top of page

It's May, Y'all

It's May, and everyone knows what that means—summer is not far behind. We at Southern Hospitality Magazine believe that since Memorial Day is considered the "unofficial start of summer," May equals summer.


We also know that May equals events, and a lot of them.

Breaux Bridge, Louisiana, "Crawfish Capital of the World" photo personal collection (2018)

We begin with food festivals since eating is integral to road trips, quick getaways and vacations. For crawfish lovers, this is your month with destinations holding crawfish boils and festivals. Of course, the big one is Louisiana's Breaux Bridge Crawfish Festival (May 3 - 5). Over Memorial Day weekend, enjoy feasting on the freshwater crustaceans at the Fredericksburg (Texas) Crawfish Festival (May 24 - 26).


Travelers can also indulge at the Isle of Eight Flags Shrimp Festival (May 3 - 5) in Fernandina Beach, Florida; the Smithfield Ham and Yam Festival (May 4) in North Carolina; the Taste of Alpharetta (Georgia; May 9); World Championship Barbecue Cooking Contest/Memphis (Tennessee) in May (May 15 -18); and the Blue Crab Festival  (May 18 -19) in Little River, South Carolina.

Artisphere, Greensville, South Carolina photo personal collection (2023)

Arts festivals are plentiful throughout the South during May. There's the  Romanza Festivale of the Arts (May 3 - 19) in St. Augustine, Florida; Artisphere (May 10 -12) in Greenville, South Carolina; and Digital Graffiti (May 17 - 18) in South Walton, Florida; and Spoleto (May 22 - June 9) in Charleston, South Carolina.

Digital Graffiti, Alys Beach, South Walton, Florida photo personal collection (2017)

Don't overlook the Shoals Storytelling Festival (May 16 - 18) in Florence, Alabama; the ArtsSpring Festival (May 24 -26) in Tucker County, West Virginia; and FestivalSouth 2024 (May 28 - June 22) in Hattiesburg, Mississippi.


And then there are what Southern Hospitality Magazine refers to as the "well-rounded festivals" that have a little something for nearly every interest, like the Rayne (Louisiana) Frog Festival (May 9 -11); Maifest (May 17 - 19) in Hermann, Missouri; and Three Rivers Festival (May 23 -25) in Fairmont, West Virginia. 


For a comprehensive listening of events happening throughout the South in May, check out the calendar on the website and follow our Facebook page.


Comments


bottom of page