Piccolo Spoleto takes over the peninsula for 45th time

The countdown officially begins for this year’s Piccolo Spoleto, which starts May 24 and will offer thrilling artistic experiences for 17 days and nights across Charleston — this year, for the 45th time.

Director Scott Watson said Piccolo Spoleto is a gathering where Charlestonians go out and support artists who also happen to be friends and neighbors. This year, he said, “will proudly celebrate what’s made us special through those past decades and also bring in some new twists.”

In the first half of the festival, you can find well-loved festival traditions as well as new offerings. Kicking it all off is the Sunset Serenade with the Charleston Symphony at 8 p.m. May 24 at the U.S. Custom House. Also in the first days of the festival, the Seed & Feed Marching Abominable, Atlanta’s wildest community band, offers a fun pajama march (10:30 p.m. May 25) and a patriotic parade (11 a.m. May 26).

Every day at noon at the Circular Congregational Church on Meeting street, there are free concerts from guitarists like Peter Kfoury and Kurt Lamkin, jazz from Jonathan Kammer, gospel vocals from Ann Caldwell and so much more.

Plus, there’s plenty of free programming at Charleston’s public libraries for kids and families. You can find the whole lineup at piccolospoleto.com, but to get an idea of what’s to come, check out our recommendations in this first of two special Piccolo inserts.

Visual art all over the place

More than 50 Charleston artists are featured in this year’s Piccolo Spoleto Juried Art Exhibition, on view starting May 24 at the City Gallery. This annual exhibition highlights local and regional artists in painting, sculpture, drawing, printmaking and photography. This year, it is juried by surrealist Charleston artist Duke Hagerty.

At the Avery Research Center, Christopher “kolpeace” Johnson shows a solo exhibition, Look Just Like Yo Mama, on view until August with an opening reception 5-8 p.m. May 31. Through a vibrant collection of paintings, sculptures and mixed-media works, kolpeace invites viewers on a journey of appreciation for Black culture, using his own experiences as a lens to explore universal themes of memory, resilience and the enduring power of human connection.

And don’t forget to check out tents of art at the annual outdoor art exhibition, on view for free every day at Marion Square, highlighting local makers in all kinds of media.

Family-friendly events abound

For artsy Charleston kids, there’s a workshop series led by artist Karen Jayne at the Charleston County Main Library on Calhoun Street and the John L. Dart Library on upper King Street. Kids 8 and up can register to learn how to create a 3D nature-based work of art using found objects connected with wire, yarn, fabric and other natural elements.

Or if your little ones like magic, you’ll appreciate the Shakespeare Magic show at the Cannon Street Arts Center. It’s a fun, lively, interactive 55-minute show of the ideas and skills used in performing Shakespeare. You’ll leave entertained and mystified — along with an appreciation on how this playwright can be a lifelong companion in understanding the human condition.

Events at the library offer chances for kids to engage with diverse art forms, including a program that teaches about the didgeridoo, a kid-focused reggae performance and storytelling events where actors bring life to characters like Jack, from Jack and the Beanstalk, and Goldie Locks.

Diverse offerings in theater and dance

This year’s theater and dance offerings are perhaps the most multifaceted, with more than 30 different options from which to choose, such as Tomatoes Tried to Kill Me, But Banjos Saved My Life, a one-man show about a true experience with cancer; or a completely improvised play in the style of Tennessee Williams that’s a part of Theatre 99’s Piccolo Fringe.

At the Cannon Street Arts Center, there’s a show from Charleston Opera Theatre: Master Class, which features actor Saundra DeAthos portraying Maria Callas, one of the most renowned and influential opera singers of the 20th century. This dramatic performance is inspired by the series of master classes Callas conducted at Juilliard toward the end of her career. She coaxes, prods and inspires students — “victims” as she calls them — into giving the performances of their lives while revealing her own.

Also at Cannon Street is a one-woman show by Kaytlin Bailey from the Oldest Profession Podcast, called Whore’s Eye View, described as a “mad dash through 10,000 years of history from a sex worker’s perspective.”

In West Ashley, the Charleston Stage theater space called “The Pearl” hosts Lady in White Productions as it presents Big Mama’s The Musical. Back by popular demand, this show offers an evening of soul music and drama with songs from Ella Fitzgerald, Billie Holiday and more.

For the comedy fans, find Piccolo Fringe at Theatre 99, an array of performances in improv, sketch comedy and stand up, with performances from the Theatre 99 company plus special guests like Edi Patterson (The Righteous Gemstones).

And see the tales of Edgar Allan Poe like never before in a stunning fusion of live theater, immersive visuals and haunting music at Gage Hall on Archdale Street: ALONE… Tales from Edgar Allen Poe challenges audiences to explore the depths of their own emotions, fears and desires.

Not-to-be-missed literary experiences

Throughout the festival at 6 p.m. in Washington Square Park, Sundown Poetry is offered by Buxton Books with receptions following at the bookstore. This year hosts poets Danielle DeTiberus, Jessica K. Hylton, Joey Tucker, Cheryl Boyce-Taylor, Lola Haskins, Ray McManus, Regina YC Garcia and Katherine Williiams.

There’s also Blue Bicycle Books long-standing event, Piccolo Fiction, which presents local and South Carolina authors reading brief short stories. This month, find readings in the courtyard from Mindy Friddle, Emilie Ross, Sara Cappell Thomason and Susan Beckham Zurenda. Readings will be in the courtyard beside the bookstore, and following tradition, each story will begin with the words “I ducked into the alley …”

No matter what you’re looking for, there’s something for everyone in this year’s Piccolo Spoleto. So make sure to seize this opportunity to honor the uniqueness of Charleston’s artistic community.

Find the full lineup of events and more details at piccolospoleto.com.