Updated September 14, 2026
Sweet Tea Festival week is here, and we’ve got another round of confirmed details before Saturday — including the Red, White & Brew Tea Contest, a full 12-drink Hold My Tea lineup, the Food Lion Hospitality Zone, Sweetest Kids Zone and practical updates for September 19.
Here’s what’s new as festival day gets closer. For the most current schedule, parking, street closures and festival FAQs, bookmark our What’s Up Summerville Sweet Tea Festival Guide and check it again before you head downtown.
Plan your visit: Sweet Tea Festival Guide →
The Main Event: Sweet Tea Festival
The 2026 Sweet Tea Festival returns to Historic Downtown Summerville on Saturday, September 19, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., centered around Hutchinson Square and the surrounding downtown area.
The free annual festival celebrates Summerville’s claim as the Birthplace of Sweet Tea, turning downtown into a street-fair-style celebration with food, artisans, vendors, entertainment and — naturally — plenty of sweet tea.
This year, visitors can also take part in the Red, White & Brew Tea Contest, sampling teas from participating locations around downtown and the Farmers Market before voting for a favorite.
Quick info
When: Saturday, September 19, 2026
Time: 10 a.m.–4 p.m.
Where: Historic Downtown Summerville / Hutchinson Square
Admission: Free
And while September 19 is the main event, Sweet Tea Festival has grown into much more than a single Saturday.
The Sweetest Kids Zone Is Coming Back
Families have another confirmed reason to make plans for festival day.
The Sweetest Kids Zone will be set up in Hutchinson Square on September 19 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Even better: it’s free.
Summerville DREAM’s released graphic gives families a peek at the kid-focused fun planned for the area, including inflatables, games and an archery-style activity.
That adds another piece to what should be a very family-friendly festival day — especially for parents looking for something to break up the shopping, food and wandering around downtown.
Food Lion Hospitality Zone
Need a breather between shopping, snacks and another lap around downtown? The Food Lion Hospitality Zone will be on Doty Avenue on September 19, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Summerville DREAM’s announcement promises yard games, prizes, a large shady porch and sweet tea. Pull up, cool down and enjoy a little porch time before heading back into the festival.
New: Red, White & Brew Tea Contest
Festival day now has another sweet-tea challenge to add to the list.
The Red, White & Brew Tea Contest begins Saturday, September 19 at 10 a.m. and continues while supplies last. There is no purchase necessary to participate.
Festivalgoers can make their way around downtown and the Farmers Market, look for the posted “Uncle Sam” signs, sample tea from participating stops and circle their favorite on the official ballot.
There are 14 participating stops:
Doty Avenue
- Food Lion Hospitality Zone
- The Codfather — Food Truck
- The Icehouse Restaurant — Restaurant
Little Main
- Stillwild Coffee — Merchant
- Beyond Handcrafted — Vendor
- Simple Treasures — Merchant
- Raine & Grace Candle Co. — Vendor Booth
- James Brown Famous Boiled Peanuts — Vendor Booth
West Richardson
- Fedup Truck — Food Truck
- Sweetwater One Twenty Three — Restaurant
Short Central
- Bornunited — Vendor Booth
- Beautiful Savior Lutheran Church — Vendor Booth
Farmers Market
- Kindle & Bloom — Vendor Booth
- Cloud Nine Cotton Candy
Once you’re done sampling, return your ballot to the Summerville DREAM booth on West Richardson Avenue or the Visit Summerville booth at the corner of Little Main and Doty Avenue.
With stops spread throughout the festival area, this gives you one more reason to wander beyond Hutchinson Square and explore a little more of downtown while you’re there.
Hold My Tea: All 12 Cocktails for 2026
The Hold My Tea Bar Crawl & Sweet Tea Cocktail Contest runs September 14–20, 2026. Twelve local bars and restaurants have created original sweet-tea-inspired cocktails. Meet the drinks and the people behind them:
- Midnight in the Garden — The Azalea Bar & Garden
Bartender: Elizabeth Cureton - The Earl’s Meadow — Five Loaves Cafe
Bartender: Kaitlyn Hawes - Southern Dirty Cherry Cola — Godwin’s Beer Hall
Bartender: Austin Willard - East Doty’s Daly — The Icehouse Restaurant
Bartender: Victoria Tyndell - Bourbon Belle Sip — Kersey House
Bartender: Brooke Gowen - Southern Static — La Chev 208
Bartender: Damian Contino - Ibisco Cocomero — Laura
Bartender: Zach Hollon - The Blushing Azalea — Lowcountry Fish Camp
Created by: Front of House Staff - The Dirty Arnold — Lowcountry Public House
Bartender: Robyn Remeika - Bless Your Tart — Luxe Bar & Bistro
Bartender: Dani Potetz - Southern Belle — Montreux Bar & Grill
Bartender: Emily McEntire - The Sweet Pea — Sweetwater One Twenty Three
Bartenders: Chelsea Cronk + Laura Walling
Bingo, Free Shirts and Your Vote
This is a week-long cocktail trail, so you can spread your stops across several days. Pick up a Bingo card at a participating location or the Summerville Visitor Center, or download and print one from Visit Summerville.
Purchase participating cocktails and complete the other activities on the card. Mark seven spots in a row, then redeem your completed card at the Summerville Visitor Center or the festival’s Visit Summerville/Cotton-Tea booth for a free bar crawl shirt while supplies last.
The free crawl shirt is a separate promotion from What’s Up Summerville’s Sweet Tea State of Mind shirts below.
Scan the QR code on your Bingo card to vote for the People’s Choice Award. A separate panel of judges selects Critic’s Choice based on taste, presentation and originality.
Please drink responsibly and plan for a safe ride home. Find the festival-day schedule and parking notes in our Sweet Tea Festival planning guide.
The Sweetest Third Thursday Ever
Festival week also includes September’s Third Thursday.
On Thursday, September 17 from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m., downtown Summerville will host the Sweetest Third Thursday Ever.
Head downtown for shopping, dining, local businesses and live music from the Scotty Oliver Band at the Hutchinson Square stage as Summerville gets ready for Saturday’s festival.
Presented by Summerville DREAM.
Third Thursday normally brings vendors, local entertainment, extended shopping hours and plenty of activity throughout Hutchinson Square, West Richardson Avenue and Short Central. Adding the Sweet Tea spin just two days before the festival should make downtown especially lively that week.
So, no — you definitely don’t have to wait until Saturday to start celebrating.
The Sweetest Farmers Market Ever
Saturday morning starts early with the Sweetest Farmers Market Ever in Hutchinson Square.
The market runs Saturday, September 19 from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., giving you plenty of time to browse local growers, bakers, makers, prepared foods and other vendors before — or during — the Sweet Tea Festival.
If you’re making a full day of it, our suggestion is simple: start at the Farmers Market and work your way into the festival.
Come hungry. Between the market, festival food and downtown restaurants, you’ll have plenty of reasons to stick around.
Don’t Forget About Mason
If you’re going all-in on Sweet Tea season, you might as well stop by and visit the local celebrity responsible for a whole lot of Summerville selfies.
Mason, the World’s Largest Sweet Tea, sits next to Town Hall at 200 South Main Street.
Summerville earned the Guinness World Record in 2016 with a container holding 2,524 gallons of sweet tea. Mason stands more than 15 feet tall and remains one of the most visible reminders that Summerville takes this whole Sweet Tea thing pretty seriously.
Sweet Tea Mugs Will Be Available Festival Day
If you like collecting Sweet Tea Festival keepsakes, this year’s Sweet Tea mugs will be available during the festival on September 19.
The mugs have become a fun collectible for festival regulars — and a pretty appropriate addition to any Summerville kitchen cabinet.
Look for the mugs at the Summerville DREAM tent on West Richardson Avenue during the festival, which runs from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. in Historic Downtown Summerville.
Plan Ahead for Parking and Road Closures
If you’ve been to Sweet Tea Festival before, you already know this part: downtown gets busy.
The Town of Summerville’s September 19, 2026 event notice lists these street closures:
- Little Main Street: 6 a.m.–5 p.m.
- Doty Avenue: 8 a.m.–5 p.m.
- West Richardson Avenue to Short Central: 8 a.m.–5 p.m.
Parking immediately around Hutchinson Square will be limited, so plan on possibly parking several blocks away. Summerville DREAM also notes that the downtown parking garage will be available throughout the day.
These times come from the Town’s dated 2026 notice. Check our festival parking and street-closure guide before you leave for the latest planning updates.
You May Want to Leave the Dog at Home
Because Sweet Tea Festival brings thousands of people downtown, organizers strongly recommend leaving pets at home for their safety and the safety of festival guests.
Between the crowds, pavement, noise and September weather, this may be one Summerville outing where your four-legged family member is happier enjoying the air conditioning.
Get Into a Sweet Tea State of Mind
We’re getting ready for Sweet Tea Festival weekend at What’s Up Summerville, too.
We have a limited quantity of Sweet Tea State of Mind tees available ahead of festival day, with shirts starting at $19.95. Sizes and colors are limited and availability may vary.
If you’d like one, DM What’s Up Summerville on Facebook or Instagram to check availability and arrange local pickup before the Sweet Tea Festival.
So if you were looking for something appropriate to wear while wandering downtown with sweet tea in one hand and something from a food vendor in the other, we may know a guy.
Sweet Tea Festival Week at a Glance
- September 14–20: Hold My Tea Bar Crawl & Sweet Tea Cocktail Contest
- September 17, 5:30–8:30 p.m.: The Sweetest Third Thursday Ever with live music from the Scotty Oliver Band
- September 19, 8 a.m.–4 p.m.: The Sweetest Farmers Market Ever
- September 19, beginning at 10 a.m.: Red, White & Brew Tea Contest — while supplies last
- September 19, 10 a.m.–4 p.m.: Sweet Tea Festival
- September 19, 10 a.m.–4 p.m.: Sweetest Kids Zone
- September 19, 10 a.m.–4 p.m.: Food Lion Hospitality Zone
Your Sweet Tea Festival Planning Hub
Keep our What’s Up Summerville Sweet Tea Festival Guide handy for the most current schedule, parking information, road closures and FAQs. We’ll continue adding confirmed updates as festival weekend gets closer.
Save the Sweet Tea Festival Guide →
Sweet Tea Festival returns September 19. See you downtown.
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