Charleston, SC Special Events & Permits: Street Fair Rules (2026)

City Code § 2-187 defines a 'festival' as a stationary event on public property, including public streets, sidewalks, trails and/or other public place, held one day or more, and includes fairs, carnivals, rallies, concerts, and sporting events. Because a festival counts as a special event, organizers must follow § 2-189's application process: submit a written application with the processing fee on the city's special events fee schedule, plus a site plan showing vendor booths, tents, stages, electric and water hookups, first-aid stations and garbage and recycling receptacles, a security plan, a sanitation plan, a traffic control plan and an amplified sound plan.

Filing deadlines scale with expected size: a major event (1,000 or more attendees) needs 120 days' notice, a medium event (500 to 999) needs 90 days, and a small event (under 500) needs 60 days. Vendors selling alcohol at the festival trigger the alcohol-policy requirements of § 2-189(h), including a trained bartender or floor monitor, a controlled serving area, a 30-minute cutoff before the event ends, a two-drink-per-person limit at a time, and 21-and-over wristbands, on top of any South Carolina Alcohol Beverage Commission permit.

Fees and any security deposit are due 30 days before the festival, and § 2-192 makes it unlawful for any person to engage in, participate in, aid, form or start any special event without the committee-issued permit.