By Delayna Earley
The Island News
The heat of summer has settled in, Independence Day has come and gone – in Beaufort this means it is almost Water Festival time.
The 68th Beaufort Water Festival will kick off with an opening ceremony and fireworks display on Friday, July 12, at Henry C. Chambers Waterfront Park.
“Anyone who has worked for the festival will tell you that the opening ceremony is their favorite event,” said Dusty Vickers, the marketing and public relations coordinator. “We have been working very hard on this festival all year, so when the opening ceremony happens, we can all take a deep breath.”
Josh Schott, the commodore for this year’s festival, agreed and said that the opening ceremony is one event he looks forward to each year.
The 10-day festival, which originated in 1956 to celebrate Beaufort’s coastal culture, will feature nightly entertainment and sporting events both on land and in the water.
Vickers said that the festival, which is put on by a team of roughly 400 volunteers, is estimated to bring in more than 50,000 visitors over course of the festival, drawing in not only community members but visitors from out of town as well.
While a lot of the festival will be similar to previous years, there are a few changes to the 2024 festival that need to be noted.
The biggest change from previous years is the new clear bag policy that will be enforced for any ticketed events.
Festivalgoers who bring a bag that violates the policy will be asked to return it to their vehicle, but clear bags will be available for purchase at the festival.
There are exceptions to the bag policy – clear bookbags, medically necessary items or diaper bags for families who have an infant or a toddler with them will be allowed.
Small clutch bags no larger than 4.5 in. by 6.5 in. will also be allowed.
Beyond that, approved bags must not be larger than 12 in. by 6 in. by 12 in. and logos that are no bigger than 4.5 in. by 3.4 in. may be on one side of the bag.
One-gallon, clear plastic freezer bags will also be allowed.
“We know that there will be some who aren’t happy about the new policy, but its 2024 and we have to keep people safe,” Vickers said.
Another big change for this year is that there will be no tickets for events sold at the gate, all tickets have to be purchased online.
“This is to make the process of getting into the events easier and also to protect the volunteers manning the gate from having cash with them,” Schott said about the new policy.
While the festival organizers suggest that you purchase your tickets in advance, there will be a QR code at the gate that can be used by anyone who arrives expecting to purchase their ticket at the gate.
The headlining band in Concert in the Park on Saturday will be a country band called Parmalee.
While the band is one of the few that is playing during the festival that is not local to Beaufort, they are fellow Carolinians, as they got their start in Parmele, N.C.
Both Schott and Vickers agreed that the most popular nights of the festival are Saturday night with the Concert in the Park, and Monday night’s Motown Monday featuring the popular local band Deas Guyz.
Those who drink alcohol while attending the festival are encouraged to stay safe and make sure they have a sober ride home, but Paulick Law, LLC is taking that one step further and is offering the Water Festival Sober Rides Campaign.
The law firm will sponsor sober rides home for festival attendees to try and reduce the risk of impaired driving and keep the roads safe.
Not to be forgotten, Saturday morning will feature the raft races, children’s fishing tournament and several land sporting competitions such as badminton and bocce.
A water ski show and River Rally will be the featured events on Sunday, July 14.
Other local bands, a talent show and community Lowcountry boil dinner will keep people entertained throughout the week and the following weekend, on Saturday, July 20, grand marshal Derrick “D” Washington will lead the free Water Festival Grand Parade through downtown Beaufort starting at 10 a.m.
The festival will culminate on Sunday, July 21, with the traditional Blessing of the Fleet, which gives owners of recreational and commercial boats the chance to parade past the seawall in downtown Beaufort to receive a blessing from a local religious leader.
For more information about the events and the festival, check out www.bftwaterfestival.com.
Delayna Earley, who joined The Island News in 2022, formerly worked as a photojournalist for The Island Packet/The Beaufort Gazette, as well as newspapers in Indiana and Virginia. She can be reached at delayna.theislandnews@gmail.com.
