Get your fill of food, Forrest Gump and Bon Jovi hits. It’s fall shrimp season in Beaufort
Grab your running shoes and best Forrest Gump attire and get ready to run and savor the best fresh-caught shrimp in the world. It’s shrimp season in the Lowcountry and that means the Annual Beaufort Shrimp Festival, which this year will feature hits performed by an imitation band of one of the biggest rock groups of the 1980s.
The festival, one of Beaufort’s premier events, includes unique shrimp dishes, prepared by the region’s foremost restaurants and chefs in a variety of ways.
The 29th homage to the staple seafood kicks off at 5 p.m. Friday, Oct. 6 at Waterfront Park. At 7, Slippery When Wet, a Bon Jovi tribute band, will take the stage.
The popular Run Forrest Run 5-K race begins at 8 a.m. Saturday, Oct. 7.
The route takes runners through iconic movie locations from the 1994 movie “Forrest Gump,” which was filmed in the city. Some runners dress as Forrest or wear other unusual costumes “as they race toward shrimp glory.”
“Feel the ocean breeze in your poncho as you compete over Woods Memorial Bridge,” race organizers say, a reference to the scene in which actor Tom Hanks as Forrest, wearing a poncho, runs over the bridge.
Paul Dengler, a Gump impersonator who resembles Hanks, is a Shrimp Festival regular. Getting a photo taken with him or an autograph is a festival favorite.
Food vendors include Belly Full by Tyger (soul food), Food Savvy, Island Fudge Shoppe, Mother Smokin’ Good BBQ, Sea Eagle Market, Signature Catering, Teen Challenge Tasty Creations, Tipsy Ice and Tout Sweet Macarons.
Admission is free, but there’s a charge for food.
The Shrimp Festival coincides with the fall white shrimp season, which typically produces the largest catch in South Carolina. Landings of young white shrimp by the commercial fleet usually begin in August and peak in September and October, according to the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources, but usually lasts through December and sometimes into January.
A second race will see people dressed up as rubber shrimp mounting inner tubes and taking to the water at 3 p.m. Saturday. The race raises money for charity.
Shrimp Festival Schedule
Friday, Oct. 6
▪ 12-6 p.m.: Arts & Craft Market open
▪ 5-10 p.m.: Food and drinks available
▪ 5 p.m.: Ces Hage
▪ 7 p.m.: Slippery When Wet band
Saturday, Oct. 8
▪ 8 a.m. Run Forrest Run 5K (timed race) begins. You can register at the Run Forrest Run website for that race and an untimed race.
▪ 11 a.m.-4 p.m.: Food and drinks
▪ 10 a.m.: Kids Corner will offer face painting
▪ 11 a.m.: Jason Lee Cook performs
▪ 1 p.m.: Official Parris Island Marine Corps Band
▪ 3 p.m.: 15th annual Charity Shrimp Race
▪ 2:15 p.m.: Bennett Coleman performs
▪ 3:15 p.m.: Katie Lynn performs
Volunteers are still needed for the festival. To volunteer, please sign up at SignUpGenious or contact Tammy Crooks at crookstm@gmail.com.
