10 great SC festivals to enjoy in August before summer ends. Here are the details
As South Carolina moves through the heat and humidity of summer and the start of a new school year looms, there are still communities out there celebrating all through August.
Little Mountain, for one, kicks off one of South Carolina’s oldest folk festivals Aug. 4-5 at Reunion Park. The Little Mountain Reunion dates back to 1882, when Newberry College wanted to get people interested in the school and encouraged class reunions, organizers say.
“The event was so successful that it was decided by those present that each year a Newberry College Reunion would be held at the foot of Little Mountain,” the event’s website says.
It was so popular coaches had to be added to trains to bring in the folks. But then World War II ended the annual event.
“In 1976, the Town of Little Mountain and the Ruritan Club decided to renew the reunion as a bicentennial project,” the website says.
This year, the event begins Friday night with live music, food and craft vendors and continues Saturday with a full day of classic cars, a parade on Main Street, cornhole tournament, more music and food, crafts, exhibits.
Here’s an unusual event called 24 Hour Musical. A group at Market Theatre in Anderson will spend 24 hours staging a full Broadway style musical.
“Yep, you read that right: just 24 hours. The show is a mystery to everyone until a day before and then we hop into action,’ organizers said. This is the eighth year for the 24 hour effort.
They are raising money for Calvary Home for Children. The performance is Aug. 5.
Get Off The Grid Fest at the Music Camp in Spartanburg returns with a three-day event about how to live off the grid. Music, art performances, hands-on workshops, presentations and food and craft vendors combine to teach folks how to live sustainably. The event will be held Aug. 18-20.
World Famous Hip-Hop Family Day bills itself as “a family-friendly event without alcohol or cursing on Columbia’s Main Street.
“World Famous Hip-Hop Family Day celebrates the intergenerational legacy of hip-hop culture,” its website says.
Family Circle Magazine called it Top Family-Friendly Festival in South Carolina and among the Top 50 in the nation. It’s been around for 10 years. Founded by FatRat Da Czar, it began with attendance growing from 3,900 to 20,000. The event is set for Aug. 19.
Keep Newberry Beautiful Summer Fair 2023 will celebrate its second year Prosperity. Amusement rides, games, food, local artisans, music and, this year, they are adding a beer garden. The event will be held Aug. 24-27.
SC Black Pride Week, a four-day event celebrating arts and wellness with The White Party, Pride Brunch and The Big Gay Cookout. The event is set for Aug. 24-27.
Williamston Spring Water Festival includes music, kids’ activities, amusement rides, arts and crafts and antique cars. New this year are booths from local boutique owners and other small businesses. The event is set for Aug. 25-26.
Main Street Latin Festival has food, art, dance and music with a Latin flair on Main Street in Columbia. The event is set for Aug. 25 - 27.
Solfest Rollfest is a “sustainable and environmentally conscious music festival with two stages of live music, one of which is powered by bicycles plus beer and more,” its website says. It will take place on Recreation Drive in Columbia on Aug. 26.
Upper South Carolina State Fair begins Aug. 31 at the fairgrounds in Easley. All the features of a state fair with a midway full of games and rides, entertainment, and those endearing agricultural exhibitions with a petting zoo. Demo derby, wolf show, FMX demonstration and that favorite monkeys atop racing dogs in the Banana Derby. The fair runs until Sept. 10.
