Q: For someone visiting Summerville for Flowertown Festival for the first time, what’s your biggest “know before you go” tip?
A: The Summerville Family YMCA Flowertown Festival is the largest annual fundraising event to support programs and financial assistance at our YMCA. The event began 53 years ago as an arts and crafts festival and is now one of the largest events in the Southeast welcoming more than 230,000 visitors over the three-day weekend. Because we have such a large attendance, we recommend visitors wear their walking shoes and utilize available public and paid parking options near the festival perimeter.
A local’s tip: Make a full day of your trip to Summerville! Start off at 8am with breakfast at Biscuit Belly or coffee and a pastry at StayWild Coffee. Walk over to the Flowertown Festival when it opens at 9am and stroll through Azalea Park to view the arts and crafts vendors. Snap a few photos with the bronze statues in the park or next to the blooming azalea bushes. If you’re traveling with kiddos, be sure to visit the Youth Festival to ride on twirling swings or try your hand at a carnival game. The food options are endless, so you’ll want to breakup your meals throughout the day so that you can sample all of the delicious local food vendors. Stop by the entertainment stage to listen to artists displaying their skills. With more than 400 vendors, you really can spend an entire day shopping and experiencing all that the Festival has to offer from Otter interactions, flower crowns and everything in between! After your day at the Festival, head over to The Icehouse for dinner and dessert at a local favorite!
Q: Why do you think Flowertown Festival is such an important tradition for Summerville, both for longtime residents and first-time visitors?…