By Delayna Earley
The Island News
Heavy rain and strong winds plagued the 36th annual Gullah Festival this past weekend, but that did not deter festival goers from attending.
The festival, which was held at Henry C. Chambers Waterfront Park from Friday, May 24 through Sunday, May 26, 2023, is usually held outdoors in the main open area of the park with performances at the pavilion, but due to the rain, everything had to be moved underneath the pavilion.
“It got so cold on Friday night that we had to try and find space heaters,” Thomas Roy Hicks II, President and CEO of the Gullah Festival said. “I had to drive all the way to Charleston to pick up three heaters last minute.”
Some of the vendors in the vendor fair moved under the pavilion, but others braved the weather despite concerns from the City of Beaufort about heavy winds blowing away the tents.
“We were not prepared and did not expect for there to be a storm like this at this time of year, normally its 80 degrees and sunny,” Hicks said.
Hicks said that for next year he plans to work with festival planners to put a plan in place for inclement weather.
That said, he was very happy to see how flexible and genuinely understanding the festival goers were and was surprised to see how many people came out on each day, especially on Sunday.
“That was the biggest crowd that we have ever had for Hour of Power,” Hicks said about Sunday. More than 200 people came out for the last day of the festival.
The festival was first held in 1986 and was put on by a group of four women, one of which was Hicks grandmother, Rosalie Pazant. The festival has been held every year since except for 2020 due to COVID-19.
Delayna Earley lives in Beaufort with her husband, two children and Jack Russell. She spent six years as a videographer and photographer for The Island Packet and The Beaufort Gazette before leaving the Lowcountry in 2018. After freelancing in Myrtle Beach and Virginia, she joined The Island News when she moved back to Beaufort in 2022. She can be reached at delayna.theislandnews@gmail.com.
