Mount Pleasant Blessing of the Fleet & Seafood Festival
Here in the Lowcountry, we take our seafood seriously, which is why our vehicles sport bumper stickers adamantly declaring that “friends don’t let friends eat imported shrimp.” If you want to come celebrate the captains and crews who labor to catch that fresh local seafood while enjoying a wonderful time with your community in a beautiful setting, the Blessing of the Fleet & Seafood Festival returns to Mount Pleasant on April 26 at Memorial Waterfront Park from 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Launched in 1988 by the Magwood family, who have worked for more than a century in the Shem Creek fishing industry, this annual festival pays tribute to Mount Pleasant’s local shrimping and fishing heritage.
The event features a host of family-friendly activities including a boat parade and ceremonial blessing of the shrimp/fishing fleet, savory seafood samplings sold by some of Mount Pleasant’s best chefs, live music, a craft show, Mount Pleasant Artists Guild juried art exhibit, shag dance and shrimp-eating contests and more. The best part: admission and activities are free.
Local restaurants and caterers will be serving seafood and other festival-favorite menu items to sample. Stroll through the craft show and enjoy a variety of handmade wares. The central message of the event is to encourage people to “shop local” and “support local,” said Town of Mount Pleasant Events Coordinator Tracy Richter.
Event T-shirts will feature a photograph of Shem Creek taken by the late TJ Phillips, radio personality and former co-host of 92.5 Kickin’ Country’s “TJ & Jessica in the Morning” show. Kickin’ Country will also broadcast the event.
Memorabilia proceeds from each year’s festival go to a local charity beneficiary who partners with the town on volunteer recruitment and management for the event. Additionally, the fleet boat captains each receive a stipend to help cover expenses such as fuel and supplies. The town makes no money on the event, according to Richter. “It’s about awareness but also giving back.”
Richter said they don’t make a lot of changes to the festival year to year and that’s intentional. “It’s steeped in tradition.”
Mayor Will Haynie characterized what he thinks makes it so special. “The Blessing of the Fleet is the most unique Mount Pleasant festival because only a few communities have their own shrimping fleet. Much less do they have an event like this that centers around them,” stated Haynie. “I don’t think anyone could imagine Mount Pleasant without the shrimp boats active in Shem Creek, so I hope that people will turn out and support them not only at the big event, but all year round.”
Visit experiencemountpleasant.com/event/blessing-of-the-fleet-seafood-festival for more information.
McClellanville: 48th Annual Lowcountry Shrimp Festival and Blessing of the Fleet
Mount Pleasant isn’t the only coastal town in South Carolina celebrating its shrimping heritage and the start of the shrimping season with a Blessing of the Fleet.
On Saturday, May 2, from 11 a.m.-5 p.m. our neighbors to the north up Highway 17 in the small fishing town of McClellanville will host the 48th Annual Lowcountry Shrimp Festival and Blessing of the Fleet at the Robert E. Ashley Landing.
The Archibald Rutledge Academy sponsored the first Lowcountry Shrimp Festival in the summer of 1977, which focuses on the blessing of the village’s shrimping fleet as local shrimp boat captains and crews prepared for the upcoming shrimp season. Trawlers, festooned with colorful flags and pennants, slowly parade down Jeremy Creek to receive the prayers of the local clergy for a safe and bountiful season.
Its current iteration will feature live music from Radio Bomb and Billy and the Goats, 60+ local craft vendors, a large children’s play area and plenty of local shrimp (as well as other food options for the non-shrimp eaters). Admission is free and all proceeds from food, beverage, festival merchandise and children’s area sales benefit McClellanville’s local charter school, CREECS (Cape Romain Environmental Education School). No coolers, tents or beach umbrellas are permitted.
For more info and updates, visit facebook.com/LowcountryShrimpFestival/.
Beaufort Water Festival
Beaufort’s Blessing of the Fleet and Parade of Boats takes place on the last day of its 10-day-long Beaufort Water Festival, held this year from July 17-26. The Blessing of the Fleet is a tradition on the final day of the Water Festival. Boats are decorated and line up to parade in front of the seawall for the blessing and then circle the harbor again.
This free event on July 26 from 12:30-2 p.m. is located along the Beaufort River in front of the Waterfront Park Seawall. There will also be a Festival Arts & Crafts market at the Promenade at Waterfront Park from 9:30 a.m.-3 p.m. The full festival features a grand parade, an air show, live music, a raft race, a bocce tournament, a teen dance, a Caribbean night, a talent show and more.
Visit bftwaterfestival.com for a full schedule of events.
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