City Council OKs Beaufort Water Festival for July, bringing back ‘time-honored tradition’
The 65th annual Beaufort Water Festival is officially set to make its return in July after Beaufort City Council unanimously approved organizer’s requests Tuesday night to sponsor the event.
“Since postponing the festivities about a year ago, we have all hoped for this time-honored tradition to return to Beaufort, and it appears as though the pathway has been laid for us to put that out there and bring the festival back,” Festival Commodore Erin “Tank” Morris said at the meeting.
On behalf of the festival, Morris presented 14 requests for use, permissions and waivers necessary for the festival, most of which are typical and had been approved in prior years.
New this year, the city agreed to pay an additional $2,500 toward the fireworks display, totaling $7,500, and waiving half of the park rental fee.
City Manager Bill Prokop said the city agreed to boost the festival financially this year as a “one-time COVID rationale” because it’s “such an important event, and hopefully COVID will be behind us by July.”
Mayor Stephen Murray said everyone will have to “kick in a little extra to get the economy going again” after the pandemic.
“I appreciate us all working together to get the festival off to a good start in July,” he said. “I’m looking forward to being back in the park, and I know Commodore Morris and the staff will pull off a safe and successful festival.”
Prokop and Morris both said the festival will follow state and local safety guidelines and recommendations.
“We can’t wait to bring back this wonderful tradition,” Morris said.
The 10-day festival is scheduled for Friday, July 16, to Sunday, July 25, and usually draws thousands of people to the Henry C. Chambers Waterfront Park and downtown Beaufort to enjoy sports, entertainment, a parade, local vendors and concerts.
Except for 2020, the Water Festival has been held each year since 1956 as a celebration of the seaside town’s connection to sailing, shrimping and its vast network of tidal rivers and sounds. Last year was the first year the festival had not been held, Water Festival board chairman Brian Patrick previously told the Beaufort Gazette.
