Charleston ranks as one of the biggest festival destinations in the Southeast, offering a diverse array of highly popular events that draw millions of visitors from near and far every year.
Notable events in the first half of the year include the Lowcountry Oyster Festival and Southeastern Wildlife Exposition, the Charleston Wine + Food festival, spring house and garden tours, and the Spoleto and Piccolo Spoleto Festivals.
Later on, visitors can enjoy the fall MOJA Arts Festival and another set of house and garden tours, and the Holiday Festival of Lights and New Year’s Eve fireworks displays during the holiday season.
Charleston’s event calendar is further enriched by various food, music, and arts festivals, taking place throughout the year both in downtown Charleston and in nearby communities.
Interested in a specific type of event? See Charleston’s calendars of upcoming:
– Concerts
– Comedy shows
– Musicals
– Food festivals
– Farmers markets
– Marathons, 5Ks and other races
See also:
– Things to do in Charleston
– The best time of year to visit Charleston
– Charleston’s weather by month: January, February, March, April, May, June, July, August, September, October, November or December
– Nuovo Cinema Italiano Film Festival, November 4-8 2026
Annual festival of contemporary Italian filmmaking at the Queen Street Playhouse. More details
– Charleston Literary Festival, November 6-15 2026
Annual book festival at the Dock Street Theatre, with talks with a wide range of fiction and nonfiction authors plus other events. More details
– Harvest Festival, November 7 2026
Annual fall festival at Johns Island County Park, with bluegrass music, pumpkin decorating, southern food, craft market, hayrides and more. More details
– Meadival Festival, November 7 2026
Renaissance/Viking-themed mead festival at Deep Water Vineyard, Wadmalaw Island, with mead and other drink tastings, live music, food trucks, lawn games, inflatable jousting, vendors and more. More details
– Lowcountry Nosh Jewish Food & Heritage Festival, November 8 2026
Annual festival of Jewish food at Kahal Kadosh Beth Elohim, with traditional Jewish foods and music, sanctuary tours, children’s activities and more. More details
– Yall Fest, November 13-14 2026
Annual young adult book festival. More details
– Holy Smokes: A Lowcountry Barbecue Festival, November 14 2026
Annual food festival in Riverfront Park, North Charleston, featuring regional BBQ styles from 50+ pitmasters and chefs, live music and more. More details
– Heritage Fire, November 22 2026
Annual food festival at The Refinery featuring local chefs. More details
→ See more November events in Charleston
– Holiday Street Festival, December 5 2026
Annual holiday festival at Front Beach, Isle of Palms, with arts and crafts, food and other vendors, Santa visits, tree-lighting ceremony, live entertainment, children’s activities and more. More details
– New Year’s Eve Fireworks Show, December 31 2026
Big annual fireworks show and flip-flop drop at Folly Beach in celebration of the New Year. More details
→ See more December events in Charleston
– Taste Of Folly, January 16 2027
Annual food festival in Folly Beach with food from local establishments, live demonstrations, contests, local bands, local arts and crafts vendors, cocktail competition and more. More details
→ See more January events in Charleston
– Southeastern Wildlife Exposition, February 12-14 2027
Big annual sporting lifestyle festival with events across Charleston including wildlife art exhibitions, chef demonstrations, animal demonstrations, and more. More details
– Sea & Sand Festival, February 20 2027
Annual festival in Folly Beach with beach competitions, arts and crafts vendors, food, live music, children’s activities and more. More details
– Lowcountry Oyster Festival, February 28 2027
Very popular annual food festival at Boone Hall Plantation, with oysters and other foods and drinks, shucking and eating contests, live music, children’s activities, and more. More details
→ See more February events in Charleston
Events this month to be confirmed.
→ See more March events in Charleston
– The Charleston Festival, April 1-24 2027
Annual festival of the Historic Charleston Foundation, with tours of historic private homes and gardens, lectures, walking tours and other events. More details
– Summerville Flowertown Festival, April 2-4 2027
Annual festival in downtown Summerville to coincide spring blooms, with arts and crafts vendors, local food trucks, live music and community performances, children’s activities and more. More details
– Charleston Jazz Festival, April 11-18 2027
Annual festival of jazz music with events at various Charleston venues. More details
→ See more April events in Charleston
– Piccolo Spoleto Festival, May 28 - June 6 2027
Annual arts festival featuring visual arts and music, dance, theater, spoken word and other performances by artists from the Southeast. More details
→ See more May events in Charleston
– Piccolo Spoleto Festival, May 28 - June 6 2027
Annual arts festival featuring visual arts and music, dance, theater, spoken word and other performances by artists from the Southeast. More details
→ See more June events in Charleston
– July 4th Fireworks, July 4 2027
Independence Day fireworks show at Folly Beach. More details
– Sweetgrass Festival, July 24 2027
Annual festival in Memorial Waterfront Park, Mount Pleasant, in celebration of Gullah Geechee heritage and the art of basket weaving, featuring dozens of master basketmakers, art and craft show, live music and more. More details
→ See more July events in Charleston
Events this month to be confirmed.
→ See more August events in Charleston
Events this month to be confirmed.
→ See more September events in Charleston
Events this month to be confirmed.
→ See more October events in Charleston