Charleston Wine & Food Festival

TO CELEBRATE, EDUCATE, ENRICH, AND PROMOTE THE LOWCOUNTRYS DIVERSE CULINARY + HOSPITALITY COMMUNITY THROUGH WORLD-CLASS EXPERIENCES.

CHARLESTON WINE + FOOD IS A 501(C)(3) NON-PROFIT ORGANIZATION THAT SUPPORTS CHARLESTON AND THE LOWCOUNTRY'S DIVERSE CULINARY + HOSPITALITY COMMUNITY. THE ORGANIZATION CHAMPIONS THE REGION'S UNIQUE FOODWAYS 365 DAYS A YEAR THROUGH WORLD-RENOWNED CULINARY EXPERIENCES THAT BRING PEOPLE TOGETHER TO SHARE STORIES, CREATE CONNECTIONS, AND INSPIRE CURIOSITY. OUR MISSION IS TO PRODUCE EXPERIENCES THAT CELEBRATE, EDUCATE, AND PROMOTE THE LOWCOUNTRY'S DIVERSE CULINARY + HOSPITALITY COMMUNITY. THE ORGANIZATION WAS FOUNDED IN JULY 2005 BY A GROUP OF COMMUNITY LEADERS WITH A VISION OF CREATING AN EVENT TO PROMOTE + ELEVATE CHARLESTON'S CULINARY BRAND. THE GOAL WAS TO PUT CHARLESTON ON THE MAP AS A CULINARY DESTINATION, WITH A REPUTATION RIVALING OTHER WELL-KNOWN FOOD + DINING DESTINATIONS, AND TO BRING NATIONAL AND INTERNATIONAL ATTENTION TO THE CITY. TO DO SO, THE ORGANIZATION WOULD CREATE A WINE + FOOD FESTIVAL THAT WOULD ATTRACT AFFLUENT VISITORS TO THE CITY WHO WOULD RETURN TO CHARLESTON THROUGHOUT THE YEAR TO HELP DRIVE THE CITY'S ECONOMIC ENGINE BY STAYING IN OUR HOTELS, DINING IN OUR RESTAURANTS, AND OTHERWISE SPENDING MONEY LOCALLY. THE FESTIVAL WAS STRATEGICALLY TIMED TO CREATE VISITOR DEMAND IN CHARLESTON DURING A TIME OF YEAR NORMALLY NOT POPULAR FOR TOURISM. SINCE THE FIRST FESTIVAL DEBUTED IN 2006, IT HAS GROWN INTO A FIVE-DAY EVENT FEATURING OVER 130 UNIQUE INDIVIDUAL EVENTS TAKING PLACE ACROSS THE GREATER CHARLESTON AREA. FESTIVAL PROGRAMMING SHOWCASES THE STORIES, CULTURE, AND HISTORY OF CHARLESTON'S CUISINE, WATERWAYS, AND ITS PEOPLE THROUGH THE PRODUCTION OF A VARIETY OF EVENTS RANGING IN SIZE AND STYLE. IN THE SPIRIT OF COLLABORATION AND CONTINUED LEARNING FOR OUR LOCAL CULINARY + HOSPITALITY COMMUNITY, THE FESTIVAL COURTS TOP CHEFS, WINEMAKERS, AUTHORS, STORYTELLERS, ARTISANS, AND FOOD ENTHUSIASTS FROM AROUND THE GLOBE TO VISIT CHARLESTON AND PARTICIPATE IN THE EVENT. IT HAS BEEN ACCLAIMED BOTH NATIONALLY AND INTERNATIONALLY AS ONE OF THE MOST PRESTIGIOUS WINE + FOOD FESTIVALS AND ONE THAT CHEF + BEVERAGE PROFESSIONALS SEEK TO GAIN AN INVITATION TO YEAR-AFTER-YEAR. OVER THE LAST 15 YEARS, THE FESTIVAL HAS WELCOMED NEARLY 334,386 ATTENDEES AND GENERATED 112.2 MILLION IN ECONOMIC IMPACT FOR THE LOCAL REGION. ON MARCH 11, 2020, THE WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION CHARACTERIZED CORONAVIRUS (COVID-19) AS A PANDEMIC, AND ON MARCH 13, 2020 THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES DECLARED A NATIONAL EMERGENCY RELATING TO THE DISEASE. IN ADDITION TO THE PRESIDENT'S DECLARATION, STATE AND LOCAL AUTHORITIES HAVE RECOMMENDED SOCIAL DISTANCING AND HAVE IMPOSED QUARANTINE AND ISOLATION MEASURES ON LARGE PORTIONS OF THE POPULATION, INCLUDING MANDATORY BUSINESS CLOSURES. THESE MEASURES ARE DESIGNED TO PROTECT THE OVERALL PUBLIC HEALTH, HOWEVER ARE EXPECTED TO HAVE MATERIAL ADVERSE IMPACTS ON DOMESTIC AND FOREIGN ECONOMIES AND MAY RESULT IN THE UNITED STATES ENTERING A PERIOD OF RECESSION. ON JULY 30, 2020, AFTER SIGNIFICANT CONSIDERATION BY MANAGEMENT AND THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS, AS WELL AS COOPERATION WITH COMMUNITY AND MUNICIPAL LEADERS THE 2021 FESTIVAL, SCHEDULED FOR MARCH 3 - 7, 2021, WAS CANCELLED. THE CANCELLATION WAS MADE IN DIRECT RESPONSE TO THE PUBLIC HEALTH PRECAUTIONS BEING TAKEN AGAINST THE SPREAD OF COVID-19. CHARLESTON WINE + FOOD SPENT THE FOLLOWING YEAR DEDICATING RESOURCES TO UPLIFTING AND SUPPORTING THE CHARLESTON CULINARY + HOSPITALITY COMMUNITY DURING THIS DIFFICULT TIME. EFFORTS INCLUDED DIGITAL CAMPAIGNS THAT ENCOURAGED THE LOCAL COMMUNITY TO ORDER TAKE-OUT, DEDICATING RESOURCES AND MARKETING EFFORTS TO SUPPORTING LOCAL RESTAURANTS, AND CREATING COMPLETELY DIGITAL PROGRAMMING WITH THE GOAL OF CELEBRATING, EDUCATING, AND PROMOTING THE LOWCOUNTRY'S DIVERSE CULINARY + HOSPITALITY COMMUNITY. THE 2022 FESTIVAL IS SCHEDULED TO TAKE PLACE MARCH 2 - 6, 2022.