Festivals & Events

Whether you enjoy an elegant wine tasting from one of the South Carolina wineries or a laid back “Shuckin’ in the Park” oyster feast, you simply can’t take the fun out of the food festivals in South Carolina. We combine the celebration of our state’s natural bounty with Palmetto State music, history, arts and crafts, kids’ activities, games, cook-offs and more.

Add a Food Festival to your Trip Planner

Check out our year-round calendar of events and add a fun South Carolina Food Festival or culinary event, like the Charleston Food and Wine Festival or the Trenton Peach Festival, to your vacation trip planner. It’s easy to savor the flavors of South Carolina all year long!

	Location	Trip Planner
Taste Of Hartsville Sample a variety of local foods and beverages on the grounds of beautiful Kalmia Gardens of Coker College, a 30-acre botanical garden. SCHEDULE May 15, 2008	Hartsville	Add
Rythms and Blooms Riverbanks Botanical Garden will open its doors from 6 to 9pm for Rhythm and Blooms, an after hours social event. Guests will enjoy live entertainment, displays from local artists and food and wine sampling from featured retailers throughout the Midlands. SCHEDULE May 15, 2008, 6:00 PM - 9:00 PM May 22, 2008, 6:00 PM - 9:00 PM May 29, 2008, 6:00 PM - 9:00 PM	West Columbia	Add
21st Annual BBQ Cook-Off Festival Friday Night's SAVE THE PIGS party is an anything but a pork event! For $8 a ticket or two for $15, enjoy music and taste-test samples of numerous Southern specialties prepared by the 40+ cooking teams from across the region. Food samples are served as long as the delicious dishes last and the terrific band, the Sensational Epics, will play from 7-10 pm. Saturday's BBQ Cook-off will be complete with savory side items. BBQ plates are $8 at the door or $7 if purchased in advance. Kids 11 and younger eat for $3. Enjoy performances by local children's groups, the kids can enjoy crafts in the Little Piggies area and enjoy savory food for all. There's even have a drive-thru for those of you who can't stay for the festivities. And you can purchase BBQ by the pound. It's a day of delicious food and fun for the whole family! SCHEDULE May 16, 2008, 7:00 PM - 10:00 PM May 17, 2008, 11:00 AM - 3:00 PM	Columbia	Add
First Flush Festival Join Charleston Tea Plantation for the First Flush Festival. Each spring Mother Nature awakens the tea plants to another growing season. Bring a blanket or chair and come celebrate for a full day of fun, food, live music, games, relaxation and friendship. Observe the process of making tea in the factory and take the bus tour of the plantation. SCHEDULE May 17, 2008	Wadmalaw Island	Add
Cooks and Books Cooks and Books will feature local food tastings, a chefs' competition and authors/cookbook authors - some nationally known - signing their books. SCHEDULE May 18, 2008, 11:30 AM - 4:00 PM	Hilton Head Island	Add
Ware Shoals Catfish Festival Entertainment, arts & crafts, amusement rides and lots of food. Get your taste buds ready for fried catfish and catfish stew. If you're not in the mood for fish, there will also be barbecue chicken. Maurice Williams and the Zodiacs will provide live entertainment. SCHEDULE May 23, 2008 - May 24, 2008	Ware Shoals	Add
South Carolina Peach Festival This 10-day event salutes the peach industry with concerts featuring nationally-prominent country music artists, sporting events, a parade, truck and tractor pulls, and delicious peach desserts. There's something for everyone to enjoy. The South Carolina Peach Festival started out as a weekend event in 1977 and is now being recognized by The Southeast Tourism Society as one of the Top 20 events in the Southeast during July. "As sunny and sweet as the peach itself are our smiles and welcoming arms. As soft as the peach are our hearts, brimming with kindness for you, our visiting friends." So join us as we celebrate the South Carolina peach. SCHEDULE June 20, 2008 - June 29, 2008	Gaffney	Add
A Taste of Newberry Featuring food from some of the state's finest restaurants in Newberry. Food ranges from crepes, scallops, seafood pizza, baby beef wellington's, shrimp and grits, medallions of beef, ribs, Greek pizza, Mexican delicacies, decadent desserts and wine tastings. Held at Memorial Park in Downtown Newberry. SCHEDULE June 20, 2008, 5:00 PM - 8:00 PM	Newberry	Add
Ridge Peach Festival We are hosting our 38th Annual Ridge Peach Festival June 21, 2008. Our all day family festival kicks off with a morning parade led by our wonderful military band. The festival features unique arts and crafts, antiques, homemade peach desserts and preserves, peach ice cream, live music all day, rides for the children, a variety of food vendors and a softball tournament. The event wraps up with a street dance and a live band playing beach and top 40 music. Shuttles will run all day from the parking area to the park. Come out and enjoy the southern hospitality and richness of this wonderful town. Trenton, SC is nestled between Aiken, North Augusta, and Edgefield, SC. This quiet, small town comes alive with the annual Ridge Peach Festival and plays host to more than 8000 visitors from all across the state. For arts and crafts/vendor information, contact Sheron Glover at (803) 275-0743 or Melody Boylston at (803) 275-5303 or at melboylston@yahoo.com. SCHEDULE June 21, 2008, 9:00 AM - 5:00 PM	Trenton	Add
Lexington County Peach Festival The Lexington County Peach Festival is an all-day celebration held on July 4th, at the Gilbert Community Park in Gilbert, SC. The festival is recognized as one of the most successful and prestigious events of its kind in the Southeast United States. Join us as we celebrate the "queen of all fruits," the peach; and Independence Day. With events such as the Peach Pageants, Peachy Recipe Contest, live entertainment, and of course, the Peach Parade; the Peach Festival is sure to put a smile on your face and hopefully a peach in your hand! The festival begins with the Peach Parade (9:30 a.m.) and ends with a beautiful fireworks show (10 p.m.). Arts & craft vendors line Rikard Circle for the entire day while festival goers enjoy live entertainment on three different stages throughout the Gilbert Community Park. The Lexington County Peach Queen Pageants are held in conjunction with the festival. The pageant is broken up into three divisions, and is held on Saturday, June 21 & Saturday, June 28, 2008. (See website for additional details.) Other fun and exciting events, including the Peachy Recipe Contest, Antique Car Show, Antique Tractor Show and much more are held throughout the day. BBQ sandwiches, hot dogs, chicken sandwiches, hamburgers, BBQ chicken and pork plates are available for purchase throughout the park; and of course, peach ice cream, peach slush, peach tea, peach parfaits and peach cobbler are just a few of our signature desserts that are also available. SCHEDULE July 4, 2008, 9:00 AM - 10:30 PM July 4, 2009, 9:00 AM - 10:30 PM July 3, 2010, 9:00 AM - 10:30 PM	Gilbert	Add