Events In and Around Charleston: August Through October

Late summer into fall brings some of Charleston's most anticipated events, from vineyard festivals on the outer islands to the city's signature celebration of Black arts and culture downtown, plus a handful of worthwhile day trips further down the coast, including into Savannah. Here's a month-by-month look at what's worth putting on the calendar.

August

Out on Wadmalaw Island, about 30 minutes south of downtown, Deep Water Vineyard hosts its annual Grape Stomp Festival in mid-August, Charleston's only working winery drawing crowds for grape stomping contests, live music, food trucks, and a well-known Lucille Ball look-alike contest. It's a full-day, family-friendly outing on the grounds of a 48-acre working vineyard.

Down in Savannah, about two hours from Charleston, the Savannah VOICE Festival runs through August, a multi-week celebration of opera, musical theater, and song held in theaters, gardens, and churches throughout the historic district.

September

Labor Day weekend brings the Lowcountry Jazz Festival to the Gaillard Center downtown, September 4 through 6, with a lineup spanning traditional and contemporary jazz across the venue's stages.

The same weekend, about an hour south of Charleston, Edisto Beach's Music & Shag Festival takes over Bay Creek Park with three days of beach music, shag dancing, food trucks, and arts and crafts vendors, a longstanding Labor Day tradition on the island.

In North Charleston, Park Circle's Oktoberfest takes over Holy City Brewing on September 19, with German food and beer, a pretzel toss, a stein-hoist contest, and live polka music. The same weekend, about 25 minutes from downtown, Summerville's Sweet Tea Festival celebrates the town's signature drink with food, music, and vendors.

Late in the month, Charleston's signature fall event begins. The MOJA Arts Festival runs from late September into early October, an 11-day celebration of African American and Caribbean arts and culture produced by the City of Charleston, with events spanning visual art, music, dance, poetry, and theater at venues across the city. The 2026 festival highlights the traditions of Barbados, Jamaica, Sierra Leone, and the Gullah Geechee community, opening with a street parade from Marion Square.

In Savannah, the Savannah Jazz Festival runs September 18 through 20, with free performances at Forsyth Park's bandshell and other historic district venues, one of the city's longest-running music traditions.

October

MOJA continues into the first week of October, closing out with a free citywide finale at Hampton Park.

The Preservation Society of Charleston's Fall Tours begin in October and run into November, offering a rare chance to step inside some of the city's private historic homes and gardens across downtown neighborhoods, with both guided and self-guided options available.

Out at Folly Beach, the Mermaids & Mateys festival brings local arts and crafts vendors, live music, and a costume contest to the beach in early October, a lower-key alternative to the downtown crowds.

The Latin American Festival at North Charleston Wannamaker County Park follows shortly after, with live Latin and Caribbean music, folk arts, and traditional food. And in Mount Pleasant, the Children's Day Festival rounds out the month in mid-October with carnival rides, pony rides, and games geared toward families.

Further afield, about an hour and a half south of Charleston, Beaufort's Shrimp Festival takes over Henry C. Chambers Waterfront Park the first weekend of October, now in its 32nd year. Expect two days of local shrimp dishes from area restaurants, an arts and crafts market, live music both nights, and the Sea Island Rotary Club's charity shrimp race, where thousands of rubber shrimp float down the Beaufort River.

October is also one of the best months to make the trip into Savannah. The Savannah Greek Festival runs October 8 through 10 at St. Paul's Hellenic Center, and the same weekend, Tybee Pirate Fest takes over Tybee Island with a parade, costume contest, and family activities. Later in the month, the SCAD Savannah Film Festival, October 24 through 31, draws an international lineup of screenings and industry guests to venues across the historic district, and the Isle of Hope Art & Music Festival rounds out the month on October 24 with more than 100 local artisans, food trucks, and live music.