Bluffton Events
Bluffton’s year in festivals: Mayfest in May, the Arts & Seafood Festival in October, the Christmas parade in December and a farmers market every Thursday.
Most Bluffton events happen in Old Town, on Calhoun Street and around the May River, and most are free to walk into. The two big ones are Mayfest in spring and the Historic Bluffton Arts & Seafood Festival in the fall; the Town adds a Christmas parade and tree lighting in December, and the Thursday farmers market fills in the weeks between. Dates move from year to year, so the months below are the usual ones, with real dates where a source gave them.
Bluffton Events Through the Year
Bluffton Mayfest 2026 was held on Saturday, May 9, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Mayfest keeps to a Saturday in early May; see the Mayfest guide for what happens. The Arts & Seafood Festival is the town’s October festival, and people who search for the Bluffton oyster festival are usually looking for its oyster roast. For the Christmas weekend in 2025, the tree lighting was Friday, Dec. 5 at 5:30 p.m. and the Bluffton Christmas Parade 2025 followed on Saturday, Dec. 6 at 10 a.m., starting at Town Hall and running along Bridge Street, Calhoun Street, May River Road and Pin Oak Street.
Free street festival on Calhoun Street: more than 130 artists and food vendors, two music stages, the Ugly Dog Contest and the pie-eating contest.
About a week and a half of events on the river, ending with the Street Fest and Rockin’ the Dock.
The Town lights its tree at Martin Family Park on Friday evening, and the parade steps off at 10 a.m. on Saturday through the Historic District. The 2025 weekend was the 54th annual.
A weekly market in Old Town. Hours change with the season, so check before you go.
A beer festival on the river that has been held at the Oyster Factory Park in the fall, with beer from dozens of breweries.
A multi-day music, food and wine weekend at Palmetto Bluff that has typically sold out.
Sunset Parties, Festivals and Food Events
Between the big festivals, most of Bluffton’s parties are held at the Oyster Factory Park on the May River. Bear Foot Sports, a sports and event producer, runs the sunset parties there, and the Chamber of Commerce and the Old Town shops add food events and an art walk. Door tickets and bar sales at the sunset parties are cash only, and low-profile lawn chairs and leashed pets are welcome. Dates and prices are the ones published for the years shown.
Bear Foot Sports’ summer sunset party, with a Hawaiian Shirt 5K through Old Town the next morning. In 2026: Friday, July 24, 5:30 to 9:30 p.m.; $14 in advance, $20 at the door (cash); children 12 and under free.
A party series from Bear Foot Sports on the May River: local bands, food trucks and a beer and wine garden. The 2026 season, its 14th, opened on April 24 and included Sunset Palooza on May 15. Tickets were $14 in advance and $20 at the door (cash); children 12 and under free.
Bluffton’s Oktoberfest, held since 2012 and produced by Bear Foot Sports and benefiting the Society of Bluffton Artists: a bier garten, local food and live music. In 2026: Saturday, Sept. 26, 3 to 8 p.m.; $15 in advance, $20 at the door (cash); children 12 and under free.
It began in 2024 as the Bluffton Irish Fest, with a golf cart parade, and is now a block party from Bear Foot Sports with a food court and a beer and wine garden. In 2026: Friday, March 13, 5:30 to 9:30 p.m., with the Horan Brothers Band; $14 in advance, $20 at the door (cash); children 12 and under free.
The Chamber’s food events. In 2026 the Lowcountry Edition was an oyster roast and boil at the Oyster Factory Park on Friday, Feb. 6, 5 to 8 p.m. ($60 to $70, with one drink ticket), and a free Food Truck Edition followed at New Riverside Barn Park on Friday, April 3, 4 to 8 p.m.
Created by Shop Old Town Bluffton: the galleries in the historic district stay open late with art, music and refreshments, so it is a good evening for gifts. The 2025 walk was Friday, Nov. 14, 3 to 7 p.m.
Where Bluffton’s Events Happen
Old Town is small enough to walk once you park. Mayfest fills Calhoun Street, and the seafood festival uses the waterfront. The DuBois Park pavilion hosts Santa’s Workshop on tree-lighting night. For everything else in the district, start with the Old Town guide, and for the rest of the trip see things to do in Bluffton.
The Town’s park on Boundary Street, home of a Mayfest stage, the tree lighting and the Thursday market. 68 Boundary Street.
The working-waterfront park on the May River where the seafood festival’s river events gather. 63 Wharf Street.
Fall in Bluffton: Pumpkin Patches Nearby
The pumpkin patches people drive to from Bluffton are a short trip away. Dempsey Farms on St. Helena Island has hayrides, a corn maze and pony rides; Holiday Farms in Ridgeland has its Great Pumpkin Patch, with a corn maze and hay rides; and Lowcountry Produce in Lobeco opens a patch with free hayrides around the second week of October. Hours and dates change every fall, so call before you drive. In spring the same farms open for strawberries: see our u-pick farms guide.
Weddings and Private Events
Bluffton is a wedding town: the oaks, the river and the small inns make it a favorite for Lowcountry weekends. Our Bluffton wedding venues guide covers Palmetto Bluff, May River Manor, Hampton Lake and the estates and Old Town rooms.
Frequently Asked Questions
Updated
What is the biggest event in Bluffton, SC?
Mayfest, held on a Saturday in early May on Calhoun Street in Old Town, and the Historic Bluffton Arts & Seafood Festival in October. Mayfest 2026 was Saturday, May 9, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., with admission free.
When is the Bluffton Christmas parade?
The first weekend of December. In 2025 the tree lighting was Friday, Dec. 5 at 5:30 p.m. at Martin Family Park, and the parade stepped off at 10 a.m. on Saturday, Dec. 6 at Town Hall.
Is there a Bluffton oyster festival?
The oyster roast is part of the Historic Bluffton Arts & Seafood Festival, held in October in Old Town and at the Oyster Factory Park.
Does Bluffton have a farmers market?
Yes. The Farmers Market of Bluffton meets on Thursdays at Martin Family Park in Old Town. Hours change with the season, so check before you go.
Are Bluffton’s festivals free?
Mayfest is free to attend. The Arts & Seafood Festival has many separate events, so check each one’s admission.
What is there to do in Bluffton this weekend?
Check the calendar above first: Mayfest in early May, the Arts & Seafood Festival in October and the Christmas parade weekend in early December take over Old Town. On any other weekend, walk the galleries and shops on Calhoun Street, see the 1857 Church of the Cross on the May River bluff, and get out on the river from the Oyster Factory Park. The farmers market meets on Thursdays, so it is a weekday stop.
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