Not just for oysters and shrimp.” Though shrimp-focused, Mount Pleasant does host the Blessing of the Fleet and Seafood Festival every year. It’s happening on April 26, 2020.
Music
○ Rock | We’d love to see a traditional rock ‘n roll fest here – but in the meantime, we’re huge fans of High Water Fest, which features a folk rock-heavy lineup each year. This year’s festival, set for April 18-19, is headlined by indie rockers Wilco, Brittany Howard, Nathaniel Rateliff, + local act (and festival curators) Shovels & Rope.
○ Blues | It looks like we no longer have a dedicated blues festival, but we do have the Charleston Bluegrass Festival coming up on March 20.
○ Beach music | Not quite a festival – but Charleston County Parks and Recreation usually hosts “Moonlight Mixers” featuring dancing + beach music on the Folly Beach Pier during the summer months.
○ Outdoor jazz festival | Though mostly if not entirely indoors, we do have the Charleston Jazz Festival in January. In late May-early June, we have Spoleto – which hosts a series of jazz shows, including a couple of outdoor jazz concerts at CofC’s Cistern Yard.
○ Country music festival | “Why should Dirty Myrtle have all the fun?”
○ Sunday in the Country like in Maryland | “All sorts of country music stars come and perform for the weekend.”
Art + Culture
○ Mardi Gras | RIP, Folly Gras.
○ Southern film
○ Shakespeare
○ Asian
○ Country folk art
○ Gullah Geechee festival like in Beaufort | We do have the Gullah/Geechee International Music and Movement Festival coming up in August.
○ Shag festival | “To honor our state dance.” The aforementioned Moonlight Mixers on the Folly Beach Pier are a good place to go to shag along with beach music.
○ National Folk Festival | “A free cultural festival that includes a huge variety of acts like Tibetan throat singing, Blues, Americana, Native American dance, Middle Eastern music, Taiko drumming, etc.”
○ Renaissance Fair | “It could be open for several weeks and would play on the history of Charleston, as we are descendants of merry old England.”
○ BLINK | “One of the largest light, art and projection mapping events in the nation. A free, four-day event takes place in downtown Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky, spanning more than 30 city blocks.. BLINK will turn the region into an outdoor art museum with large-scale projection mapping installations, murals, and immersive art.”
○ Film and Ideas Festival | “Bring in top filmmakers and leaders in critical thinking and technology.” Film lovers can check out the upcoming Charleston Film Festival, happening March 5-8 at Terrace Theater. There’s also the Nuovo Cinema Italiano Film Festival in November.
Other
○ Pirate
○ Friendship
○ Goldendoodle
○ Puppy
○ Golden Retriever
○ Colonial hairpiece
○ Glitter
○ Seaglass
○ Gaming/Cosplay
○ Sober
○ Maritime | “Celebrating all things ocean and commerce, including bringing the tall ships back.” Check out the Charleston HarborFest happening this May.
○ History festival | “I would like to see a festival built around the history of the Charleston area. From the first settlement at Charlestown Landing right up to today. ‘History Week’ or something similar could highlight an era each year and tell the stories and history of the people, institutions and literally the formation of our country over the last 250 years as it has occurred here in the Lowcountry.” | Stay tuned for a ton of events this year that will commemorate Charleston’s 350th birthday.
○ Charleston’s version of Fall For Greenville | An outdoor festival full of music, food + entertainment. And it’s free to attend.
And one for the laughs…
○ Coconut Festival | “Truckloads of coconuts will be dumped in the middle of a field. People will pick up coconuts and pelt one another. Loud experimental music will help create the atmosphere, and mimes in cages will perform and react to the mayhem.”
Have more suggestions? Join the conversation on Facebook.