The Charleston Wine + Food festival is a direct articulation of our mission. It’s a platform to share stories, elevate the people in this community, celebrate our city, and create an enriching experience for the people who live + work here.
As a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, ticket sales go directly to the production of the festival. Ninety-five cents of every dollar we spend producing the festival has a direct measurable impact on our city’s economy. By purchasing a ticket to a festival event, you are helping us to support our local food + beverage community to participate in this festival, share the unique stories and histories of our foodways, and create a meaningful economic impact on our city.
Successful festivals grow + evolve in response to the needs of the communities they serve. In an effort to be a more inclusive organization and decrease the barriers for chef + beverage professionals to participate in our festival, we have several ways that we directly compensate our talent.
We think Charleston is a pretty special place that is filled with talented professionals, businesses and entrepreneurs. It makes us proud to reinvest directly into our local business community.
The programming presented annually at the Charleston Wine + Food festival is a compilation of shared stories and experiences from our local food + beverage industry. Food is a powerful connector and storyteller. It allows our organization to present histories, cultures, and practices that are important and deserve attention and recognition to the world. We enlighten, enrich, and educate our community through food experiences.
One of our cornerstone purposes is to bring national recognition to the food scene of Charleston. Over the last 16 years, the festival has welcomed nearly 335,000 attendees and generated over $112.2 million in economic impact for our city; it is a direct contributing factor to the growth of Charleston’s culinary brand and its success.
