Food + Wine magazine just said “We Can’t Believe How Cool Columbia, South Carolina Is Being Right Now” – and with 20+ festivals happening there over the next two months, we’re certainly intrigued.
From an indie film festival at South Carolina’s only nonprofit art house theatre to a day party completely dedicated to rosé on the grounds of a historic mansion, here are 7 festivals worth a #RoadTrip to Columbia, S.C. this Spring:
🍻 5th Annual Soda City Suds Week | March 21-24 | Prices vary | Raise a glass to Columbia’s craft beer industry with events like a Kickoff Party at Hunter-Gatherer Brewery at the Curtiss-Wright Hangar, a special edition of Arts & Draughts at the Columbia Museum of Art, a Block Party at Craft and Draft + a Sour Sunday Suds Week “Brunch” at The Whig.
🎬 Indie Grits Festival | March 28-31 | $6-11 for individual events; $100-150 for a weekend pass | Twice named one of the 20 “Coolest Film Festivals” in the world, this annual fest celebrates film, art + music from creators and appreciators across Southeast. Catch just one film or immerse yourself in a full weekend of visionary + experimental events.
🖼 Columbia Open Studios | April 6-7 | Free | Get a behind-the-scenes look into local artists’ studios during a two-day self-guided tour across the Midlands. 70+ artists will be in their studios to show off their workspaces, talk with visitors and create things live.
🥟 Columbia Food + Wine Festival | April 26-28 | Free-$150 | Calling all foodies + winos. Columbia started its own Food + Wine festival last year, and this year it’s back with 6 ancillary events across the city over the weekend and the main event on Sunday, ft. tastings from 50+ local restaurants, drinks, art + more.
🦐 Rosewood Crawfish Festival | May 4 | $10 or $15 at the gate | This lowkey annual festival ships in 10,000 pounds of fresh Louisiana crawfish for crackin’ open, along with other Cajun (and non-Cajun) food, cold beer and live music. If you’re a runner, try the Crawdaddy Dash – a 5K that comes with free event entry, a t-shirt + post-race food ($30-35 in advance, $40 day-of).
🍷 Drink Pink Rosé Festival | May 19 | $55 | Rosé all May. This day party held at the historic Robert Mills House & Gardens brings in ~100 varieties of rosé wine to sample, plus live jazz + complimentary bites (looking at you, massive cheese plate), all included in your ticket. You can also order hard-to-find bottles from the distributors before you head back home.
Note: This list doesn’t even touch June, when there’s a floating festival with giant flamingo floats out on Lake Murray and a Pride Parade downtown. See 11 more festivals worth the drive here.
Partner Disclaimer: This content was created in partnership with Experience Columbia SC.
