January 6-February 16, 2021, Mardi Gras Southwest Louisiana, Lake Charles, LA, www.swlamardigras.com
Southwest Louisiana is well-known as an amazing destination to enjoy Mardi Gras! The area hosts the second largest Mardi Gras in the state with over 60 Krewes and lots of exciting activities. Visitors and locals alike look forward to the annual 12th Night Celebration as it kicks off the event and royal courts usher in the new year donning spirited costumes. Later on, Laissez les bons temp rouler as the festivities continue through Fat Tuesday on February 16. Enjoy parades, cook-offs, balls and galas, the Iowa Chicken Run, live music and more. Each year there are new costumes to see, new Krewes riding in the parades and new King Cake flavors to taste. Plan early and come have a blast!
January 16-18, 2021, Martin Luther King Jr. Festival, Lake Charles, LA, https://www.facebook.com/mlkswla/
The MLK Coalition, The Vibe 105 Foundation and KZWA 104.9 FM announce the 37th annual Martin Luther King Jr. Festival honoring the sacrifices and efforts of King. The festival helps create scholarships for local students to help offset the cost of college and pays homage to local leaders exuding King’s ideals of “Peace, Justice and Brotherhood.” The event kicks off with a Memorial Breakfast recognizing outstanding community individuals. Other activities include an MLK Community 5K Run/3 Mile Walk as well as a Health and Awareness Fair. Look for an MLK Community Clean-Up along with other fun, family events such as Monday’s Family Day Festival (free for kids under 12) bursting with entertainment from a parade and music to a Celebrity Gumbo Cook-Off, local vendors, exhibits, arts and crafts, and loads of Creole and Cajun food.
January 30, 2021, 20th Annual African American Cultural Celebration, Raleigh, NC, https://www.ncmuseumofhistory.org/aacc-2021
This year the event will be virtual.
Enjoy an early kick-off to Black History Month at the North Carolina Museum of History’s African American Cultural Celebration presented in partnership with the North Carolina African American Heritage Commission. The Celebration features over 150 artists from across the state, local authors and poets, as well as health and healing traditions with cooking demonstrations and interactive workshops. This free day of activities and programs is ideal for families.
February 27, 2021, NHRMC Wilmington, NC Marathon, Wilmington, NC, https://www.wilmingtonncmarathon.com/
For the 11th year of the NHRMC Wilmington, NC Marathon, participants will see some big changes. With 2020’s event being canceled, 2021 is shaping up nicely. The starting point for the marathon is at the pier overlooking the Atlantic Ocean at sunrise and the finish line is in Downtown Wilmington along the River Walk.
Select Weekends in March, 2021, Shamrock City, Lookout Mountain, GA, www.seerockcity.com/shamrock
Find the luck of the Irish at Rock City’s 13th annual Irish Celebration—Shamrock City! Don your favorite green outfit and head for the hills! Enjoy bands and bagpipers, taste Irish food and beer, and participate in other fun activities. Don’t miss Rock City’s famous fudge with a “green” twist.
Fridays, March-September, 2021, Main Street Fridays, Greenville, SC, https://www.greenvillesc.gov/1322/Greenville-Heritage-Main-Street-Fridays
Fridays in Greenville are something special with outdoor street parties showcasing the best musical talent from locals and beyond. Main Street Fridays is a free 28-week music series featuring a wide variety of genres including beach, oldies, blues and party music. You’ll also find a children’s activity area as well as special promotional events that are family friendly.
March 4-7, 2021, Bridge Crossing Jubilee, Selma, AL, https://www.selma50.com/
This year the event will be virtual.
Each year the Bridge Crossing Jubilee, Inc. hosts the largest annual Civil Rights Commemoration event in the Country in historic Selma, Alabama. The four-day event, focused on the Selma to Montgomery March of the Voting Rights of 1965, demonstrates the struggle for the right to vote by gathering at the foot of the Edmund Pettus Bridge along with a festival of music, art and historical remembrance.
March 13-14, 2021, Art in the Park: Art, Crafts & Music Festival, Brooksville, FL, https://www.hernandoarts.org/art-in-the-park
Celebrating the arts in its many forms, the annual Art in the Park: Art, Crafts & Music Festival is huge! Presented by the Hernando County Fine Arts Council, the event showcases more than a hundred exhibitors both locally and beyond, who display and sell their work. Event highlights include a juried art show, student art displays, hands-on children’s activities and live musical performances including the Hernando County Symphony Orchestra. Visitors will find lots of sanitizer stations, an expanded area for the kiddos, a live mural painting during the event and lots of photo opportunities.
March 25-28, 2021, Festival of Flowers, Mobile, AL, https://festivalofflowers.com/
Since 1994, the Festival of Flowers has blossomed into one of the last remaining flower shows in the nation, raising money annually for Mobile’s Providence Hospital. Today, the event is spread across four days and attracts more than 15,000 people from all over the Southeast and beyond. The 300,000 square feet of white tents house a colorful world of art, photography, floral displays, landscaped gardens, vignettes and sophisticated designs (both interior and exterior). Guests can attend helpful and educational seminars, as well as wander through vendors to purchase unique plants and gardening gadgets. This year the festival will showcase gardens of Japanese influence by Lead Designer Dale Speetjens of Shipshape Urban Farms.
March 26-27, 2021, Springtime Tallahassee Festival, Tallahassee, FL, http://www.springtimetallahassee.com/
Springtime Tallahassee is a two-day event with a Music Festival, a Grand Parade, vendors (Jubilee in the Park), a Children’s Park and local entertainment stages in the downtown area. Experience one of the largest and most celebrated festivals in the Southeast and join thousands of attendees at this annual celebration. New this year, Accessible Viewing Areas (AVA) have been added to both the Music Festival and the Grand Parade to assist those who have physical or behavioral disabilities.
March 27-28, 2021, Conyers Cherry Blossom Festival, Conyers, GA, https://www.georgiahorsepark.com/p/calendar-of-events/conyers-cherry-blossom-festival
From humble beginnings in 1982, Conyers Cherry Blossom Festival has grown and moved to a larger venue to accommodate that growth. Visit the two-day festival at the Georgia International Horse Park where you’ll see hundreds of artist and crafter booths, food vendors and enjoy entertainment from a variety of cultures. The festival is scheduled during the blooming of the beautiful Yoshino Cherry Trees and brings the community together focusing on cultural understanding and friendship through art, music, dance, crafts, food and entertainment. Admission is free but parking is $5.
Select Weekends in April, EarthDayz, Lookout Mountain, GA, www.seerockcity.com/earthdayz
Rock City partners with Orange Grove for the 12th annual fun, outdoor event, EarthDayz, as Rock City goes greener. Guests will learn about America’s birds of prey during a Raptor show. Family-friendly activities abound including a Flower Flair to launch wildflower seeds, make-and-take recycled projects and even some educational demonstrations. Enjoy lunch (with a view) at Café 7 and you can bring your pooch on a leash.
April 7-11, 2021, North Carolina Azalea Festival at Wilmington, Inc., Wilmington, NC, https://ncazaleafestival.org/
The Azalea Festival is a Wilmington premier event and the largest festival of its kind in the state. Founded in 1948, the festival has grown and offers everything from a Festival Parade to an annual three-day Street Fair. The locals support the event and show their pride as volunteers and the like, staging more than 50 events such as concerts, art shows, the street fair with interactive displays, home and garden tours, special exhibits and other entertainment and activities.
April 21-25, 2021, Beaufort Wine and Food Weekend, Beaufort, NC, www.beaufortwineandfood.com
Come see what all the fuss is about at the Beaufort Wine and Food Weekend. A non-profit celebrated for more than 16 years, this event is one of Eastern North Carolina’s premier culinary events raising close to a million dollars for charities since its inception. There’s so much to do, so a little planning may be best, especially this year with COVID precautions in place, you’ll see smaller-scale events. The five-day festival will offer intimate wine dinners as well as the crowd favorite Vin de Mer! Lots of year-round work goes into this event and the destination is so perfect in the historic seaside community of Beaufort.
April 22-25, 2021, Vidalia Onion Festival, Vidalia, GA, https://www.vidaliaonionfestival.com
Folks come from all over each spring to celebrate the harvest of Georgia’s Official State Vegetable—the Vidalia Sweet Onion. Enjoy a myriad of fun-filled activities at the award-winning Vidalia Onion Festival…events like pageants and a culinary extravaganza…even a softball tournament! There will be a Chalk Walk, a children’s parade, a Movie Under the Stars, arts and crafts, an onion-eating contest, the Kiwanis Onion Run, a carnival and so much more. The festival has added “Vidalia’s Got Talent” for 2021 and it will be a permanent event designed to showcase performing arts talent in the area. Winners will perform during the Friday Night Street Dance.
April 30-May 9, 2021, Louisiana Pirate Festival, Lake Charles, LA, https://www.louisianapiratefestival.com/
The Louisiana Pirate Festival is one of the most unique annual festivals you’ll find. Celebrating the legend of pirate Jean Lafitte (his treasure is said to be buried somewhere along the banks of Lake Charles), the festival holds true to its theme with modern-day pirates in full regalia on boats out on the lake, cannon firings, carnival rides, games and live music. Of course, you’ll find good food at this Louisiana festival and you can cheer on contestants in the arm-wrestling contest. There’s so much to do and everyone will love the glorious fireworks ending.
Saturdays, May-October, 2021, Saturday Market, Greenville, SC, https://www.saturdaymarketlive.com/
Saturday mornings are special in Greenville as two blocks of downtown are transformed into a fabulous Farmers Market with some 81 vendors peddling the freshest of produce and high-quality crafts. Come pick up locally-sourced products, food (grown within 100 miles of Greenville) and enjoy live music, children’s activities and cooking demonstrations. The award-winning Saturday Market offers so much more than food…you have to experience it for yourself!
Select Weekends in May, 2021, Southern Blooms Festival, Lookout Mountain, GA, www.seerockcity.com/southernblooms
Experience the beauty of southern blooms during Rock City’s Southern Blooms Festival, the premier garden event. Year number 12 promises lots of blossoms all about the gardens honoring Rock City’s original gardener, Frieda Utermoehlen Carter. The Enchanted Trail will come alive with color and visitors can learn about the legacy and heritage of the gardens via tours, demonstrations and festivities. Kids will enjoy educational flower crafts and you can take home a plant from Frieda’s Flower Sale. Other entertainment and food is also available.
May 5-8, 2021, Pigeon Forge’s A Mountain Quiltfest, Pigeon Forge, TN, www.MyPigeonForge.com
Quilters come from all over to Pigeon Forge for this annual event—A Mountain Quiltfest. Headquartered at the LeConte Center at Pigeon Forge, A Mountain Quiltfest offers classes for all levels of quilting, a vendor area and a quilt show featuring over 500 unique works of art. Admission is free to the quilt show and vendor area, but fees are charged for classes.
May 7-8, 2021, Market Street Festival, Columbus, MS, www.marketstreetfestival.com
Join the festivities in historic Downtown Columbus as the Market Street Festival celebrates 25 years with a jam-packed, totally fun, two-day event! Enjoy arts and crafts vendors, food vendors and dozens of special events/activities perfect for the entire family. You’ll see four entertainment stages with more than 20 musical acts throughout the weekend, a car show, tractor display, children’s area, inflatables, pony rides, a petting zoo and so much more. Don’t miss the kick-off event—Market Street After Dark—a concert held on the banks of the Tennessee-Tombigbee River at Columbus Riverwalk.
May 14, 21, 28 and June 4, 2021, Downtown at Sundown – Outdoor Concert Series, Lake Charles, LA, https://www.visitlakecharles.org
Downtown at Sundown is an annual outdoor music and art event running four consecutive Friday evenings from mid-May to early June. Each concert features a different local or regional artist performing favorite music genres like Cajun, Zydeco, swamp-pop and classic rock. You can expect to find food and beverage booths, table-top galleries, an art sale and activities for kids. The annual event helps to bring awareness to the artistic and musical talents in SWLA and helps establish downtown as a thriving urban community. Additionally, the event serves as a fundraiser for the Literacy Council of SWLA as they receive the revenue from beverage sales.
Weekends, Memorial Day-Labor Day, 2021, Summer Music Weekends, Lookout Mountain, GA, www.seerockcity.com/summermusic
Enjoy live music, great food and Birds of Prey Shows during the Summer Music Weekends from Memorial Day through Labor Day. Guests will be treated to live tunes ranging from country and folk to bluegrass. Sip on a fresh-squeezed lemonade or milkshake and enjoy a summer evening at Rock City.
June 4-6, 2021, Chennault International Airshow, Lake Charles, LA, https://chennaultairshow.com/
This year the Chennault International Airshow will offer an outstanding headliner—the U.S. Navy Blue Angels, the most famous jet demonstration team in the history of aviation. The team celebrates its 75th anniversary in 2021 and will be flying a new model of their plane for the first time in 40 years. This local tradition will be held at Chennault International Airport and feature a tribute to the 77th anniversary of D-Day. Also, guests will be treated to the Liberty Jump Team, Aeroshell Aerobatic Team, racing pilot Kevin Coleman and Randy Ball’s MIG-17F. There will be food trucks for your enjoyment. Proceeds from the airshow benefit STEM education through grants to local science, technology, engineering and math educators.
June 5-7, 2021, North Georgia Highlands Seafood and Wine Festival, Young Harris, GA, http://www.northgeorgiahighlandsseafoodfestival.com/
North Georgia plays host to many festivals including the Highlands Seafood and Wine Festival, a three-day, family-friendly fine craft and art show in the enchanted valley of Young Harris. This festival features musical entertainment, live art demonstrations, arts and crafts, antiques and superb seafood. Held in Mayors Park, this festival creates a tremendous economic impact for the surrounding area with motels, resorts and camping facilities sold out during the event. If you’re looking to enjoy wild Georgia shrimp, Georgia-produced wines and sip on local craft brews, this is your festival!
June 10, 24 and July 8, 22, 2021, Sounds of Summer, Columbus, MS, www.columbusmainstreet.com
There’s nothing like free and a free concert series in beautiful Downtown Columbus is even better. Main Street Columbus and the Columbus-Lowndes Chamber of Commerce are partnering for the 2021 Sounds of Summer concert series on Thursdays in June and July from 7-9 p.m. Come and enjoy local music, cold beverages, great food, activities for the kids and the awesome, newly renovated Old Hwy 82 Bridge as your evening backdrop. Don’t forget to bring a lawn chair or blanket.
June 11-13, 2021, Ferguson North American Sand Soccer Championships, Virginia Beach, VA, www.sandsoccer.com
The North American Sand Soccer Championships is the “World Cup” equivalent of international amateur beach soccer attracting teams from nearly 20 states and entries from as far away as Canada, Brazil, Mexico, and Portugal. Combining U8-Adult amateur competition as well as the professional U.S. Open Men’s and Women’s divisions, most participants are enthusiasts of conventional outdoor soccer who have fallen for beach soccer at this event and make it a yearly trip. Aside from amateur and pro beach divisions, other beach sports include Beach COED Flag Football, Wrestling and Sand Hockey. And, of course, the beach is an attraction all in itself for after-hours fun and relaxation.
June 25, 2021, Gulf Coast Shrimp & Jazz Festival, Lake Charles, LA, www.visitlakecharles.org
Bring the family out to the Lake Charles Civic Center and enjoy a good time with tasty food and lots of Jazz music. The festival vision has remained inspired by the desire for quality cultural change in SWLA and the goal to attract and engage a larger Jazz audience has been effective. Family-friendly and a perfect summertime event, make your plans to attend the 2021 Gulf Coast Shrimp and Jazz Festival.