Happy Friday morning, Charleston! I hope you’ll indulge me an extra minute—I know I’ve said this is a 5-minute read, but I think we’re going longer today. There’s a TON ramping up here in the Lowcountry, including the start of the 17-day extravaganza known as The Spoleto Festival! More on that below.

Congrats to Jake J. of Downtown, who was the 1st to guess correctly in our “Where Are We” segment last week! We were in Hampton Park, at the statue of Denmark Vesey.

Denmark Vesey was a formerly enslaved carpenter who became a leader in Charleston’s Black community. He was a founding member of the African Methodist Episcopal (AME) Church, now known as Mother Emanuel AME, and the architect of a planned 1822 slave revolt. Though the plot was foiled and Vesey executed, his legacy as a freedom fighter endures. The statue in Hampton Park was installed in 2014, the result of decades of advocacy.

In today’s newsletter:

Friday 84° / 67° ☀️ 💧1%

Saturday 80° / 69° ⛅ 💧9%

Sunday 82° / 72° ☁️ 💧24%

For a COMPLETE list of events in the Charleston area, bookmark the site below!

There are festivals, and then there’s Spoleto.

For 17 glorious days each spring, Charleston turns into the cultural epicenter of the Southeast thanks to Spoleto Festival USA—a world-class arts extravaganza that’s been dazzling audiences since 1977. But here’s the kicker: this isn’t just about opera and interpretive dance (although there’s plenty of that too). Spoleto is a full-on citywide glow-up—culturally, economically, and even structurally.

Founded by composer Gian Carlo Menotti, Spoleto was always meant to be more than a festival. Think of it as Charleston’s annual creative reset button. It’s where world premieres drop, American debuts wow, and emerging artists get their big break in historic theaters, cozy churches, and breezy outdoor venues. You might go in for a jazz set and end up captivated by an avant-garde puppet opera. (Yes, that’s a thing.)

But Spoleto doesn’t just make Charleston look artsy. It pays to be this cultured. We’re talking about a $55 million annual economic boost to the state, with nearly $21 million just in hotel stays and $4.4 million spent on food and bev alone. Nearly 950 jobs are supported by the festival every year, which is a lot of people grateful you decided to buy that second round after the show.

Out-of-state visitors make up more than half the audience—and they keep coming back. That kind of buzz has helped Charleston earn its spot on all those “Best Cities in the World” lists and inspired cities far and wide to try and copy our cultural cool. (Spoiler alert: they can’t.)

And let’s talk infrastructure. Thanks to Spoleto, historic gems like the Dock Street Theatre and the Gaillard Center got a much-needed facelift. The festival doesn’t just show up and perform—it leaves the city better than it found it.

In short, Spoleto is the artsy friend who also boosts your economy, upgrades your real estate, and gets your name in The New York Times. Not bad for a festival that started as an idea from Italy.

So, whether you’re into Shakespeare, modern dance, gospel, or just excellent people-watching, Spoleto’s got you. And Charleston? Well, we’ve got Spoleto. Lucky us.

CHS Happenings has a fast-growing and super-engaged subscriber base. We’re going to start offering local Charleston businesses the opportunity to reach this audience soon.

If you’re interested, click below and we’ll reach out in the next 30 days.

Y’all have some good taste. Mostly. Since you voted Heavy’s Barburger as your fave Charleston spot to get a burger.

I say “mostly” because Heavy’s is #2 on my list, with the slightest of distance behind my #1.

You’re sleeping on the Commonhouse Aleworks smashburger. Swig & Swine runs the food program at this great brewery.

Allow me to wax poetic about this delicious choice. Soft buttered bun, sans sesame seeds. At least 3 smashed patties, crispy on the edges as a proper smashburger must be. White cheddar, always white cheddar. Grilled onions. And no other “rabbit food” as one’s Grandpa might say.

Add the wonderful experience Commonhouse Aleworks provides—a huge, covered outdoor patio smack in the middle of the always-vibrant Park Circle neighborhood plus great beer—and it’s simply heaven.

I run most Thursday nights with Park Circle Pacers, one of Charleston’s friendliest running clubs, which meets at Commonhouse. I’ll admit I’ve followed up a 5K with the smashburger and tots on more than one occasion.

After all, every runner knows to rebuild muscle by ingesting protein after a run. Give it a try, you’ll be happy.

Each week, watch this space for a random snap from somewhere in Charleston. Where are we? Only true locals will know. DM your guess on Instagram, or email me here. The first person to guess correctly will get a shout-out at the top of our issue next week!

Charleston Running Club is the O.G. of Chucktown running clubs. In the 70s, the club helped start two of our largest races, the Cooper River Bridge Run and the Kiawah Marathon.

And for over 25 years, the Floppin’ Flounder 5K Run and Walk has been one of Charleston’s favorite races. This year’s race is on Saturday, June 7.

With help from the Sullivan’s Island Fire & Rescue Dept., this is a fun family-friendly event starting from the Fish Fry Shack on Sullivans Island and features a beautiful, nice-and-easy course.

All participants get a race t-shirt and finishers medal. Sign up at this link!

☕ Drive up and get your joe. Clutch Coffee Bar is opening May 31 off Route 41 in Mount Pleasant, and has a North Charleston location in the works, too.

🧁 CHS has some mouthwatering sweet shops. Here’s Eater Carolinas’ choices for the best 9. Who’s yours?

🍨 Continuing the sweets theme, Folly Beach gets in on the action. There’s a new ice cream shop from a beloved brand out of Hawaii.

🤌🏼 Never enough Italian restaurants , right? The former Butcher & Bee space is now Pelato, and the early buzz (Butcher & BEE? 😮‍💨) is strong.

🍵 We love our homegrown entrepreneurs. Downtown is getting a Made In Charleston retail tea and coffee shop.

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Got 15 seconds? Let us know what you thought about today’s newsletter by voting in the poll below (you’ll be done MUCH faster than I ran the Cooper River Bridge Run this year 👇