Events

Get ready to party like you did back in the day!

The 9th Annual Smoke on the Coast BBQ & Fireworks Festival takes place Wednesday, July 3 at Destin Commons and this year is expected to be bigger and better than ever! Family fun activities include live music and entertainment, BBQ sampling, face painting, photo booth, and the highly anticipated, Independence Day firework extravaganza. Through the Destin Commons Coins for a Cause initiative, 18 local charities team up with various restaurants and BBQ aficionados, for over $85,000 in donations.

The 23rd Annual Rags 2 Riches Regatta will return to Grayton Beach on Saturday, June 29, 2019.

Originally organized by the residents of Grayton Beach and Seagrove, the annual tradition is a celebration of America’s Independence Day. Competitors, families and friends gather at the access behind the Red Bar to watch two-manned teams navigate 16’ catamarans in the race from Grayton Beach to Seagrove.

Invasive plants are out-competing native varieties in our coastal dune lakes here in South Walton.

In order to make room for the native species - which better support wildlife - the Choctawhatchee Basin Alliance (CBA) and the AmeriCorps team will begin to remove the vegetation this month. The removal will help restore water flow between portions of the lake that are currently bottlenecked.

The 12th Annual Digital Graffiti Festival lit up in Alys Beach on May 17-18, 2019! 

See the SoWal Photo Gallery >

On Wednesday, May 22, the Justin Gaffrey Gallery invites the community to an opening reception for Gaffrey’s latest collection of paintings titled “LIFE STILL”.

This exhibition began as a study of traditional still life paintings, inspired by artists like Henri Matisse and Leonardo da Vinci. Gaffrey researched and studied various works in order to better understand the true meaning of still life and the thought process these great artists went through in order to produce such great works.

Our favorite Grayton gem, Hibiscus Coffee & Guesthouse, has turned 25! The "birthday party" was held under the oaks in the Backyard of Love on Saturday, May 11th. Everyone had a good time sharing, drinking, eating, and dancing!

Attention foodies: the Boys & Girls Clubs of the Emerald Coast (BGCEC) is hosting a new, mouthwatering event just for you!

Our area’s first-ever Mac & Cheese Festival is on Sunday, May 19 at Destin Commons. Featuring gourmet, chef-inspired twists on the South’s favorite comfort food, this family-friendly event will pit the area’s favorite restaurants against one another in a competition to see who has the best mac on the Emerald Coast.

Join the Cultural Arts Alliance on Thursday, May 9th from 6 - 10 PM in Grand Park for an evening with, Yacht Rock Schooner to benefit the Underwater Museum of Art (UMA), collaborative project with the South Walton Artificial Reef Association (SWARA)

The 2019 South Walton Beaches Wine & Food Festival, April 25-28, has emerged as one of the Southeast’s premier wine and food festivals. With an impressive roster of winemakers, master brewers and master distillers, the festival features premier wines, craft beer and spirits poured by the maker themselves. The festival takes participants on a virtual tour around the globe, tasting premier wines from acclaimed wine growing regions. Tickets available online.