Kulture Klash Returns to Light Up Charleston

You never quite know what you’ll stumble upon at Kulture Klash — a towering 14-foot robot, maybe. Or a field of inflatable elephants. Or a booth that swears it can tell your fortune.

That’s the beauty of Charleston’s most immersive arts festival: chaos that somehow clicks. Every turn, a surprise. Every wall, a new idea daring you to look closer.

And on Nov. 22, it’s all happening again.

This year marks the 10th installment of Kulture Klash, a celebration that’s less an event and more a full-body experience. Founded by Scott Debus, Gustavo Serrano, and musician David “Big Hair” Brisacher back in 2007, the festival has always been about energy — art that hums, lights that move, people who create.

Now, with Building 64 as its home base in the North Charleston Navy Yard, that energy has room to breathe. The newly refurbished 38,000-square-foot venue gives artists “time and space to be creative,” Debus told the Post & Courier. “They can go bigger, bolder, better.”

This year’s fest runs 8 p.m. to 2 a.m., inside and out, with music, murals, interactive installations, and local art exhibits. Proceeds benefit The Livity Foundation, a nonprofit connecting arts, athletics, and wellness — a fitting match for a festival built on connection itself.

Each Kulture Klash brings new stories: a cardboard cathedral with a 26-foot steeple; a mini-golf course featuring a scale model of Michelangelo’s David; even an alleyway wakeboarding pool.

“It’s like unwrapping presents on a special holiday,” Debus says of setup week. “I get giddy seeing all the fantastic art everyone brings.”

But behind the spectacle is a purpose — to elevate all artists, together. Seasoned creators and first-time exhibitors share the same space, the same spotlight. High school students will once again display their work, a tradition Debus says is here to stay.

“It’s egalitarian,” he adds. “Everyone has a chance to be seen.”

Charleston artist Habibah “Kalianna” Palmer helped curate this year’s festival and sees Kulture Klash as a creative crossroads — one that makes space for underrepresented voices. “I’m excited about more Gullah-Geechee representation this year,” she says.

Muralist Patch Whisky, who attended his first Klash in 2010, calls it the “underbelly of the scene” — the art that doesn’t usually get gallery walls but deserves the spotlight anyway.

“It’s where the monsters peek their heads up and shine,” he says.

That’s the spirit.

For producer Andrea Serrano, Kulture Klash isn’t just an art show — it’s a movement. “Every time we do this, people say, ‘I didn’t know these artists existed in Charleston,’” she says. “It’s such a melting pot.”

Brisacher agrees: “Charleston gets pigeonholed with Southern hospitality, but this city is a lot funkier than people expect.”

That’s what Kulture Klash proves every year — that the best art happens when boundaries blur, when genres collide, when creativity runs wild.

Kulture Klash X
📍 Building 64, North Charleston Navy Yard
🕗 Nov. 22 | 8 p.m.–2 a.m.
🎟️ All ages | Proceeds benefit The Livity Foundation

Because when Charleston colors outside the lines, it’s not just art — it’s community.