Charleston Area Events Jan - June 2010

Check out these fun filled events to combine with your stay at the beach!

Lowcountry Oyster Festival 10/31/2010 10:30 am- 5pm
An oyster-lover’s dream…Over 65,000 pounds of oysters! Highlights of Sunday’s “rain or shine” Main Event include the legendary “Oyster Shucking & Eating Contest,” selection of domestic and imported beers, live bands on the Main Stage and a Kids Corner (complete with pony rides and jump castles). For 20 consecutive years, the Lowcountry Oyster Festival has been named one of the “top 20 events in the southeast” by the Southeastern Tourism Society.

Southeastern Wildlife Expo 2/12/10 – 2/14/2010
Experience the largest wildlife, art and nature event in the nation. Held at various sites throughout Charleston, there's something for everyone to enjoy. Highlights include: artist Thomas Brooks, DockDogs, Children's Square, Retriever Demonstrations, Busch Wildlife Sanctuary Shows, Jack Hanna and much more!

Charleston Wine + Food Fest 3/4/10 – 3/7/10
A food and wine event like no other, the Festival provides the opportunity to meet and learn from some of the country's best chefs, authors and wine professionals. Two Grand Tasting Tents host more than eighty companies featuring samples of specialty foods and unique wines. Guests will enjoy the “Taste of the Festival” Signature Charity Tent and one-on-one interaction with local and guest esteemed chefs along with beverage professionals.

33rd Annual Cooper River Bridge Run 3/27/10
The Cooper River Bridge Run is the best organized and the best conducted 10-K race in the world. It includes world-class competition in a unique setting with unparalleled participant satisfaction.

38th Annual Flowertown Festival 3/26/10 – 3/28/10
Consistently ranked one of the Top 20 events in the Southeast by the Southeast Tourism Society, the Summerville Family YMCA Flowertown Festival has been a Summerville, South Carolina tradition since 1971. The three-day event features over 200 jury-selected artists from throughout the country who display their work for sale on the beautiful grounds of Azalea Park and on Main Street. Festival attendees also enjoy delicious foods from local restaurants at the Taste of the Town, fun activities and rides for children at the Children’s Jubilee and free admission and parking.

63rd Annual Festival of Houses and Gardens 3/18/10 – 4/17/10
Experience the intimate charm and elegance found only beyond Charleston's private garden gates and historic thresholds. The Festival is set during the peak of the city's blooming season. Set amid the historic ambience of the city’s Old & Historic District, this series of award-winning tours showcases Charleston’s distinctive architecture, history, gardens and culture. These tours provide a rare opportunity for guests to go inside the private houses and gardens of some of America’s most beautiful historic residences, dating to the 18th century. Visit Charleston to see why it has been renowned for three centuries as “a city set in a garden.”

Family Circle Cup 4/10/10 – 4/18/10
Every spring, the City of Charleston and Daniel Island serves as a backdrop to one of the richest and most traditional events in women's professional tennis. The Family Circle Cup, one of twenty Premier events on the Sony Ericsson WTA Tour, has a roster of past champions that include some of the biggest names in the history of women's tennis including Chris Evert, Martina Navratilova, Tracy Austin, Steffi Graf, Gabriela Sabatini, Martina Hingis, Jennifer Capriati, Venus Williams, Justine Henin, and Serena Williams. The 2010 Family Circle Cup, April 10 - 18, promises to be an exciting tournament as it will celebrate 10 years in Charleston.

Piccolo Spoleto Festival 5/28/10 - 6/13/10
Piccolo's mission is to provide access to the Spoleto Festival experience for everyone, regardless of their economic, social or physical circumstances and to provide the opportunity for excellent local and regional artists, writers and performances to be presented in Piccolo's "local venue." Piccolo Spoleto offers something wonderful for everyone - from classical to contemporary, from traditional to cutting edge. One of the unique aspects of Piccolo Spoleto is the accessibility to the Spoleto Festival experience. Half of Piccolo's events are admission-free, and the rest are offered at very modest ticket prices.

Spoleto Festival 5/28/10 - 6/13/10
Spoleto Festival USA was founded in 1977 by Pulitzer Prize-winning Italian composer Gian Carlo Menotti, Christopher Keene and others, who sought to create an American counterpart to their annual Festival of Two Worlds in Spoleto, Italy. Looking for a city that would provide the charm of Spoleto as well as its wealth of theaters, churches and other performances spaces, they selected Charleston as the ideal location. The historic city provided a perfect fit: intimate enough that the festival would captivate the entire city; yet cosmopolitan enough to provide an enthusiastic audience and robust infrastructure.Since then Spoleto Festival USA has firmly established itself as one of the world’s leading festivals, presenting more than 200 world or American premieres. Notable past premieres and commissions include: Monkey: Journey to the West by Chen Shi-Zheng, Damon Albarn and Jamie Hewlett; Peter and Wendy by Lee Breuer; Creve Coeur by Tennessee Williams; The American Clock by Arthur Miller; The Mechanical Organ by the Nikolais Dance Theatre; Miracolo d’Amore by Martha Clarke; Empty Places by Laurie Anderson; Hydrogen Jukebox by Philip Glass and Allen Ginsberg; Praise House by Urban Bush Women; Three Tales by Steve Reich and Beryl Korot; and Tenebrae by Osvaldo Golijav.

Charleston Harbor Fest June 18, 2010 - June 20, 2010

Charleston Harbor Fest is a true harbor-wide celebration of the sea. Attracting visitors and locals alike, this event is family-friendly and loads of fun for all ages. From the classic beauty of sailing ships, wooden boats and pirates giving their best “Argh” to the interactive educational exhibits, Charleston Harbor Fest offers an array of activities. You can be as hands-on as you want from tame to adventurous. Tour the ships, enjoy the scenic waterfront and relax with a beverage and fine Lowcountry fare. For those with more adventurous spirit, build your own boat over the weekend with the handy help of our volunteers, head out on the harbor for your free sailing lesson, or actually join the crew of one of the ships and sail north to Boston. For those more interested in air than sea, there are aerobatic flight demonstrations, helicopter rides and other exciting aerial attractions.