Fall is one of the best times of year to visit Savannah or the Georgia and South Carolina lowcountry if you are interested in the area’s food and culinary culture.
From fall until spring, a wide range of food-centric festivals are hosted in Savannah and nearby. The autumn months are an especially good time for local seafood, with several of the region’s biggest annual festivals focused around the local shrimp, oyster and other seafood catches.
There is far more to the area’s food culture than seafood, though, and this time of year also offers a variety of other food and drink events, from Savannah’s main culinary festival in November, to craft and local beer festivals, heritage-based food festivals, and other celebrations of regional cuisine, music and culture.
See also
– Annual seafood festivals in Savannah & the lowcountry
– Other food festivals in Georgia
– Savannah’s events by month: January, February, March, April, May, June, July, August, September, October, November, December
– Savannah’s must-see sights
– Weather in Savannah in September, October and November
!Event dates, venue and other details may change at short notice. Please check all information at the official website before planning your travel.
– (St Simons Island, GA) BBQ on the Bluff, September 30 2023
Annual barbecue festival at Gascoigne Bluff, with food by pit masters from across the southeast, drinks and music. Event benefits the Firebox Initiative, which provides assistance to restaurant employees in financial crisis. More details
– (Bluffton, SC) Bluffton Boiled Peanut Festival, 2023 event TBC
Adults $15, children (10 and under) free. Heyward House, 70 Boundary Street.
Annual peanut-centric food festival with boiled peanut cooking and eating contests, children’s costume competition and other family-friendly activities. More details
For other events this month, see:
– September events in Savannah
– September festivals in Georgia
– September events in Hilton Head, SC
– Savannah Greek Fest, October 6-8 2022
Admission free on Thursday and until 4pm Friday, $2 donation requested Friday evening and all day Saturday. St Paul’s Hellenic Center, 14 West Anderson Street.
Annual three-day celebration of Greek food, music, dancing and culture. More details
– Shalom Y’all Jewish Food Festival, 2022 event TBC
Free admission, food tickets sold separately. Monterey Square.
Very popular annual festival of Jewish food, music and culture. More details
– (Beaufort, SC) Beaufort Shrimp Festival, October 6-7 2023
Annual food festival in Henry C Chambers Waterfront Park, Beaufort, with food from the best regional chefs and restaurants, arts and crafts market, live music, 5K race, and more. More details
– (Richmond Hill, GA) Great Ogeechee Seafood Festival, October 20-22 2023
JF Gregory Park, Richmond Hill, GA.
Large annual seafood festival and carnival, with seafood and non-seafood vendors, arts and crafts fair, carnival rides, live music and other entertainment. More details
– (Bluffton, SC) Historic Bluffton Arts & Seafood Festival, 2023 event TBC
Pricing for individual activities varies. Several venues across Old Town Bluffton and nearby.
Bluffton’s biggest annual festival, celebrating the local seafood industry and the arts, with street festival, seafood and southern food, fine art show, live music, history and nature tours, and other activities and entertainment. More details
– (Hilton Head, SC) Gullah Food Festival, 2023 event TBC
Annual festival of Gullah food and culture at Gullah Museum of Hilton Head Island, with traditional storytelling, music, food, speakers and children’s activities. More details
– (St Marys, GA) St Marys Seafood Festival, 2023 event TBC
Free admission, food sold separately. Downtown St Marys, GA.
Annual seafood festival with rock shrimp dinners and other food vendors, parade, demonstrations, arts and crafts, 5K and 10K races, car and tractor show, and more, to benefit the Kiwanis’ youth programs in Camden County. More details
For other events this month, see:
– October events in Savannah
– October festivals in Georgia
– October events in Hilton Head, SC
– Shalom Y’all Jewish Food Festival, November 13 2022
Popular annual festival of Jewish food organized by Congregation Mickve Israel. More details
– (Jekyll Island, GA) Shrimp & Grits: The Wild Georgia Shrimp Festival, November 3-4 2023
Free admission to the festival, $10 per day parking pass, food purchased separately. Various Historic District locations, Jekyll Island, GA.
Big annual food festival with shrimp and grits contest, other food and craft beer, arts and crafts fair, wildlife demonstrations, live music and kid’s activities. More details
– (Kingsland, GA) Kingsland Catfish Festival, November 18 2023
Annual seafood festival in downtown Kingsland, with local seafood, beer and wine, live music, antiques and other vendors, and more. More details
– (Hilton Head Island, SC) Hilton Head Oyster Festival, November 11-12 2022
Shelter Cove Community Park, Hilton Head Island, SC.
Annual oyster-centric food festival, with opening night all-you-can-eat Oyster Festival Party, local oysters, southern-style food, live music, children’s activities and more. More details
– (Riceboro, GA) Riceboro RiceFest, 2022 event TBC
Various downtown Riceboro locations.
Popular annual festival celebrating Riceboro’s rice farming heritage and the culture of the Gullah-Geechee people, with rice cook-off, food, music and other entertainment. More details
For other events this month, see:
– November events in Savannah
– November events in Hilton Head, SC
More Things To Do In Coastal Georgia
– Savannah events
– Georgia beaches
– Kayaking at Tybee Island
– Things to do in St Marys, GA
– Blackbeard Island and Sapelo Island tours
– Ossabaw Island
– Dolphin tours and boat charters from St Simons Island
– Things to do in Brunswick, GA
– Things to do in Midway, GA