North Charleston Arts Festival Concludes with Grand Finale on May 12

The North Charleston Arts Festival Grand Finale will take place on Saturday, May 12, from 6:00-9:00pm at North Charleston Riverfront Park, located at 1001 Everglades Avenue on the former Charleston Naval Base.  The public is invited to attend this grand celebration of the arts featuring cultural dance and music presentations, performances by Tri-county schools, an evening concert, kid’s activities, food, and fireworks to mark the close of the 2012 North Charleston Arts Festival. Admission and parking are free.

Festivities begin at 6:00pm with events in every area of the park.  The Amphitheater Stage will host a Tri-County School Showcase from 6:00-7:30pm. Enjoy a presentation of world dance and music by students from Joseph R. Pye Elementary from 6:00-6:30pm, big band music by the Berkeley All County Jazz Ensemble from 6:30-7:00pm, and steel drum and choral performances by Nerves of Steel and the Mustang Chorus of C.E. Williams Middle School from 7:00-7:30pm. The site of the Navy Base Memorial will host Poetry in the Park from 6:00-8:00pm, featuring spoken word and poetry recitations by youth poets from the Speak Freely Foundation. The Fly Boys, one of SC’s hottest young rap groups, will present an uplifting hip-hop performance immediately after from 8:00-8:30pm. At the park’s boardwalk area, patrons will have the opportunity to see Tablao Flamenco performed by Flamenco Soltado Music and Dance Ensemble from 6:00-7:00pm and Japanese Taiko drumming performed by Taiko Charleston from 7:00-7:30pm. Crowds will gather at the Amphitheatre Stage at 8:00pm for an evening concert featuring a blend of beach, classic rock and roll, and up-tempo dance party by The Shem Creek Boogie Band. The performance will be immediately followed by a fantastic fireworks display over the Cooper River by Zambelli Fireworks at 9:00pm.

Other attractions throughout the park include inflatable jump castles, kid’s activities, roving entertainment by The Interactive Theater of Jef, and the newly installed National Outdoor Sculpture Exhibition. Food concessions will be available for purchase. Bring blankets or lawn chairs and enjoy a great ending to this year’s North Charleston Arts Festival!

Selected by the Southeast Tourism Society as a Top 20 Event, this is the 30th year of the festival, which began as a small community event at Park Circle and has grown into one of the most comprehensive arts festivals in the state.  The event includes nine days of cultural activities and programs in every arts discipline for the public to enjoy.  Some festival offerings have a modest ticket price, but most are free of charge and parking is free at all locations.

For more information about the Grand Finale or any other 2012 North Charleston Arts Festival events, visit www.NorthCharlestonArtsFest.com or contact the City of North Charleston Cultural Arts Department office at 843-740-5854.

Filed in