Fall Festival Food and Fun on Hilton Head Island: Part 2
September officially kicked off the fall festival season at Hilton Head! My family really enjoyed the Island Jam Songwriter Festival and dug in to some Firemost Pizza during the Locash concert night! We also kicked off our Oktoberfest celebrations at Locals Only Tap Room and are looking forward to more schnitzel and beer steins in the coming weeks!
October is packed FULL of festivals! From mac n cheese to chili to BBQ to Italian favs… it’s a great time to find lots of delicious festival foods on the island.
Here are a few that I am most excited about:
October 4th: Hilton Head Oktoberfest will bring German festivities to Shelter Cove Harbour and Marina from 12-4PM. White Liquor will be keeping the crowd groovin’ and lots of competitions (including a stein heist) will keep everyone entertained. Costumes are encouraged at this waterfront event!
October 4th: Fish & Grits Music Festival is back at Lowcountry Celebration Park for an afternoon of celebrating Gullah food, culture and live music from 12-6PM.
October 11th: Jeep Island & Kiwanis Chili Cook Off will be rocking with RetroRoxx on the stage from 12-3PM at Lowcountry Celebration Park. Chili will be available for sampling from local organizations and restaurants. This year marks the 40th year of this annual event and Jesse Blanco will be one of the judges for the competition!
October 18th: Hilton Head Italian Heritage Festival is back at Honey Horn for its 15th year. The event promises plenty of Italian dining options from several locally owned restaurants. Authentic menu items including pasta with meatballs, zeppoli, fried ravioli, cannolis, and espresso will be available. A kids zone, grape stomping competition, pizza eating contest and the massive Hilton Head Big Band will all be part of this year’s fest!
Oct 25: Mac N Cheese Festival is new to the festival calendar this year! The Island Rec Center is proud to launch this new festival hosted at Lincoln and South Brewery. Several different vendors will be sharing samples of their best mac n cheese to festival goers to earn bragging rights. Be sure to MAC YOUR CALENDAR for this cheesy event from 5-8PM!
Oct 25: Rock N Ribs at Coligny Plaza doubles as a fun gathering and a local fundraiser. This food focused fest brings powerhouse music acts together to help raise money for Coligny Cares & Second Helpings. Several pitmasters will be on hand to bring the BBQ heat including Orchid Palmeier a BBQ Brawl semifinalist on Food Network and One Hot Mama fame. Judd Foster of Hootenany BBQ, Slowcountry BBQ, Local Pie and others will be showcasing their finger lickin good BBQ eats. Algorhythm, Cranford Hollow and Nick Poulin will keep everyone entertained as they chow down from 5:30-7:30PM.
Which events are you most excited about?! Happy Fall, y’all!
Brooke is a Hilton Head freelance writer and shares her best tips for island life with her Instagram @hifromhhi followers.
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