For a town some describe as “sleepy,” it seems like there’s always something going on in the Town of Bluffton. At each point in the calendar, whether in the blissful sunlight of summer or the brisk breezes of winter, there is a festival, celebration or party just waiting to give you the time of your life.
Spring & Summer
One of the biggest events every in Bluffton is the annual Mayfest. Alternatively known as the Bluffton Village Festival or just Bluffton Mayfest (since Bluffton doesn’t get too hung up on “official” names), this annual street festival has been held on the Saturday before Mother’s Day for more than 40 years. Alongside more than 200 artists, crafters and vendors lining Calhoun Street and its sidewalks, this celebration of Bluffton’s eccentricity packs so much to do in just a few blocks. Test your mettle at the pie eating contest. Cheer on the contestants at the Ugly Dog Contest. And be sure to get to Church of the Cross early – their legendary shrimp salad sandwiches sell out within hours every year.
Enjoying its kickoff before Mayfest, but stretching out through the long days of summer, the Bluffton Sunset Party Series rolls through the calendar with a slew of celebrations at Oyster Factory Park. After the April kickoff party, late May sees SunsetPalooza followed by Blues & Brews on The Bluff in June. July’s two-day Shrimp Festival celebrates our waters’ tastiest treats, and it all wraps up with Blufftemberfest in September. Each pairs its theme with a night of great food, live entertainment and stunning views across the river.
Of course, you can’t mention Bluffton’s biggest events without bringing up an event with its own Guinness World Record. The Bluffton Boiled Peanut Festival, held every September, celebrates the uniquely Southern delicacy with a day of live music, competitive peanut boiling and all-you-can-eat boiled peanuts at the Heyward House. At the heart of the event is the legendary “World’s Biggest Boiled Peanut,” one of Bluffton’s quirky icons.
Fall & Winter
As the mercury drops in October, the fun heats up with the Annual Historic Bluffton Arts and Seafood Festival. This week-long celebration ties together two of Bluffton’s most famous exports – its enthralling artistic scene and its mouth-watering bounty of shrimp, crab, oyster and fish. Throughout the week, events all across town bring people together in a feast for the eyes and the palate, with oyster roasts, art walks and the famed blessing of the fleet. It all culminates in the two-day street fest, featuring May River boat tours, art vendors, food vendors and live music from some of Bluffton’s most treasured acts.
Capping the year off, the Bluffton Christmas Parade continues a tradition of eccentric entertainment going back more than 50 years. Zig-zagging through Old Town, up Calhoun Street and across May River Road, this unusual collection of local floats, area businesses and groups like the “Belfairies,” local residents in fairy wings always makes for a delightful exclamation mark on another year of fun.