MORNING HEADLINES | The 45th annual Piccolo Spoleto festival officially begins today, bringing thrilling artistic experiences to the Lowcountry for 17 days and nights, as its more prominent companion, Spoleto Festival USA, continues its cultural roar across the Lowcountry.
Piccolo Spoleto’s opening ceremonies are at noon outside City Hall, followed by the Sunset Serenade with the Charleston Symphony at 8 p.m. at the U.S. Custom House. The Seed & Feed Marching Abominable, Atlanta’s wildest community band, offers an 11 a.m. Saturday concert at Marion Square, followed by a fun pajama march at 10:30 p.m. Saturday. A zany patriotic parade will be at 11 a.m. May 26.
- See the official 2024 Piccolo Spoleto program, published by the Charleston City Paper.
- Enjoy the Lowcountry’s best coverage of the festivals, thanks in part to stories coming from Syracuse University graduate students working with the City Paper over the next 17 days.
Meanwhile, Spoleto Festival USA, which got going May 22, recently announced a new ticket-pricing program to make the annual event more accessible. The “pay what you will” program allows ticket buyers to set their own price, at a minimum of $7 to cover processing fees, to specific performances associated with the festival like dance, music, opera and theater performances between May 24 and June 9.
In City Paper news today:
CP OPINION: S.C. Freedom Caucus isn’t ‘conservative.’ “Any number of ‘c’ words spring to mind when one thinks of the so-called South Carolina House Freedom Caucus: combative, corrosive, childish, churlish, chuckleheaded and crazypants, just to name just a few.”
CP FOCUS: The haunting beauty of Charleston’s Magnolia Cemetery. Spanish moss hangs low over the graves of Magnolia Cemetery, catching the morning sunlight and bringing a haunting beauty to dozens of acres on hallowed grounds on the outskirts of Charleston.
CP NEWS: U.S. Supreme Court sides with S.C. GOP in gerrymandering case. The U.S. Supreme Court voted 6-3 in a decision released today to reverse a lower court ruling that struck down a 2021 remap of the state’s First Congressional District.
CP NEWS: James Island offers charm, comfortable community. Nestled throughout the triangular sea island are well-established neighborhoods, comfortable eateries, shops, schools, recreation, entertainment — all of which give residents little incentive to step off the island to find something cool to do.
CP NEWS: Dorchester tribe to seek federal recognition. The Edisto-Natchez Kusso Tribe of South Carolina said it will soon tell the federal government it intends to seek recognition as the second sovereign Native American community in the Palmetto State.
CP ARTS: Queen Street Playhouse kicks off summer series with ‘Einstein!’ The Queen Street Playhouse (QSP) kicks off its summer theater series with a bold one-man show from Los Angeles, Einstein! by actor and writer Jack Fry.
CP ARTS: Fidders’ Fire serves elevated street food. After working in fine dining kitchens, including Tempest and Church and Union, chef Tyler Cook knew he wanted to break off and create his own food concept.
In other recent headlines:
NHC issues active forecast for 2024 season. It doesn’t look good. It´s shaping up to be a very busy 2024 Atlantic Hurricane Season with up to 25 named storms forming. This is almost twice the average. La Niña and very warm sea surface water temperatures are to blame, meteorologists say.
S.C. bill adopting antisemitism definition signed into law. South Carolina has become the latest state to codify an international definition of antisemitism into law.
Charleston’s tourism impact figure hits new high, exceeding $13B. The Charleston area’s hospitality industry continued its post-pandemic rebound last year, when its financial impact grew to $13.1 billion, accounting for nearly a quarter of the regional economy.
Charleston Parks Conservancy gives Colonial Lake $125k facelift. The Charleston Parks Conservancy announced May 21 a two-year, $125,000 restoration project at Colonial Lake to make the park more resilient in the face of climate change.
Charleston mayor set to reorganize city departments. Charleston Mayor William Cogswell announced a reorganization of the city’s 26 departments about six months into his tenure as mayor.
- To get dozens of South Carolina news stories every business day, contact the folks at SC Clips.
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