Surf and Turf Festivals in the Palmetto State

Lowcountry boil with shrimp and pickled okra — The May River Shrimp Festival is held annually at Bluffton’s Oyster Factory.

The smells, the sights, the flavors - food festivals are a multi-sensory experience we can't get enough of in the Palmetto State. From mudbugs and shellfish to mindblowing smoked meat, South Carolinians are famous for celebrating their favorite delicacies from land and sea.

Whether you lean toward "surf," "turf" - or both - this lineup of food festivals delivers big on fun and local flavor.

People eating seafood around table at festival — Friends and family come together over fresh SC seafood at the May River Shrimp Festival in Bluffton.

Surf

South Carolina waters are brimming with delicious coastal flavors. Freshwater catches, briny oysters, succulent shrimp and other sea-to-table gifts from local waters will hook you at first bite when you indulge at one of these festivals:

Shrimp

Beaufort Shrimp Festival, Beaufort (October)

Little River ShrimpFest, Little River (October)

Lowcountry Shrimp Festival and Blessing of the Fleet, McClellanville (May)

Shrimp Festival of Yemassee, Yemassee (September)

May River Shrimp Festival, Bluffton (October)

Blessing of the Fleet and Seafood Festival - Mt. Pleasant (April)

Crawfish and Crab

Rosewood Crawfish Festival, Columbia (May)

World Famous Blue Crab Festival, Little River (May)

Awendaw Blue Crab Festival, Awendaw (August)

Port Royal Soft Shell Crab Festival, Port Royal (April)

Oysters

Lowcountry Oyster Festival, Mt. Pleasant (January)

South Carolina Oyster Festival, Columbia (November)

Hilton Head Oyster Festival, Hilton Head Island (November)

Chopping pork — Get your fill of smokey, chopped pork at the Pig on the Ridge festival.

Turf

In South Carolina, barbecue is a noun that refers to tender, tantalizing pork slow-cooked in huge smokers, then typically slathered in one of four sauces: vinegar-based, light tomato-based, heavy tomato-based and mustard-based.

Celebrate a time-honored tradition at these barbecue-centric festivals:

The Barbecue Festival, Lexington (October)

Collard and BBQ Festival, Gaston (October)

Pig on the Ridge, Ridgeway (November)

Smoke on the Harbor, Mt. Pleasant (November)

South Carolina BBQ Shag Festival, Hemingway (March)

Pork in the Park, Newberry (April)

BBQ Cook-Off and Festival, Greenville (April)

Hub City Hog Fest, Spartanburg (April)

Youth Mentors of the Pee Dee BBQ Cookoff, Florence (April)

Smoke on the Beach, Myrtle Beach (April)

Suds & Swine, Laurinburg (April)