10 Kid-Friendly Festivals in the Myrtle Beach Area this October

October is one of the best months here along the sunny Grand Strand. Summer heat has begun to subside along with the humidity, and it’s an all around great time to be outdoors—especially with little ones! This month also offers a ton of free festivals and events. We also have a ton of neat activities scheduled for Halloween, as well, and we’ll share those in a coming post!

Surfside Beach Family Festival, Oct. 5

Surfside Drive in the town of Surfside Beach will be transformed into a fun celebration Oct. 5 at the Surfside Beach Family Festival from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Expect art and craft vendors, festival foods, children’s activities, and two stages of live entertainment, along with thousands of people enjoying it all. There is even an apple pie baking contest!

Brookgreen Gardens Harvest Home Weekend Festival, Oct. 5 and 6

This annual favorite takes over beautiful Brookgreen Gardens for a weekend of all things fall, with highlights including mystery scarecrow-building, a pumpkin patch and pumpkin decorating, and hay maze. Plus, food vendors, as well as onsite restaurants, will be serving up goodies, and live music will entertain the crowd.

19th Annual Little River Shrimp Fest, Oct. 12 and 13

The scenic backdrop of the Little River waterfront along the Intracoastal Waterway makes this family-friendly festival worth checking out – and that’s on top of all the delicious shrimp! Festival goers will have the chance to sample some of the best local seafood to be found along the Grand Strand, while enjoying a children’s play area, a wide variety of vendors, live entertainment and more. Food and beverage vendors are aplenty at this festival, so be sure to come hungry. 

Conway Halloween Golf Cart Parade, Oct. 19 

The City of Conway declared a name change for the month of October to be "Halloween, SC", so you know they are celebrating this spooky holiday big time! Head on out to downtown Conway on October 19 starting at 9:00 a.m. for the 5th annual Golf Cart Parade! The parade lines up with Coastal Carolina University's homecoming AND the carts are both competitive and non-competitive with awards being presented!

45th Annual Loris Bog-Off Festival, Oct. 19

Dating back to 1980, this festival is an October institution here along the Grand Strand! The Loris Bog-Off is a celebration of all things chicken bog—a regional dish of chicken, rice, onion, spices and more—and takes place in downtown Loris. It’s free to attend the one-day festival, with events kicking off at 9 a.m. Families can expect to find hundreds of vendors, a chicken bog-cooking contest, live concerts, a car and tractor show, fireworks, inflatables, and much more.

35th Annual Wooden Boat Show, Oct. 19 and 20

This is a longtime tradition of historic downtown Georgetown. One of the best wooden boat exhibits in the Southeast will be displayed along Front Street and in the water, featuring more than 100 classic wooden boats. There will also be a boatbuilding competition, corrugated boat race, children’s model boatbuilding, a youth sailing regatta, knot-tying demos, maritime arts and crafts, food, and fun. All proceeds benefit the South Carolina Maritime Museum.

Klig’s Kites Kite Festival, Oct. 19 and 20

Keep your eyes on the sky for the amazing 7^th annual Klig’s Kites Kite Festival, held at Burroughs & Chapin Pavilion Place in Downtown Myrtle Beach from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Besides the sights of kites, food and drinks will be available to purchase - go fly a kite!

Kaminski House - Family Fun and Reading Day, Oct. 26

Join book lovers on the lawn of The Kaminski House Museum from 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. for a fun day full of arts, crafts, reading, and storytelling. Family Fun and Reading Day will also include activities such as yard games, spooky crafts, halloween treats, and music.

2nd Annual Myrtle Beach Fall Jerk Fest, Oct 27

The all-day Myrtle Beach Fall Jerk Fest on Oct. 27 takes place on Broadway Street in downtown Myrtle Beach, where the history and revitalization of historical Broadway Street, the city’s first road and location of many of its first businesses, will be celebrated. With the street shut down, food trucks, retail vendors, and family-friendly live entertainment will move in. This year's theme pays homage to one of the enduring legacies of the fusion of African and Taìno cultures in Jamaica.