Charleston's Famous Festivals

Charleston in the summer is sultry and beautiful. The city itself is a peninsula poised next to the Charles River and surrounded by gorgeous islands included within the urban boundaries. Charleston has always been a city of culture, first from the vast wealth of shipping companies, cotton planters and rice farmers. Several Festivals will be hosted by the city just before or during the summer of 2007. Some are local traditions and have been drawing people here from all over the country for years.

http://www.charlestonmaritimefestival.com/
The Maritime Festival will take place at the end of May this year, during May 17th-May 20. The Festival begins with a massive parade of sails gathering in the Charles River that day from the most famous tall ships from around the world. A Governor's ball will toast the captains of these majestic ships in the evening while the next day the real festivities begin for the public. All the weekend, from Friday through Sunday the public will get to board the ships and see the crew from places as far away as Brazil, India, and Oman. On land this free family event displays pirate camps, wooden boats, sailing and rowing opportunities, music and lots and lots of food from kiosks and local vendors. And one of the most exciting events is the launch of the home ship, the Spirit of South Carolina tall ship, then the beginning of the Charleston to Bermuda yacht race.

http://www.spoletousa.org/
Who hasn't heard of Spoleto? It is one of the world's most famous music, dance and cultural festivals and has been running for decades. This year it will take place from May 25-June 10. Tickets are varying prices, naturally, since they depend on the seating and attendance dates. Tickets to Israel's Batsheva Dance Company, for instance, can cost anywhere from $10 to $80. People of modest means can attend some of these events, even if they do not have advantageous seats. Some of the performances this year are the Batsheva dance performance, the Westminster Choir Orchestra, Verdi, Strauss, and Chamber Music. There's way too much on the site to detail anything here, but I would emphasize that the Spoleto Festival only puts on the most professional and finest of productions. It is really the highlight of the summer for most Charlestonians. Contact information is below:
Spoleto Festival USA
P.O. Box 157
Charleston, SC 29402-0157
(843) 579-3100
kkinard@spoletousa.org (box office email address)

http://www.bluecrabfestival.org/
The Blue Crab Festival is every seafood lover's dream. I can't imagine anything more than an entire weekend devoted to serving up delicious Blue Crab in dozens of different ways as people wander past kiosks and tends with steaming pots and sizzling skillets and grills. This year's event takes place May 20-21 in Little River. SC, just around the corner from downtown Charleston. There's a beauty pageant and a 5K run this year too. Like most food festivals, this one will have bands playing live music as people scoot around tasting the most delicious crab preparations, buying cookbooks, buying crafts and enjoying the children's area. The festival contact number is (843) 249-4252. There will be some ancillary activities too, like motorcycle and golf cart giveaways, and fishing tournaments, so be sure to make a phone call asking about the time of these other events. This is some great family entertainment in a fun outdoor environment.