09/21/2024
Here’s your chance to celebrate the official drink of the South!
Sweet tea is the beloved beverage of the South, and Summerville gets into high gear to celebrate this refreshing drink.
In fact, Summerville is the self-proclaimed capital and birthplace of sweet tea. In 2016 they went for and set the Guinness World Record for the world’s largest cup of sweet tea. You can still visit "Mason" - the jar that set the record, clocking in at over 15 feet tall and holding 2,524 gallons of sweet tea. Also be sure to check out the town's giant sweet tea mural.
Well, the third weekend in September marks Summerville's annual Sweet Tea Festival. It’s basiclally a giant downtown open house and street party celebrating all things sweet tea, centered around Hutchinson Square. It lasts from 11:00 a.m. till 6:00 p.m.
The exact lineup is evolving, but a recent Sweet Tea Festival had this on its agenda:
- Sweet tea competition where you can vote on the Tea of the Year;
- “Hold My Tea” cocktail contest and bar crawl;
- Live music at Hutchinson Square and Short Central; musical genres include classic rock, bluegrass, folk and Americana, jazz (Big Band, swing, standards, Latin jazz and modern fusion), shag, country, and a silent disco;
- “Sweetest Art Event Ever” with the grand opening of the nee SPARK exhibit at the Public Works Art Center;
- 100th Anniversary of the Summerville American Legion, with reeinactors and vintage military vehicles;
- Food trucks and vendors;
- Vendors galore - approximately 65 or so artisans and craftspeople selling their creations.
NOTE: Date and details for 2024 are tentative, so check back closer to the event for the latest. Their Facebook event page is a good source of info.