Spoleto returns to Charleston, along with a $42M economic boost (2024)

Spoleto Festival USA turns Charleston into a performing arts mecca for 17 days each spring, attracting music, opera and theater lovers alike.

The annual arts extravaganza, which opened Friday and was first held in 1977, annually draws a collective audience of more than 65,000 from near and far, generating an estimated $42.7 million in economic impact for the area, according to a report compiled by organizers. Roughly half reside outside the Charleston area, with representation from nearly all 50 states and 16 countries.

More than 500 full-time, part-time and seasonal staffers are brought on to ensure the events run smoothly.

Regularly coinciding with the Friday of Memorial Day weekend, the Spoleto Festival season wraps up June 9 this year, as does the 45th annual city-run Piccolo Spoleto.

Events large and small are held in various venues, including one of the top hotel destinations. In past years, The Charleston Place held a pop-up performance event at the base of its grand staircase. This year, the Beemok Hospitality property will become the “Spoleto Piazza” offering a schedule of freebies. The pop-up also is back by popular demand, according to the hotel. Choral performances will be held May 25 and June 1 at 11 a.m. A Jazz Talk will be held May 27 at 2 p.m. across King Street at The Riviera Theater, another Beemok asset.

Becky Hubbard, managing director of The Charleston Place, said the hotel welcomes guests and locals to visit for a “taste of Spoleto.”

Organizers also rolled out a “Pay What You Will” option for a select number of tickets to be released during the festival to reduce the cost barrier. The program allows buyers to set their own prices, with a limit of two per performance and a minimum of $7 to cover processing fees.

The goal is “encourage curious new audience members to explore the world-class performances offered at Spoleto,” said event CEO and general manager Mena Mark Hanna.

Ticket please

April was yet another month for the record book for Charleston International, with 567,742 arriving an departing passengers.

It set set a new record for the month and was up 1 percent compared to a year earlier.

Since January, the airport has trended anywhere from a 1 to 5.7 percent increase each month, year over year. If this pace keeps up, the airport is on track to surpass its record 6 million traveler record set last year.

Deferred

The 12-floor, 250-key Kimpton hotel proposed for the upper peninsula’s Morrison Yard development will have to try again to earn its first approval from the city’s Board of Architectural Review.

Some BAR members said at the May 22 meeting that they wanted to refine some of the details, while others said there was too much to restudy and did not feel comfortable moving ahead. The board decided to defer the project for now and take it back up later.

Kimpton is a boutique brand owned by U.K-based InterContinental Hotels Group.

Musical memorial

Patriots Point Naval & Maritime Museum is inviting musicians of all ages to the Yorktown flight deck on May 27 for “Taps Across America” at 3 p.m. The National Moment of Remembrance Day is an annual event and minute of silence, honoring members of the armed forces.

Patriots Point is putting its own touch on the memorial, gathering Charleston-area musicians together to perform the traditional ceremonial bugle call on their instrument of choice.