By Matthew Young
For HDMedia
For more than two decades, FestivALL has welcomed the return of warm summer weather by turning Charleston into a citywide celebration of art and entertainment. Now set to return for its 22nd year, FestivALL is bringing back some familiar favorites and creating new events to help create lasting summertime memories.
“We’ve been working for months to put all this stuff together, and it’s incredibly exciting to see it all come to fruition,” FestivALL’s new Executive Director Zack Harold told the Gazette-Mail on Wednesday. “We’ve got a schedule that I think people are really going to enjoy.”
The unofficial kick-off to FestivALL 2026 takes place at 7 p.m. Thursday, when Chris Higgins leads a special drum circle at Slack Plaza. The 10-day festival gets underway in earnest at 9 a.m. Friday, with the Art-for-All Kids Juried Art Exhibition at the Kanawha County Public Library, followed by a special Live on the Levee performance from rising country music artists Alana Springsteen.
FestivALL Family Cookout
New this year is a family cookout at Slack Plaza.
“FestivALL traditionally has been in late June,” Harold said. “This is our first year with a full, 10-day schedule in May, and Memorial Day is part of that. It’s the first time in history that those stars have aligned.”
Harold said that FestivALL organizers have taken advantage of the holiday by hosting the free FestivALL Family Cookout Monday, at Slack Plaza. The cookout will feature local artists, tarot readings, tintype photography, a full lineup of music on stage beginning at 11 a.m. and hot dogs on the grill.
“On Summers Street, we’ll have a sideshow that we’ve created with circus performers, jugglers, and magicians,” Harold noted. “We’ve got tattoos, face painting for kids, puppet shows — just kind of a whimsical, turn of the 20th Century sideshow that you might have seen in Charleston 100-years ago.”
In addition to the inclusion of Memorial Day to their event schedule, Harold said having FestivALL earlier in the spring also presents another benefit.
“We saw an opportunity to position FestivALL as the ‘kick-off’ to summer in Charleston,” Harold added. “There are so many great events all summer long … and there was kind of a vacancy around Memorial Day.”
Memorial Day cookout at Slack Plaza
Schedule of performers:
11 a.m. — Kanawha Valley Community Band
11:30 a.m. — Charleston Light Opera Guild
12 p.m. — The Lincoln County Cloggers
12:30 p.m. — Shelem
1:30 p.m. — Mixed Nuts Barbershop Quartet
2 p.m. — The Unit
For more information about FestivALL, including city map and full schedule of events, visit festivallcharleston.com.
Harold noted that the Vandalia Festival also takes place on Saturday, and organizers of both festivals have collaborated to have free KRT shuttle buses available to move attendees between scheduled events.
Popular FestivALL Events on Deck
Look for the annual Carriage Trail walk, complete with live performers, on Sunday from 1-4 p.m.
Next weekend, the Capitol Street Art Fair takes over downtown Charleston’s most recognizable retail avenue from 10 a.m.-6 p.m. on May 30 and 10 a.m.-5 p.m. on May 31.
FestivALL street performers will make appearances throughout the 10 days of events at many FestivALL locations.
The Return of River Cruises
One fan-favorite event making its return to FestivALL for 2026 will be the river cruises. Jeff Shirley’s popular speaker series Three Things will host the third episode of its 11th season aboard the River Queen at 7 p.m. Wednesday, while Thursday night will feature Salsa Night with Carino on the sternwheeler, complete with beginner dance lessons.
“We’ve got the return of the River Queen, which is an icon of this event,” Harold said. “It hasn’t been here in six years, and we were able to bring it back and use it as a floating stage.”
In addition to Three Things and Salsa Night, the River Queen will also play host to a Saturday night performance of Bob Thompson’s Jazz Cruise, and a Sunday evening murder mystery theatre performance of Murder on the River Queen. Events on board the River Queen are ticketed, with individual prices. For more information, or to purchase tickets, visit festivalcharleston.com.
The Balloon Man
Aaron “Doc” Hay, also known as Dizzy Doc the balloon artist, has become a staple of FestivALL. In 2025, Dizzy Doc’s 60-foot Mothman sculpture — along with all of the Mothman’s West Virginia cryptid friends — descended upon the Clay Center, introducing visitors to the Mountain State’s folk history through the magic of balloon art.
Due to illness, Dizzy Doc will be unable to attend FestivALL this year, creating an absence which Harold said will be deeply felt.
“We miss him dearly, and he’s got a place with us whenever he’s ready,” Harold said. “Dizzy Doc is embedded in the DNA of FestivALL. As long as he’s making balloons, he’s got a place with us
‘A very ‘FestivALL’ FestivALL’
“I think the people of Charleston are really going to enjoy what we have to offer,” Harold noted. “It’s a very ‘FestivALL’ FestivALL this year.”
“While the events are temporary or ephemeral, we want something people can take home and keep with them,” Harold said. “And whether that’s a physical thing from our Capitol Street Art Fair, or just an emotion or a memory, I think we’ve got all of that in droves this year.”
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