17 Things to Try at the Charleston Food and Wine Fest

Charleston, South Carolina, is already one of the best food cities in America, so when it hosts an entire festival dedicated to eating and drinking well, you know it’s going to deliver. The Charleston Wine + Food Festival — affectionately known as CHSWF — has been running for 20 years, and it keeps getting better.

It draws over 26,000 guests, features more than 90 events, and brings together 130-plus chefs, farmers, winemakers, and culinary storytellers from across the Lowcountry and beyond. Whether it’s your first time or your tenth, there’s always someth/ing new to discover.

Here is a list of 17 things to try at the Charleston food and wine fest.

The grand tasting

The Grand Tasting is the heart of the whole event, and it takes place multiple times over the course of the weekend, so you get multiple opportunities to experience it. With over 100 winemakers, distillers, chefs, and other exhibitors in the room, it’s the kind of place where you could spend two hours and feel like you’ve only just begun to scratch the surface.

It’s like the greatest hits of the whole festival, condensed into one place, and it’s so delicious.

The culinary village

The culinary village is the festival’s largest sampling experience, and it genuinely feels like the best version of a town that doesn’t exist in real life. Snack shacks, foodie kitchens, live chef demos, beverage pairings, and entertainment are all packed in together.

It’s a great place to wander and let your stomach lead the way.

Shucktown

Oysters are a big deal in the Lowcountry, and Shucktown is where they get their due. You can enjoy them raw, steamed, fried, or as a shooter, surrounded by views of the water and cool libations.

It’s very laid-back, very beachy, and feels more local than touristy.

The opening night gala

Held at the stunning Cistern Yard on the College of Charleston campus, opening night sets the tone for everything that follows. Over 30 local chefs serve dishes inspired by Charleston’s culinary past, present, and future, all against a backdrop of live music and the kind of warm Lowcountry air that makes you feel like you’re exactly where you’re supposed to be.

It’s part reunion, part celebration, and entirely worth attending.

A signature dinner

Signature dinners are multi-course, chef-driven experiences hosted at some of Charleston’s most celebrated restaurants. Past events have included Champagne dinners pairing food from acclaimed local chefs with commentary from nationally recognized wine critics.

They tend to sell out fast, so locking in your spot early is a smart move.

The Lowcountry boil

There’s something almost ceremonial about a Lowcountry boil – a big pot of shrimp, sausage, corn, and potatoes all mixed up together. It’s the most honest form of ‘hands-on’ eating, and it’s just the sort of food that this festival celebrates.

It’s comfort food with a regional identity and a flavor best enjoyed standing up and surrounded by good company.

A beverage workshop

If you want more than just tasting — you want to actually understand what’s in your glass — the beverage workshops deliver. These sessions cover everything from cocktail-making to wine tasting to craft beer, led by people who genuinely know their craft.

It’s the difference between leaving the festival with a collection of memories and leaving with skills you can actually use at home.

Pinot envy

Pinot Envy is a festival favorite that keeps coming back because people love it. The event works through the full family of Pinot varieties — Pinot Blanc, Pinot Grigio, Pinot Noir — in an outdoor waterside setting with talented chefs on hand to match every pour with something worth eating.

It’s a focused, fun way to deepen your understanding of one of wine’s most versatile grapes.

The barbecue celebration

For two decades, barbecue has held a permanent place on the CHSWF schedule, and the festival leans into that legacy hard. The spread goes well beyond the local tradition — Korean grills, Texas brisket, Puerto Rican pernil, and Lowcountry pit-smoked meats all share the same stage.

It’s a reminder that ‘barbecue’ is less a single dish and more an entire culinary philosophy.

Brunches and lunches

Charleston takes brunch seriously — maybe more seriously than anywhere else in the South — and the festival showcases that culture beautifully. The brunch and lunch events pair exceptional food with champagne, wine, beer, and cocktails in a way that feels celebratory rather than excessive.

It’s an easygoing way to spend a festival morning or afternoon.

A sea-to-table crabbing experience

One of the more unique offerings at the festival involves heading out onto the water for a guided crabbing outing on Charleston’s scenic waterways, followed by an intimate chef-led lunch that turns the morning’s catch into something spectacular. It’s active, educational, and the kind of experience that feels miles away from a typical food festival — in the best way possible.

Hands-on cooking classes

Rather than just watching a chef work their magic from the other side of a counter, the hands-on classes actually put you in the action. You learn real techniques, cook real food, and eat what you make — which is honestly the best incentive to pay attention.

These classes tend to fill up quickly, so early booking is the move.

Chef demos at the Duke's Mayo demo kitchen

The Duke’s Mayo Demo Kitchen is a proper seated demo experience where you watch acclaimed chefs work through dishes right in front of you — and then get to taste the results. Past demos have featured chefs using Duke’s Mayo in surprising, creative ways (including, apparently, a cake).

It’s part cooking class, part theater, and entirely entertaining.

Bubbles and sweets night

This late-night event brings together pastry chefs from Charleston and across the country alongside sparkling wines, Champagne, and fizzy cocktails. It’s a chic, playful way to close out an evening — dessert and bubbles in a setting that somehow feels both sophisticated and genuinely fun.

There’s also an auction component benefiting the CHSWF Culinary and Hospitality Foundation, so your sweet tooth is doing good in the world.

The silent disco

The silent disco is one of those things that sounds a little strange until you try it, and then you immediately get it. Attendees wear headphones and tune into their choice of music, meaning the dance floor is electric with energy while the space itself stays relatively quiet for anyone not plugged in.

It’s a fan favorite year after year for good reason.

Street eats: the Charleston edition

This event brings together chefs, restaurants, bars, and food trucks from different Charleston neighborhoods for a night of bites, drinks, and community spirit. It’s a more casual, street-level experience compared to the signature dinners, but that’s exactly the appeal — it reflects the everyday culinary energy that makes Charleston worth visiting any time of year.

A Caribbean-inspired island feast

With the harbor as a backdrop, this event celebrates Caribbean culinary culture right in the heart of Charleston. Chefs with Caribbean roots serve dishes full of bold flavor, paired with island-inspired cocktails and music that keeps the whole thing moving.

It’s a celebration of the diverse influences that have always shaped Lowcountry cooking, from Africa to the Caribbean and beyond.

Twenty years of flavor, and still going strong

What started as a modest gathering in Marion Square has grown into one of the most respected food festivals in the country, drawing 26,000-plus visitors and generating an economic impact more than four times the organization’s annual budget. The 2026 edition marks 20 years of CHSWF, and the lineup reflects just how far the festival has come — from its Lowcountry roots to a truly national stage.

The things that make it special haven’t changed: the food is honest, the community is tight-knit, and Charleston remains the perfect backdrop for it all. If you’ve been on the fence about going, consider this the nudge you needed.