What to do in South Carolina: October 2025
Photos by Sean Rayford
Halloween night in the Elmwood neighborhood in Columbia, SC
Welcome to my monthly guide on what to do in South Carolina. This isn’t an exhaustive list but rather — one curated by a photojournalist who has been covering the Palmetto State since 1997.
If you’re looking for parades, festivals, fairs, concerts, or unique events that are fun — this is it. Some of these might make great photography opportunities.
OCT 1 - OCT 4, 2025
Oct 1-4 / Greer - Albino Skunk Music Festival
Oct 1-5 / Orangeburg - Orangeburg County Fair
Oct 1-5 / Myrtle Beach - Myrtle Beach Bike Week Fall Rally
Oct 1 / Greenville - Pickle for a Purpose
Oct 1 / Columbia - STICK TO YOUR GUNS at NBT
Oct 2-4 / Ridgeland - Gopher Hill Festival
Oct 2-4 / Campobello - Moonshiners Reunion
Oct 2 / Columbia - Slowhole, Lash Meat, theyslashthem at NBT
Oct 2 / Columbia - Trousdale – Growing Pains Tour w Slow Funeral at The Senate
Oct 2 / Greenville - brokeNCYDE at The Radio Room
Oct 2 / Charleston - Shinyribs, w/ Wrongbird at The Pour House
Oct 3 / Charleston - Whitey Morgan: Acoustic Songs & Stories Tour at The Pour House
Oct 3 / Columbia - Great American Whiskey Fair
Oct 3 / Columbia - Meltdown 2.5 w/ SC PRIDE, BASS CHURCH, SOUND ESCAPE
Oct 3 / Charleston - Elvis Costello and The Imposters
Oct 3 / Charleston - The High Divers at The Royal American
Oct 3-4 / Beaufort - Beaufort Shrimp Festival
Oct 3-4 / Eutawville - Eutawville Crappie Classic and Fall Fest
Oct 3-4 / Greenville - NOMA Oktoberfest
Oct 4 / Columbia - Famously Hot SC Pride Festival
Oct 4 / Charleston - Meredith Foster at The Royal American
Oct 4 / Goose Creek - Goose Creek Fall Festival
Oct 4 / Folly Beach - Mermaids & Mateys
Oct 4 / Johns Island - Lowcountry Trail Half Marathon & 5K Run/Walk
Oct 4 / Columbia - Famously Hot SC Pride Festival
Oct 4 / Columbia - Tacos and Margarita Festival
Oct 4 / Columbia - Maxwell
Oct 4 / Columbia - Palmetto Campout
Oct 4 / Cayce - Cayce Fall Fest
Oct 4 / Newberry - Newberry Oktoberfest
Oct 4 / Salem - Lake Jocassee Paddle Splash
Oct 4 / Easley - Carolina Pagan Fest
Oct 4 /Greenville - 7th Annual Greenville Blues Festival at Bon Secours
Oct 4 /Greenville - Cole Chaney with Kindred Valley at The Radio Room
OCT 5 - OCT 11, 2025
Oct 5 / Columbia - JerryFest
Oct 5 / Columbia - Things Left Undone: Keith Haring and the Artists’ Mark
Oct 5 / Charleston - Latin American Festival
Oct 5 / Charleston - Charlotte Hornets vs. Oklahoma City Thunder (NBA Preseason)
Oct 5 / Greenville - The Steeldrivers 20th Anniversary Tour
Oct 5 /Greenville - Keel Duo at Radio Room
Oct 7-12 / Spartanburg - Piedmont Interstate Fair
Oct 7 / Charleston - Micky and the Motorcars at The Pour House (deck stage)
Oct 7 / Charleston - The Brothers Comatose at The Pour House
Oct 8 / Charleston - JOE MARCINEK BAND at The Pour House
Oct 8 / Greenville - The Witcher in Concert at The Peace Center
Oct 8 / Greenville - Home is Where with Forests at Radio Room
Oct 9 / Charleston - Layton Meacham at The Pour House
Oct 8-19 / Columbia - South Carolina State Fair
Oct 9-12 / Rock Hill - United States Disc Golf Championship
Oct 9-12 / Greenville - Fall for Greenville
Oct 9 / Greenville - The Callous Daoboys at Radio Room
Oct 10 / Charleston - Charlie Hunter Trio at The Pour House
Oct 10 / Charleston - Quelle the Prophet at The Royal American
Oct 10 / Columbia - Bingo Loco at Senate
Oct 10 / Greenville - Joss Stone at The Peace Center
Oct 10 / Greenville - Whitey Morgan at Radio Room
Oct 10-12 / Kingstree - Kingstree Pig Pickin' Festival
Oct 16 / Columbia - Daikaiju, Mids, Wastoid at NBT
Oct 10-19 / Aiken - Western Carolina State Fair
Oct 10-11 / North Charleston - Riverfront Revival
Oct 10-11 / Charleston - Boardr Series Skateboarding Competition
Oct 10-11 / Sumter - Terror Trail at 2nd Mill Pond
Oct 10-11 / Camden - Southern Gothic Festival
Oct 11-12 / Myrtle Beach - Little River ShrimpFest
Oct 11 / Myrtle Beach - Myrtle Beach Mini Marathon
Oct 11 / Charleston - Hotel Hugo at The Royal American
Oct 11 / Charleston - Sicard Hollow + Valley Flower at The Pour House
Oct 11 / Charleston - Oktoberfest Charleston
Oct 11 / Charleston - Meatball Run
Oct 11 / Charleston - Charleston Pride Festival
Oct 11 / Columbia - Walk For Life & Famously Hot Pink Half Marathon + 5K
Oct 11 / Columbia - COLORS Worldwide Presents: R&B ONLY LIVE at The Senate
Oct 11-12 / Columbia - Oktoberfest Columbia
Oct 11 / Greenville - Paris Mountain Half Marathon
Oct 11 / Greenville - Bass Drum of Death
Oct 11 / Spartanburg - The Righteous Brothers
Oct 11 / Abbeville - Oyster Roast + Low-Country Boil + BBQ
OCT 12 - OCT 18, 2025
Oct 12 / Columbia - EarleJam
Oct 12 / Chapin - Fall Fido Festival
Oct 14 / Charleston - Everclear, Sponge, Local H
Oct 14 / Columbia - Yungeen Ace at The Senate
Oct 14-18 / Union - Union County Agricultural Fair
Oct 14 / Greenville - The Autumn Effect at Radio Room
Oct 16 / Columbia - Daikaiju, Mids, Wastoid at NBT
Oct 16 / Charleston - Jacoozy + Kendall Street Company at The Pour House
Oct 16 / Columbia - Diwali Kickoff Party
Oct 16 / Greenville - Keith Urban at Bon Secours
Oct 16 / Greenville - The Local Honeys at Radio Room
Oct 16-19 / Cheraw - South Carolina Jazz Festival
Oct 17 / Columbia - Rewind: The Ultimate 2000s Night at The Senate
Oct 17 / Charleston - Kenny George Band at The Royal American
Oct 17 / Columbia - The Runarounds w/ William Wild at NBT
Oct 17-30 / Columbia - Boo at the Zoo
Oct 17-18 / Manning - Francis Marion / Swamp Fox Symposium
Oct 17-19 / Walhalla - Walhalla Oktoberfest
Oct 17-18 / Sumter - Terror Trail at 2nd Mill Pond
Oct 17-19 / Lancaster - South Carolina Humanities Festival
Oct 17-19 / Myrtle Beach - Myrtle Beach Jazz Fest
Oct 17-18 / Charleston - AfroSouth Film Festival
Oct 17-18 / Pickens - Storytelling Festival and Liar's Competition
Oct 24 / Charleston - Homemade Haircuts
Oct 17 / Charleston - Wolf Mask “Slasher Disco” at The Pour House
Oct 17-18 / Charleston - Bloom Charleston
Oct 18 / Columbia - Brandon Lake
Oct 18 / Charleston - Mechanical River at The Pour House
Oct 18 / Charleston - Thrifters & Drifters Market at The Royal American
Oct 18-19 / Georgetown - Georgetown Wooden Boat Show
Oct 18 / Fort Mill - Fort Mill Fall Festival
Oct 18 / Loris - Loris Bog-Off Festival
Oct 18-19 / Aiken - Colonial Times: A Day to Remember
Oct 18 / Greenville - Wheatus at Radio Room
OCT 19 - OCT 25, 2025
Oct 19 / Greenville - Hampton-Pinckney PorchFest
Oct 19 / Greenville - Polo Classic
Oct 19 / Charleston - Wheatus with Mids at The Pour House
Oct 19 / Charleston - Mini Succulent Pumpkin Workshop
Oct 21 / Charleston - Reese Witherspoon and Harlan Coben
Oct 21 / Charleston - Jesse McCartney
Oct 21 / Charleston - TreeHouse! x Rockstead at The Pour House
Oct 21 / Greenville - Paul Cauthen at Radio Room
Oct 22 / Greenville - Hunny with Tarantula at Radio Room
Oct 22 / Spartanburg - Govt Mule at Spartanburg Memorial Auditorium
Oct 23 / Charleston - Gale Bird at The Pour House
Oct 23 / Columbia - Be Your Own Pet at NBT
Oct 24 / Columbia - Penelope Road and Winyah at The Senate
Oct 24 / Charleston - Homemade Haircuts at The Royal American
Oct 24 / Greenville - Born of Osiris at Radio Room
Oct 24-25 / Sumter - Terror Trail at 2nd Mill Pond
Oct 24-25 / Blythewood - Blythewood Fall Championship Rodeo
Oct 24-25 / Aiken - Jack-O-Lantern Jubliee
Oct 24-26 / Beaufort - Pat Conroy Literary Festival
Oct 24-24 / Columbia - Babylon Fest Spooktacular
Oct 24-26 / Florence - FoodeesFest
Oct 24-26 / Beaufort - Exchange Club Ghost Tours
Oct 25 / Charleston - Charleston Beer Fest
Oct 25 / Charleston - 5th Annual Boogieman Halloween Festival at The Royal American
Oct 25 / Greenville - Spinx Run Fest
Oct 25 / Greenville - Cory Branan at Swanson's Warehouse
Oct 25 / Greenville - Saxsquatch with Nate C. The Chief at Radio Room
Oct 25 / Greenville - Legends of the Dirty South at The Spartanburg Memorial Auditorium
Oct 25 / James Island - James Island Connector Run
Oct 25 / Lake City - BOOtanical Garden
Oct 25 / Columbia - Mayor's Walk Against Domestic Violence
Oct 25 / Columbia - Freddie McClendon & the Whereabouts at NBT
OCT 26 - Nov 1, 2025
Oct 26 / Columbia - Gervais Street Bridge Dinner
Oct 26 / Columbia - Molly Grace at NBT
Oct 26 / Columbia - Stress Fractures, Bummer Hill, Tourneforte at NBT
Oct 26 / Columbia - Black Tusk, Legions of Doom, Bathe
Oct 26 / Charleston - Ranky Tanky
Oct 28 / Greenville - Signs of the Swarm
Oct 28 / Charleston - Saxsquatch at The Pour House
Oct 30 / Charleston - An Evening With Shadowgrass at The Pour House
Oct 30 / Ladson - Coastal Carolina Fair
Oct 30 / Beaufort - Exchange Club Ghost Tours
Oct 30 / Spartanburg - Foothills Brass Graveyard Smash Halloween Concert
Oct 30 / Columbia - Chase Wright: Find Myself Tour at The Senate
Oct 31 / Charleston - BOMBARGO at The Pour House
Oct 31 / Charleston - Daddy's Beemer at The Royal American
Oct 31 / Sumter - Terror Trail at 2nd Mill Pond
Oct 31 / Isle of Palms - Halloween Carnival
Oct 31 / Greenville - Bat Club - Gothic Dance Party at Radio Room