Horry County residents can look forward to a vibrant outdoor season this fall, with a newly released calendar detailing seven weeks of festivals, races, and community gatherings from mid-September through early November. The schedule, compiled from organizers and government sources, highlights a diverse array of activities across the Grand Strand and inland communities.
The season kicked off with the Carolina Cup Pro/Am Surf Fest, held from September 11 to 13 in Surfside Beach. Looking ahead, the 46th annual Aynor Harvest Hoe-Down Festival is scheduled for Saturday, September 19, in Aynor. This long-standing event, sponsored by the Pilot Club of Aynor, typically features over 140 craft booths, a morning parade, and a street dance. It holds the distinction of being the oldest continuously running community festival on the county’s fall calendar, largely sustained by volunteers in the town of approximately one thousand people.
Coastal areas will see significant activity, particularly in North Myrtle Beach. The Society of Stranders will host its Fall Migration from September 18 through 27, drawing shag dancers to Ocean Drive clubs. Concurrently, the Myrtle Beach Bike Week Fall Rally runs from September 25 through October 4 across the Grand Strand. On Saturday, September 26, the City of North Myrtle Beach will debut NMB Live! on Main Street, a free festival featuring three stages and more than 150 vendors. This new event replaces the Irish Italian International Festival, which had been a tradition for 21 years.
October brings a focus to the county’s interior. The 47th annual Loris Bog-Off Festival is set for Saturday, October 17, in downtown Loris, organized by the Loris Chamber of Commerce. This event, which began in 1980 as a chicken bog cooking contest, now includes over 200 vendors, two entertainment stages, and a children’s area, with the Top Bog Cooking Competition remaining a central attraction. The Loris Bog Off Chicken Run 5K will also take place that morning around the Loris High School facility, in partnership with Horry County Parks and Recreation.
Little River will host ShrimpFest on October 10 and 11 at the Historic Little River Waterfront on Mineola Avenue. This event, with an admission fee of $10 for adults, will offer two music stages and over two hundred vendors. Conway will embrace the Halloween spirit throughout October with its City of Halloween Celebration, featuring Witches, Wizards & Wine on October 8 and 22, and the Conway Ghost Walk from October 14 through 16. The Coastal Carolina University Homecoming Parade will conclude Conway’s fall events on Friday, November 6.
Additional coastal events include the Myrtle Beach Mini Marathon and Coastal 5K on October 10. Horry County Parks and Recreation’s Ghost of the Coast 5K is scheduled for Saturday, October 24, with a new course starting at the South Strand Recreation Center, followed by a fall festival on the grounds.
Horry County Parks and Recreation primarily provides land and access for events, managing 27 of the 35 public boat landings countywide and maintaining facilities like Vereen Memorial Historical Gardens in Little River, which offers over 115 acres of forest and marshland with nature trails. The Horry County Bike & Run Park near River Oaks Drive in Carolina Forest also serves as a recreational asset. The county’s direct programming footprint for fall events is limited to two races and the South Strand fall festival, with most other events organized by local chambers of commerce, municipalities, civic clubs, or private promoters.
The fall calendar reveals a distinction between inland festivals, which are often volunteer-run, free, and serve as community fundraisers, and coastal events, which are increasingly professionally produced tourism products. Residents should be aware of collision weekends, such as September 25-26 in North Myrtle Beach, when the Bike Week Fall Rally, SOS Fall Migration, and NMB Live! all converge, potentially impacting traffic and public safety resources.
