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!

Crooktoberfest at Crooked Hammock Brewery, Sept. 15 - Oct. 13

Crooktoberfest at Crooked Hammock Brewery isn’t just for grown-ups, it’s a backyard celebration the whole family can enjoy! Alongside the festive fall décor and live music, kids can take part in games, crafts, and even make their own pretzel necklaces at the free craft table. Parents can join in the fun too, with backyard competitions, tasty food, and seasonal treats. It’s a playful twist on Oktoberfest with plenty of family-friendly energy.

Thompson Farm and Nursery Fall Festival, Oct. 3 - Oct. 25

October at Thompson Farm is packed with themed weekends for interests of all ages!

• Friday Movie Nights – Every Friday in October features a drive‑in and Flashlight Friday double bill. The film lineup is Hocus Pocus (Oct. 3), Hocus Pocus 2 (Oct. 10), Moana 2 (Oct. 17) and Wicked (Oct. 24)

• Baby’s First Pumpkin Weekend (Oct. 4–5) – Celebrate your littlest one’s first fall with pumpkin‑themed photo ops and gentle activities

• Touch‑A‑Tractor Weekend (Oct. 11–12) – Climb aboard and snap photos with tractors and farm equipment of all sizes

• Princess & Superhero Weekend (Oct. 18–19) – Meet costumed characters and snag some magical selfies

• Halloween Helicopter Candy Drop (Oct. 25-26) – End the month with a candy drop delivered by helicopter, turning trick‑or‑treating into an aerial spectacle

Surfside Beach Family Festival, Oct. 4

Surfside Drive in the town of Surfside Beach will be transformed into a fun celebration Oct. 4 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. 4 and 5

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. 11 and 12

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. 

Klig’s Kites Kite Festival, Oct. 11 and 12

Keep your eyes on the sky for the amazing 8^th annual Klig’s Kites Kite Festival, held at a new location: the Market Common fields will take place from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Besides the sights of kites, food and drinks will be available to purchase - go fly a kite!

46th Annual Loris Bog-Off Festival, Oct. 18

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.

36th Annual Wooden Boat Show, Oct. 18 and 19

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.

Conway Coffin Races, Oct. 25

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 25 starting at 11am to see race participants compete by pushing their homemade, human powered "coffins" down a downtown course! There will be live music, food trucks, and Halloween activities all afternoon until 4 p.m.