One of our luxury beach house rentals SC makes the perfect home base for a Spoleto stay.
This weekend is big. Not only is it Memorial Day weekend, which officially marks the beginning of peak season for our SC vacation rentals, both Isle of Palms vacation rentals and Folly Beach rentals Charleston… but today is the kickoff of Spoleto and Piccolo Spoleto.
The Spoleto opening ceremonies are taking place at noon today, and it will be the first time in 40 years (!) that our dear Mayor Joe Riley is not presiding over the festivities. This year will be Charleston’s new mayor John Tecklenburg’s first time manning the helm and proclaiming the festival officially begun. Rather appropriately, John is a jazz pianist himself, so kicking off the arts festival should come naturally to him.
Luxury beach house rentals SC + Spoleto = a classic combo
FYI if you’re here in a Charleston beach house and are driving downtown today, take note of the following street closures in and around the opening ceremonies:
- Road closures at Meeting Street & Broad Street and Broad Street & Church Street begin at 9:00 a.m.
- Road closures at Broad & King, Meeting & Queen, Meeting & Tradd, and Meeting & Chalmers streets begin at 11:45 a.m.
- Ceremony begins at 12:00 p.m. and runs through 1:15 p.m.; the 11:45 a.m. closure points will reopen when ceremony terminates; 9:00 a.m. closures remain until staging and equipment are cleared from roadway.
- Limited vehicular traffic will be allowed east of the ceremony on Broad Street for business purposes only.
- The Parking Enforcement Unit will bag meters on Broad in the affected area of the ceremony.
- Handicapped parking will be allowed at the meter spaces on Broad Street near Church Street or in such designated spaces or public parking garages.
Here’s more on the story from Channel 2 news: http://counton2.com/2016/05/27/mayor-tecklenburg-to-give-his-first-spoleto-festival-proclamation-at-opening-ceremonies-friday/
Spoleto fun near our luxury beach house rentals SC
This is the 40th year of Spoleto, and ticket sales have already set records. Tickets for the much-anticipated Gershwin opera “Porgy and Bess,” which was written in and is set in Charleston, sold out in just two weeks. They are expecting overall ticket sales to reach $3.7 million.
Most of the events are on the downtown peninsula, which is convenient to all our rental homes South Carolina, whether you’re staying in a luxury house on Isle of Palms or a Folly Beach house Charleston.
Although many shows are sold out, there are still a lot of tickets left. Here’s the full schedule: https://spoletousa.org/current-season/schedule/
There are also a number of events that are free and require no tickets. They include:
Friday, May 27, 5:00pm-7:00pm
Mayor's Opening Reception at the Charleston Visitor Center Bus Shed
Celebrate the opening of Spoleto Festival USA and Piccolo Spoleto with Mayor Tecklenburg and Charleston City Council with a reception at the Charleston Visitors Center Bus Shed. Enjoy refreshments and music from Roger Bellow and the Drifting Troubadours.
This is free, but you need to RSVP. View the invitation and RSVP here.
Friday, May 27, 8:00pm
Sunset Serenade
Join us at the US Custom House for Piccolo Spoleto's annual curtain raiser. This free, outdoor concert features the Charleston Symphony Orchestra performing works by Dvořák, Glinka, and Tchaikovsky, in what promises to be a night to remember. Arrive early and enjoy the festivities including sweet treats from Sweet Lulu's Bakery on Wheels.
Become a sponsor of the Charleston Symphony Orchestra League and be entered for your chance to win a Lexus ES 350. The drawing will take place during the Sunset Serenade concert. Click here for full details.
Saturday, May 28, 10:00am-3:00pm
Family Day at Marion Square
March to the beat of your own drum at this year's Family Day celebration in Marion Square with performances and workshops from Taiko Charleston, Chinese Mamas Dance Company, Dance Lab, Deninufay, Glitter Hoopz, The Charleston Mermaids, John Cusatis, and more. Click here to view the Main Stage Lineup. Our youngest Piccolo fans will enjoy arts and craft activities, hands on workshops, and live performances as they await the cacophonous arrival of The Seed & Feed Marching Abominable.
Saturday, May 28, 11:00pm-Midnight----Midnight Pajama March
Sunday, May 29, Noon-1:00pm----Patriotic Concert
The Seed & Feed Marching Abominable is Atlanta's wildest community band. Join them on Saturday for the annual Midnight Pajama March and on Sunday for the annual Patriotic Concert. Both events take place at the US Custom House located at Concord & East Bay Streets.
Monday, May 30, 3:00pm
Memorial Day Concert
This annual concert offers a popular program of rousing marches and Broadway show tunes, and concludes with a patriotic musical tribute to each of the Armed Forces of our great country. The concert takes place in Marion Square and features the Charleston Community Band and Columbia Community Concert Band.
And last but not least, this one is great if you missed out on getting tickets for Porgy & Bess but still would like to see the show…
Monday, May 30, 7:30pm and Tuesday, May 31, 7:30pm
Simulcast and screening of Porgy and Bess from Spoleto Festival USA
Enjoy a simulcast screening of the sold-out Spoleto Festival USA production of Porgy and Bess. Bring your chairs and blankets to Marion Square on Monday, May 30th to view the simulcast downtown. The performance will be screened again on Tuesday, May 31st at 7:30 outdoors at West Ashley High School. Please read the announcement for specifics regarding each outdoor space.
So enjoy all the marvels Spoleto has to offer, and remember to call EP when you are looking for beach house rentals Charleston SC, especially Isle of Palms luxury rentals. Our luxury beach house rentals SC are the best in the Charleston area.
All best,
Lowcountry Lisa
your Isle of Palms vacation blogger