Ashton Pointe Blog

The Gullah Festival of South Carolina celebrates and recognizes the history, customs, cultures, language and accomplishments of the African Americans of the Lowcountry. This celebration of Lowcountry culture and heritage is highlighted with authentic arts and crafts, exhibits in the Black Inventions Museum, Gullah presentations, music, workshops, dance and regional foods. Gullah is more than simply the language and name of a people. It encompasses the essence of struggle, spirituality, perseverance and tradition.

Festival activities will commence Friday, May 27th and will end on Sunday, May 29th. The festival is always held on the weekend leading up to Memorial Day Monday. The 2011 festival, which is the 25th, will be held at the Henry C. Chambers Waterfront Park with additional venues throughout Historical Beaufort.

The first year of the festival in Beaufort was 1986. There were approximately thirty-five people in attendance. The festival has been in existence for 24 years now and has had up to as many as 70 thousand people in attendance over the course of a three day period.

The Gullah Festival is family oriented and has become an excellent destination and weekend activity for  all types of friendly gatherings. The festival is planning to have an excellent line up of entertainment for you and the activities include such entertainment as, jazz, blues, reggae, gospel, storytelling, dance, arts & crafts, delicious food, vendors market, educational forums, teen summits, beauty pageant, art shows, museum displays, dances and plays. Also, this year, there will be something different: an adult Jazz Club setting on Friday Night from 9p – 12a.