Festivals and Events in Myrtle Beach
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A handful of dates anchor the Myrtle Beach calendar and are worth planning a trip around, or avoiding, depending on how you like your crowds. Here’s what’s confirmed for 2026, plus how the rest of the year’s live entertainment works.
Carolina Country Music Festival, June 4-7
CCMF is the Strand’s biggest ticketed event, a multi-day country lineup that fills the Boardwalk area’s hotels well ahead of the dates. Book accommodations early if you’re attending or if you’d rather avoid the crowds altogether, since rooms in the core tighten up fast that week.
SOS Spring Safari, April 17-26
North Myrtle Beach’s Ocean Drive neighborhood is the birthplace of the Shag, South Carolina’s official state dance since 1984, and the Society of Stranders’ Spring Safari is the biggest of the shag festivals built around it. Beach music, the genre the Shag is danced to, fills the clubs along Ocean Drive for the full ten-day run.
Blue Crab Festival, May 16-17
Held in Little River at the north end of the Strand, this is a smaller, more local event than CCMF, built around the seafood the Grand Strand is known for. It’s a good pick if you want a festival atmosphere without the size of the bigger June and October dates.
Myrtle Beach World Amateur, begins August 31
Billed as the world’s largest amateur golf tournament, the World Amateur draws thousands of players to the roughly 80-90 courses along the Grand Strand each year. It’s worth knowing about even if you’re not playing, since it fills golf-focused hotel packages across the Strand for its run.
Live shows run year-round
Outside of dated festivals, Carolina Opry and Alabama Theatre at Barefoot Landing run country and variety shows most nights of the week, and Pirates Voyage runs its dinner show on a regular schedule, though it’s a Dolly Parton production also staged in Tennessee and Florida, not exclusive to Myrtle Beach. These don’t need a festival date to catch, just a booked seat, especially in summer.
Check before you book
Smaller local events change year to year, so check the current Myrtle Beach visitor calendar closer to your trip rather than relying on a fixed list. The four dates above are the ones worth building a trip around.
Read more: see the full Myrtle Beach guide for the broader seasonal picture, including hurricane season timing, or the 7-day itinerary if you’re planning a longer trip around one of these dates.
One concrete tip: if you’re coming for CCMF in June, book your room the moment dates are announced, since the Boardwalk core sells out for that week months in advance.