Beaufort Water Festival, expected to draw 50K over 10 days, is ‘reunion of reunions’

Beaufort’s Water Festival — a celebration of the city’s coastal life dating to the 1950s — begins Friday. The 10-day festival features a top-notch country band with North Carolina roots, sporting events including a wild bed race down the city’s streets, arts and crafts and a treasured Lowcountry dish cooked up en masse.

Set up for the venerable 68-year-old festival, which started in 1956, will begin Tuesday, said Dusty Vickers, the festivals marketing coordinator.

Billed as one of the South’s biggest outdoor events, Water Festival activities at Waterfront Park and across the city will draw an estimated 50,000 over 10 days but its reach via social media is double that number, Vickers says.

Vickers describes Beaufort’s big bash along the Beautiful Beaufort River as a “reunion of reunions” for friends and family each July.

“It brings the community and everybody back together for one week that’s not a holiday,” says Vickers.

The festival also stands out for the number of volunteers who work each year, with help from local civic organizations and not-for-profits, to pull the large festival together, he said.

Here’s 10 things to know about the 2024 edition, which is being dubbed “A Summer to Remember.”

1. Change is coming

For security purposes, there’s a new clear-bag only policy for any gated events. The bag specifications are listed on the Water Festival web site at bftwaterfestival.com .

The second change this year: T ickets can only be purchased online. There will be no ticket sales at the gate.

2. The beginning and the end

The fun begins at 7 p.m. Friday, July 12, with the free opening ceremony at Waterfront Park. The gates open at 6 p.m. The Parris Island Marine Band will provide the entertainment. Fireworks are scheduled, too. The Water Festival concludes at 12:30 p.m. Sunday, July 21 with the blessing of the fleet, when owners of commercial fishing and recreational boats parade past the promenade to have their vessels sprinkled with holy water.

3. Don’t miss the Lowcountry Supper

It’s called the Lowcountry Supper, and Lowcountry boil, a popular coastal seafood dish, is the main menu item, prepared on a massive scale. Gates open at 6 p.m. Thursday, July 18 and the cost is $15 which includes entertainment by Stuck in Time Band, Chris Jones and The Whistlers.

4. N.C.-based band headlines

The headline act for the Concert in the Park show Saturday, July 13 is country band Parmalee , which got its start in Parmele, N.C. The band consists of brothers Matt and Scott with cousin Barry Knox and Josh and McSwain. Among their hits are “Carolina,” in 2013, “Just the Way,” a collaboration with Blanco Brown, in 2021, and “Take My Name” in 2022. Gates open at 6 p.m. and the show begins at 7. Also performing: HunterGirl , or Hunter Wolkonowski, a country music singer-songwriter from Winchester, Tenn.

5. Who’s this year’s commodore?

The 2024 commodore is Josh Schott, who works at Dominion Energy. The Beaufort native and his wife, Brooke, have two children, Joshua and Ava.

Schott’s father, Wilmot, was commodore in 2010. Josh and Wilmot are the first father and son to hold the position of commodore in the history of the event, Vickers said.

Here’s Schott’s message for the city as he and his team make the final preparations: “The crew and I hope you enjoy the traditions that this wonderful, beautiful, and historic city by the sea has to offer at the 68th Annual Beaufort Water Festival! We are proud of our mission to promote the natural and scenic beauty of Beaufort and the surrounding areas.”

6. The bed race

Visitors won’t want to miss the bed race at 5 p.m. Friday, July 19 at the corner of Bay and Harrington streets. It’s one of the most unusual and popular events of the festival, featuring teams — four runners and one rider — whose members dress in costumes and race gurneys down the street, getting sprayed with water guns the entire way.

7. Motown Monday

The popular band Deas-Guyz will once again be on the Waterfront Park stage at 8 p.m. Monday, July 15, for Motown Monday. Gates open at 7.

8. Downtown parade

The free Water Festival Grand Parade through downtown Beaufort is 10 a.m.-noon. Saturday, July 20. The grand marshal is Derrick “D” Washington.

9. River rally

Dozens of boats will gather on the Beaufort River from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Sunday, July 14, for the river rally. A free ski show is also planned at 1 p.m. Sunday, July 14.

10. Everything else

For a complete listing of all the Water Festival activities go to bftwaterfestival.com.

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