Annual Golden Isles Events to Attend with Kids
We’ve compiled a list of all of the annual Golden Isles events we look forward to attending with our kids (plus a few we’d recommend calling a babysitter for). Whether you live in the area or are visiting during certain months of the year, be sure to add these events to your calendar.
Ongoing Golden Isles Events
Join the community on Newcastle Street from 5-8pm on the First Friday of each month for live music from the Brunswick Music District, local shopping, and great food.
Glynn Visual Arts hosts a monthly outdoor market on the 3rd Saturday of the month from 10am-2pm. Enjoy farm fresh local foods, pottery, textiles, jewelry and other handmade, locally made items. The market is held at the Glynn Visual Arts building at 106 Island Drive, St. Simons Island.
January
At the start of each year, in January and February, Jekyll Island picks artists from across the country to create one-of-a-kind glass floats for its annual Island Treasures event. Volunteers hide two to five clear plastic globes daily for guests to find and redeem for a highly coveted (and beautiful!) glass globe.
The day-long Brunswick Rockin’ Stewbilee event features a motorcycle ride, live music, pooch parade, classic and antique car show, and sampling of the Best Brunswick Stew in the nation.
Call a babysitter for this one! The annual oyster roast features food and drinks from over 50 local vendors, live music, stunning views, and more. The event is a fundraiser for the St. Simons Land Trust. Proceeds support the Land Trust's mission to protect our scenic and historic treasures and to preserve the beauty and charm of our island for generations to come.
February
The American Cancer Society's Victory Board presents the annual Father-Daughter Dance. This special afternoon pampers your precious princesses and includes refreshments, music for dancing, and ample opportunities for photos. Fun for all ages, please wear your Sunday best.
The Southeast Georgia Health System’s Foundation Bridge Run across the scenic Sidney Lanier Bridge in Brunswick, Georgia, has been certified by the U.S. Track and Field Association as “the toughest 5K in Georgia.”
The Bridge Run includes a walk and a family-friendly festival featuring vendors, food and drinks, entertainment, and children’s activities. Proceeds benefit the Health System’s cancer and cardiac care program.
The annual 10k, 5k, and Mile Fun Run on St. Simon's Island is a fundraiser which benefits both Oglethorpe Pointe and St. Simons Elementary Schools.
This is one of the Golden Isles events you can leave the kids home with Dad. Wine Women & Shoes is an elite event on St. Simons Island that brings the community together around fine wine, remarkable shopping, exceptional auctions, fun raffles, delectable food, and a cause that matters. Don your most stunning attire and incredible shoes to sip, savor, and shop through an afternoon to raise awareness and support for the wonderful care the non-profit Hospice of the Golden Isles provides.
March
Spend a morning with all of your favorite characters, face painting, balloon animals and more!
Book a babysitter and enjoy that green beer! There will be Live Music, Beer, and Food all day long! Silver Bluff will have 14 beers on tap and hard seltzer. Come dressed in your most festive St. Patrick's Day attire! Prizes will be given to the two best-dressed runners!
NOTE: A Beer Mile is an event where you consume four 12 oz beers and run one mile. One beer is consumed after each 1/4 mile.
April
An event celebrating the bounty of the south! Featuring a marketplace with local artisans in farmers and a tasting tent spotlighting your favorite restaurants! Libations will be flowing, and music will be in the salt air!
Race with us on Jekyll Island as we mark the start of sea turtle nesting season on the Georgia coast. This important fundraising event supports the lifesaving work of the Georgia Sea Turtle Center, through the Jekyll Island Foundation.
This free, family-friendly event features educational programs, touch tanks, wildlife viewing opportunities, and exhibitors from partner agencies and nonprofit organizations.
Watch the shrimp boats parade under the bridge and accept blessings from local religious leaders for a safe and prosperous shrimping season. Downtown Darien hosts a carnival atmosphere with live music, food vendors, a 5K, and other fun activities for the whole family.
May
St. Simons Island's legendary skimboarding event. 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place trophies awarded to each age group in freestyle and longest ride. Worst Wipeout will be awarded the Coveted Golden Broom.
TAPS is a major local community event arranged by the St. Simons Rotary Club to honor the men and women who have fallen in the service of our country, those who have valiantly served and returned, and those who are serving today.
The Brunswick Blessing of the Fleet is longest running blessings of the fleet and one of the best that Coastal Georgia has to offer with fresh seafood, local culture, boating, the shrimping industry, arts, crafts and variety of leisure activities. The festival will feature fun and games for the kids, fabulous food, music, great family entertainment, the farmer's market and a variety of displays.
June
For over forty years the Georgia Sea Islands Festival on St. Simons Island, Georgia has celebrated the African American musical traditions, crafts, and food of the coastal barrier islands. There will be cuisine, arts & crafts, demonstrations, vendors and live enertainment.
July
A celebration that includes a golf cart parade, a pet parade, old fashioned games like sack racing and hula hoop competitions, free watermelon, food vendors, live music and fireworks.
The celebration in Pier Village includes fireworks, an arts & crafts show, a 5K and 1-mile fun run and more, this is the perfect family-friendly event this season.
Bring picnic blankets, beach chairs, your friends and family to watch the beautiful firework show along the water at Neptune Park. Free admission and free parking.
Participate on foot, bikes, golf carts, vintage cars, floats, and strollers down Sea Island Drive. Be creative! Pets are welcome.
October
The Firebox Initiative Inc. was founded by restaurant people for restaurant people. Griffin Bufkin and Harrison Sapp know what it means to suffer through tough times. When their restaurant, Southern Soul Barbeque, burned down on March 27, 2010, they didn't know how they would get through. They quickly found out that their friends in the community and in the restaurant business would lift them up in their time of need. They have never forgotten that feeling, which drives their desire to help others with the Firebox Initiative.
Enjoy live music and, of course, barbeque! This BBQ on the Bluff invitational features pitmasters, chefs, farmers, brewers, distillers, and so much more.
November
The RSM Classic is an official PGA TOUR event hosted by Davis Love III at Sea Island Golf Club.
One of our favorite Golden Isles events, the Jekyll Island Shrimp & Grits Festival combines the classic southern dish with family-friendly entertainment, artists market, live music, food, and more. The island comes alive during this fun-filled festival, so mark your calendars for this award-winning event held in the Historic District of Jekyll Island, Georgia.
Brunswick PorchFest is a FREE neighborhood music festival in Historic Old Town Brunswick where front porches become stages and strangers become friends.
A day filled with a parade and festivities honoring our nations veterans. Many restaurants on the island offer discounted meals to veterans.
December
The annual community Brunswick Christmas parade is the first Saturday in December. The Christmas parade is at night-time, starting at 5:30pm at Howard Coffin Park.
Jekyll Island does the holiday season right! A month-long celebration includes fireworks, parades, drive-in movies, a touch-a-truck event, and more!
Book a babysitter for this one and enjoy live music and drinks!
Looking for more local events? Click here to view our Golden Isles events calendar.
