South Carolina Festivals and Fairs: Fall 2026 to Spring 2027

South Carolina events › Festivals and fairs

South Carolina’s festival season runs from the State Fair in Columbia (through Oct 25) and the Aiken Fall Steeplechase on Oct 31 to the Colonial Cup on Nov 22, a run of December holiday festivals and parades, and the Lowcountry Oyster Festival on Feb 28, 2027. Dates, hours and prices below were read at each organizer’s page.

Festival	When	Where	Price
Aiken Fall Steeplechase	Sat, Oct 31	Aiken	$47.25 Patron ticket; children 10 and under free
Tree Lighting Fireworks Extravaganza	Sat, Nov 14, 8 p.m.	Broadway at the Beach, Myrtle Beach	Venue admission free
Christmas Tree Festival at Boone Hall Farms	Sat, Nov 21 and Sun, Nov 22, 10 a.m.-7 p.m.	Mount Pleasant	Free
Colonial Cup Races	Sun, Nov 22	Camden	$52.50 general admission; children 12 and under free
Snowball Festival	Thu, Dec 3 to Sun, Dec 6	Lexington	Not published
Lowcountry Oyster Festival	Sun, Feb 28, 2027, 10 a.m.-5 p.m.	Boone Hall Plantation, Mount Pleasant	Not published on the organizer page
Charleston Wine + Food	Wed, Mar 3 to Sun, Mar 7, 2027	Charleston	Not published on the homepage

Fairs and race days

Aiken Fall Steeplechase, Aiken (Saturday, October 31)

The 33rd running is a tailgate-style day at the racecourse with festive activities for children. A Patron ticket ($47.25) is required for entry and Patron parking ($42) is required for vehicles; children 10 and under are free with an adult. A 5% electronic ticketing fee applies to all purchases, and the Winner’s Club and Trackside Chalet are sold out. Details are on the races page.

Colonial Cup Races, Camden (Sunday, November 22)

General admission is $52.50 online or at the gate by card (the $42 early-bird price ended Oct 15), children 12 and under are free, and general parking is $21. No dogs or pets are allowed at Springdale Race Course, paper, plastic and cans are preferred over glass, and the races run rain or shine. Tickets, tailgating and parking are non-refundable. Our Colonial Cup guide has the full plan, and the organizer’s ticket page has current prices.

Holiday festivals and parades

Tree Lighting Fireworks Extravaganza, Myrtle Beach (Saturday, Nov 14). Fireworks over Lake Broadway start at 8 p.m., weather permitting, at Broadway at the Beach (1325 Celebrity Circle). Venue admission is free and only attractions charge; pets are allowed only for those needing assistance. See the event page.

Christmas Tree Festival at Boone Hall Farms, Mount Pleasant (Nov 21 and 22). Open 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. both days at 2434 N. Highway 17, with Santa from noon to 6 p.m. each day. Admission is free with no ticket required, and there are free crafts, a photo booth and live music; bring your own camera for Santa photos. See the festival page.

Snowball Festival, Lexington (Thursday, Dec 3 to Sunday, Dec 6). The craft fair runs Dec 3 and 4 from 4 to 8 p.m.; the tree lighting is Friday, Dec 4 at 6:30 p.m. followed by the movie Elf from 7:30 to 9:30 p.m.; the carnival is Saturday, Dec 5 from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. with face painting, balloon art, pictures with Santa, rides and free cookies while supplies last; and the parade is Sunday, Dec 6 at 3 p.m. Most events are at Icehouse Amphitheater. Prices are not published; see the town’s 2026 information page.

Parades. Greenville’s Poinsettia Christmas Parade is Saturday, Dec 5 at 6:30 p.m. on Main Street (City of Greenville). The 74th Carolina Carillon Holiday Parade in downtown Columbia is also Saturday, Dec 5, themed “Light Up the Holidays!” with more than 125 entries, rain or shine; its start time and route were not posted yet (organizer). The City of Charleston Holiday Parade steps off Sunday, Dec 6 at 3 p.m. (City of Charleston). The 31st Mount Pleasant Christmas Light Parade is Sunday, Dec 13, starting at 5:30 p.m. at night on W. Coleman Blvd., with electric lights on every float (Town of Mount Pleasant). None of these pages states a price.

Spring food festivals

Lowcountry Oyster Festival, Mount Pleasant (Sunday, Feb 28, 2027). The 42nd annual festival is at Boone Hall Plantation (1235 Long Point Rd.), gates open at 10 a.m. and it ends at 5 p.m., rain or shine. There is a children’s area (Pluff-a-Palooza); strollers, wagons and folding chairs are allowed, while pets, outside food and drink, tables and tents are not. A clear-bag policy applies and all bags are searched; nobody under 21 is admitted to the VIP tent. General parking is free, with a park-and-ride shuttle from the Highway 17 North lot. Ticket prices were not available on the organizer’s page. See the Lowcountry Hospitality Association page.

Charleston Wine + Food, Charleston (Wednesday, Mar 3 to Sunday, Mar 7, 2027). The festival’s homepage lists the dates and cites 21 years of the festival; no ticket prices or schedule were posted when we checked. See chswf.org.

Dates not announced yet

These organizers had no 2027 dates on their own pages when we checked on Oct 17: Spoleto Festival USA in Charleston, Come-See-Me in Rock Hill, the Sumter Iris Festival (the city page showed only May 2026) and the Carolina Cup in Camden (the page was marked under construction). We will add dates here once they are posted.

Looking for something this week? See this weekend’s events, or browse the Upstate, Midlands, Lowcountry and Pee Dee and Grand Strand event pages.

Signature Festivals, One Page Each

Every page below carries the next dates when the organizer has posted them, or the usual timing from past editions.

Spoleto Festival USA: Charleston, usually 17 days starting the Friday of Memorial Day weekend
Sumter Iris Festival: Sumter, usually thursday-evening kickoff, then Friday-Sunday in mid-to-late May at Swan Lake Iris Gardens
World Grits Festival: St. George, April 9-11, 2027
Irmo Okra Strut: Irmo, usually friday evening and Saturday in late September at Moore Park
South Carolina Peach Festival: Gaffney, usually mid-July, roughly ten days from a Thursday kickoff to the following Sunday
Pageland Watermelon Festival: Pageland, usually july
Come-See-Me Festival: Rock Hill, usually ten-day festival in mid-to-late April
Beaufort Water Festival: Beaufort, usually ten days in mid-to-late July
Lowcountry Oyster Festival: Mount Pleasant, Sunday, February 28, 2027
Hilton Head Island Seafood Festival: Hilton Head Island, February 22-28, 2027
MOJA Arts Festival: Charleston, usually late September into early October, about eight to eleven days
SC Pecan Music and Food Festival: Florence, Saturday, November 7, 2026
Euphoria: Greenville, September 16-19, 2027
Artisphere: Greenville, May 7-9, 2027
ArtFields: Lake City, April 15 to May 1, 2027
Southeastern Wildlife Exposition: Charleston, February 12-14, 2027
Charleston Wine + Food: Charleston, March 3-7, 2027
Original Gullah Festival: Beaufort, May 28-30, 2027
Hampton County Watermelon Festival: Hampton, usually late June, about eight days
Little River ShrimpFest: Little River, usually second weekend of October, Saturday-Sunday, 9 a.m.-5 p.m

Frequently asked questions

Which South Carolina festivals are free?

The Christmas Tree Festival at Boone Hall Farms (Nov 21 and 22) states free admission with no ticket required, and the venue says admission to Broadway at the Beach in Myrtle Beach is free for the Nov 14 tree-lighting fireworks, though its attractions charge separately. Parade viewing prices are not stated on the organizer pages we read.

Do I need a ticket for the Aiken Fall Steeplechase?

Yes. The organizer says a Patron ticket ($47.25) is required for entry and Patron parking ($42) is required for vehicle entry, with children 10 and under free with an adult and a 5% electronic ticketing fee on all purchases. The Winner’s Club and Trackside Chalet are sold out.

Can I bring a dog to the Colonial Cup or the Oyster Festival?

No. The Colonial Cup in Camden allows no dogs or pets at Springdale Race Course, and the Lowcountry Oyster Festival does not allow pets, outside food and drink, tables or tents. The Oyster Festival does allow strollers, wagons and folding chairs.

When are the big spring festivals?

The Lowcountry Oyster Festival is Sunday, Feb 28, 2027 at Boone Hall Plantation, and Charleston Wine + Food runs Wednesday, Mar 3 through Sunday, Mar 7, 2027. Spoleto Festival USA, Come-See-Me in Rock Hill and the Sumter Iris Festival had not posted 2027 dates when we checked.

Keep planning

Sources

Everything above was read at the organizers’ own pages between Oct 16 and Oct 19, 2026. Dates, hours and prices change, so confirm on the linked page before you go. See our editorial standards.

Cite this page: It's South Carolina, “South Carolina Festivals and Fairs: Fall 2026 to Spring 2027”, itssouthcarolina.com/south-carolina-festivals-and-fairs/ (updated 2026-10-26). By the It's South Carolina editorial team. Free to quote with attribution and a link to this page; data and tables are licensed CC BY 4.0.