Summerville Festival Is All About Sweet Tea—and More!

By Brian Sherman

Summerville, South Carolina boasts of being the birthplace of sweet tea, and though residents of other towns south of the Mason- Dixon Line might claim that the quintessential Southern drink was born within their borders, there’s one fact they can’t ignore: on National Iced Tea Day in 2016, the denizens of Summerville mixed 210 pounds of loose-leaf tea, 1,700 pounds of sugar, and more than 300 pounds of ice in a 15-foot-tall mason jar, making 2,524 gallons of sweet tea and etching the name of their town into the Guinness Book of World Records.

The mason jar is still a Summerville landmark, and the town celebrates its place in Southern history with the annual Sweet Tea Festival, with activities scheduled throughout “The Sweetest Week Ever”, culminating with the Saturday afternoon festival.

On September 23rd, historic downtown Summerville will become a massive street fair, featuring food trucks, entertainment, and 85 arts and crafts vendors, according to Steve Doniger, executive director of Summerville Dream, the organization tasked with maintaining the success of the annual event. During the days leading up to the Festival, visitors and local residents will be able to enjoy a variety of tea-related activities, including “the sweetest farmers market ever,” sidewalk sales, a bar crawl, and a sweet tea cocktail contest.

“You’ll be able to try sweet tea-inspired cocktails and vote for your favorite,” Doniger said.

Friday will be more about teeing off, but there probably will be a large amount of sweet tea consumed at the Summerville Country Club. The Summerville Dream Sweet ‘Tee’ Golf Outing also will include lunch and a barbecue dinner, as well as awards and specialty gifts.

There’s generally at least one new aspect of the Sweet Tea Festival, and this year it’s the sweet tea songwriters’ session. Doniger said performances are set for Thursday, Friday, and Saturday in bars and restaurants at the end of Short Central.

“This is a cool opportunity for local folks in the greater Summerville and Charleston area to perform their songs,” Doniger pointed out. “There might even be a song or two about sweet tea.” Kids will have lots to do at the Festival, in craft areas and with STEM activities. And, when the Festival gets underway, from 2 p.m. to 7 p.m. September 23rd, the 16,000 people who are expected to show up will be able to learn all about the history of sweet tea and sample various versions of one of the South’s most popular drinks. However, Doniger pointed out that the event is about more than a sweet, refreshing beverage.

“The biggest thing is to be able to help celebrate historic downtown Summerville and the small businesses that have made an investment in our community,” he stated. “It’s only a half day on Saturday, with the farmers market in the morning, so folks have the opportunity to experience downtown. It’s not overblown or bigger than it needs to be.”

“The best thing is that the whole downtown really gets behind the sweet tea component,” he added. “It’s a fun part of our history. It’s really a celebration of Summerville.”