Everything you need to know to enjoy the 68th Annual Beaufort Water Festival

Now in its 68th year, the Beaufort Water Festival brings family friendly activities, sporting events, concerts, kid’s fun, fireworks & more.Photo byExplore Beaufort

Beaufort’s premiere summer event, the 10 day 68th Annual Beaufort Water Festival, kicks off this Friday, July 12th, at Henry C. Chambers Waterfront Park in downtown Beaufort, bringing our summertime celebration of Lowcountry culture that locals wouldn’t miss for the world and that has tens of thousands of visitors making a special trip to experience each year.

Now in its 68th year, the Beaufort Water Festival brings family friendly activities, sporting events, daily & nightly concerts, kid’s fun, fireworks displays and lots more.

If you like dancing, live music, touring shrimp boats, enjoying huge parades or even having dinner surrounded by the entire community, the Annual Beaufort Water Festival has been a can’t-miss event for hundreds of thousands of folks over the decades. There’s even an arts & crafts market that runs every day for your shopping pleasure, and a sponsor’s expo so you can meet some of the local businesses who have helped make this year’s Water Festival happen.

Beaufort Water Festival Opening Night Fireworks display. Photo courtesy Phil Heim

Tickets are available for online purchase only. Visit this link for your tickets and info.

If you’re heading downtown, and we know you will be, parking can sometimes be hard to find so the Water Festival provides a free shuttle from Beaufort Town Center to the downtown waterfront. Here’s a link to the shuttle information.

If you’re looking for an official Annual Beaufort Water Festival t-shirt, you can find the t-shirt booth set up along the marina in the vendor market. They’ll have every size and color that you could want, and then some.

Beaufort Water Festival Concert in the Park photo courtesy Panini’s on the Water Front, from the River Deck

Also, please make sure that you dress for the weather. With average temperatures in the mid-90s and the humidity making it feel even hotter, it’s best that you dress lightly, and bring both sunscreen and an umbrella. The umbrella may be necessary because we tend to get a stray thunderstorm on hot July days here in the Lowcountry. If the sky opens up, you’ll be happy that you brought it. Take it from us, we know from experience.

Please note that some of the events come with a few rules about your attendance and what you can and cannot bring with you, and that pets are always a no-no.

Before entering a Beaufort Water Festival performance or event, you may be subject to a search of your person, and/or your items. Please arrive at the venue no less than 20 minutes prior to performance time to ensure you can clear security checks prior to the event starting.

This year, the Beaufort Water Festival has implemented a clear-bag policy for all ticketed events. Visit this link to get the info on the new policy and to find out what are are allowed, and are not allowed, to bring.

Remember, there will be a whole lot of people in downtown. Please be kind and patient, and enjoy yourselves while making memories of your summer fun in Beaufort, SC.

Please note that some events are adult only, and most events come with a few rules about your attendance and what you can and cannot bring with you.

If you plan to attend the festival, here's the full schedule of events. It's always best to come early, as little downtown Beaufort can fill up very quickly.