Hilton Head Festivals by Season
Every annual festival on Hilton Head Island, month by month: what each one is, when it usually happens and where to read more.
- Winter and spring: February to April: the Gullah Celebration, the Seafood Festival, the St. Patrick's Day Parade and the Wine & Food Festival
- Busiest stretch: September to November: the Jam, Fish & Grits, the Concours, Crescendo, the Oyster Festival and the Lantern Parade
- Where: Lowcountry Celebration Park, Shelter Cove, Harbour Town, Honey Horn and Port Royal
Hilton Head Island holds its festivals in two stretches: late winter into early spring, and September to November. Summer belongs to HarbourFest at Shelter Cove Harbour and the Fourth of July. Below, in calendar order, is each annual festival with its usual dates and the next date where the organiser has set one. Each card opens our guide to that festival.
This page answers which festivals there are and when they come around. For what is on this week, use the Hilton Head events calendar, which refreshes every morning.
Festivals in February, March and April
February is a food-and-culture month, with the Gullah Celebration running through it and the Seafood Festival in its last week. Spring follows with the island's St. Patrick's Day Parade and the Wine & Food Festival.
Feb. 1 to 28, 2027. A month of Gullah food, music, history and storytelling at venues across the island.
Monday, Feb. 22, to Sunday, Feb. 28, 2027. Chef dinners, boat trips, master classes and tastings, in the festival's 20th year.
Sunday, March 14, 2027, at 2 p.m. South Carolina's oldest St. Patrick's Day parade, down Pope Avenue; the guide has the route, closures and parking.
Thursday, March 25, to Sunday, April 4, 2027. Eleven days of wine tastings and dinners, built around the Grand Tasting.
The RBC Heritage, the PGA Tour's April week at Harbour Town, is a golf tournament rather than a festival; it has its own RBC Heritage guide.
Festivals in late spring and summer
Summer has fewer one-off festivals because HarbourFest fills the season at Shelter Cove Harbour, with family shows and fireworks over the water on summer Tuesday nights. The Art Festival and Juneteenth are the two single-weekend events.
Memorial Day weekend each year, free. Artists and live music along the Shelter Cove Harbour promenade.
Memorial Day weekend to Labor Day weekend. Family shows on the harbour stage and Tuesday-night fireworks over the water.
Each June, at the site of the first self-governed town of freed people in the United States. In 2026 it ran Thursday, June 11, to Saturday, June 13, with a full-day festival and a drum circle.
Fireworks have their own guides: the Fourth of July and fireworks all year, and Memorial Day weekend covers the Art Festival and HarbourFest's opening.
Fall festivals begin in September
Hilton Head's fall festival season opens in September with a songwriter festival and a shrimp lunch under the oak.
September each year, free. Songwriters play original songs in the round at stages across the island.
A Saturday afternoon in September on the Liberty Oak lawn in Harbour Town: all-you-can-eat shrimp from local chefs, with craft beer and live music.
October: the busiest month for festivals
October packs the most festivals into one month, from a Gullah Geechee music festival on the first Saturday to the Concours at the end. Crescendo, the Town's arts celebration, runs behind all of it.
Crescendo Celebration of Arts & Culture
Oct. 10 to Nov. 23, 2026
Venues across the island
The Town's Office of Cultural Affairs and the Arts Council of Hilton Head run the tenth annual celebration: more than a hundred concerts, plays, exhibits, tours and talks by the island's arts groups. The Lantern Parade is part of it.
Mac and Cheese Festival
A Saturday evening in late October; the last was Saturday, Oct. 25, 2025, 5 to 8 p.m.
Lincoln & South Brewing Co., 138 Island Drive
A fall evening of mac and cheese at a local craft brewery.
Saturday, Oct. 3, 2026. A day of Gullah Geechee music and food at Lowcountry Celebration Park.
Saturday, Oct. 17, 2026, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., at the Coastal Discovery Museum at Honey Horn: homemade food, big band music and grape stomping.
Late October into early November, ending Sunday, Nov. 1, 2026. A weekend of classic cars, from a driving tour to the Sunday Concours on the Port Royal fairways.
Also in late October: the Multihull Regatta off Coligny Beach, and Halloween events.
Festivals in November
November has the island's oyster roast and its lantern parade, then Thanksgiving weekend turns toward the holidays.
Sea Pines Caramel Apple Festival
Friday, Nov. 27, 2026, 1 to 3 p.m.
Heritage Farm, 185 Greenwood Drive, Sea Pines
A two-hour family afternoon the day after Thanksgiving: caramel apples, games, crafts, face painting and a bounce house.
Friday, Nov. 6, and Saturday, Nov. 7, 2026. An all-you-can-eat oyster night on Friday and a family festival day on Saturday.
Saturday, Nov. 14, 2026. Lanterns down the beach at Coligny, with the line-up at 5 p.m. and the step-off at 5:45 p.m., ending at Lowcountry Celebration Park.
Runners have their own guides: the Half Marathon in early November, then the Turkey Trot and the Turtle Trot on Thanksgiving morning. From Thanksgiving weekend the holiday season takes over: see Christmas on Hilton Head, Christmas lights and New Year’s Eve.
Music festivals on Hilton Head
Two of the island's festivals are built around music. The Island Jam is a free September songwriter festival in the round, and Fish & Grits is a one-day Gullah Geechee festival in October. Crescendo adds concerts through the fall, and in summer there are free weeknight shows with Gregg Russell under the Liberty Oak in Harbour Town.
Concerts, restaurants and bars with music, and where to hear it any night of the week.
More on Hilton Head events
What is on today, this weekend and this month.
Frequently Asked Questions
What festivals are held on Hilton Head Island each year?
The Gullah Celebration (all of February), the Seafood Festival (the last week of February), the St. Patrick's Day Parade (a Sunday in mid-March), the Wine & Food Festival (late March into April), the Art Festival (Memorial Day weekend), Juneteenth at Historic Mitchelville Freedom Park (June), the Jam and the Shrimp Festival (September), Fish & Grits, the Italian Heritage Festival and the Concours (October), the Oyster Festival and the Lantern Parade (November).
When is festival season on Hilton Head?
Two stretches: February to April, and September to November. October is the busiest month. Summer's draw is HarbourFest at Shelter Cove Harbour rather than a single festival.
What fall festivals are on Hilton Head in 2026?
The Fish & Grits Music Festival on Saturday, Oct. 3; the Italian Heritage Festival on Saturday, Oct. 17; the Concours d'Elegance & Motoring Festival ending Sunday, Nov. 1; Crescendo from Oct. 10 to Nov. 23; the Oyster Festival on Friday, Nov. 6, and Saturday, Nov. 7; the Lantern Parade on Saturday, Nov. 14; and the Caramel Apple Festival on Friday, Nov. 27.
Which Hilton Head festivals are free?
The Art Festival, the Jam and the St. Patrick's Day Parade are free to attend. The Oyster, Seafood, Wine & Food and Concours festivals are ticketed.
Which festivals celebrate Gullah culture on Hilton Head?
The Gullah Celebration in February, the Fish & Grits Music Festival in October and Juneteenth at Historic Mitchelville Freedom Park in June.
Is there a festival on Hilton Head this weekend?
The events calendar at hhi.com/events lists everything on this weekend and refreshes every morning; this page is the guide to the annual festivals and when they usually happen.
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