Your Guide to Crescendo: Celebrating Arts, Culture, & History
As fall ushers in an array of changing colors, crisp & comfortable morning breezes, and shorter days, it welcomes one of the most exciting times of year on Hilton Head Island — the Crescendo Celebration! Crescendo celebrates arts, culture, & history and is an annual favorite here in the Lowcountry.
The 2021 Crescendo Celebration features a wide assortment of unique arts and cultural programs. These events include concerts, theatrical productions, museum and gallery exhibits, lectures, poetry readings, dance performances, historical tours, hands-on arts experiences, and educational offerings.
This year, Crescendo kicked off October 10 with La Isla Magazine's Latin Music Festival at Shelter Cove Community Park and will run until November 13. Over the next month, Crescendo has several marquee events planned, including performances, parties, and the Hilton Head Island Concours d'Elegance & Motoring Festival. Read on to learn more about some of the exciting events taking place this fall. Be sure to share your photos of the festivities with us on social media using the hashtag #LowcountryLife.
SIGNATURE EVENTS
VOLUMES OF LIGHT: THE LANTERNS OF CHANTELLE RYTTER
OCTOBER 21, 5:30 PM - 7:30 PM
If you don't know Chantelle Rytter by name, you almost certainly know her by her work. After all, she's the artist behind the Atlanta Beltline Lantern Parade, as well as our very own Hilton Head Island Lantern Parade. And with Volumes of Light, opening October 21 at the Coastal Discovery Museum, you're invited to see the art of Chantelle Rytter up close. The full spectrum of her work will be on display, including one-of-a-kind lanterns, puppets, drawings, sketchbooks, photographs, and more.
HILTON HEAD SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA PRESENTS SYMPHONIC POPS
OCTOBER 22, 7:30 PM - 9:30 PM
We're celebrating the return of live concerts on October 22 with the sweet sounds of the Hilton Head Symphony Orchestra and Erica Gabriel, 2018 Gold Medal Winner of the American Traditions Vocal Competition. Taking place at Lowcountry Celebration Park, this fantastic performance will take you on a journey through the soundtracks of universally loved films and popular music. Bring your own folding chairs and blankets and get ready for a night to remember.
JAZZ FOR ALL AGES JAZZ FESTIVAL
OCTOBER 27, 7:00 PM - 9:30 PM
October 27 is the 7th annual Jazz for All Ages Festival featuring Arturo Sandoval. A protégé of the legendary jazz master Dizzy Gillespie, Sandoval is a legend in his own right. He is a Presidential Medal of Freedom recipient, a 10-time Grammy Award winner, an Emmy Award winner, a 6 Time Billboard Award Winner, and that's just the beginning! He is regarded as one of the world's most beloved jazz trumpet and flugelhorn players, and we're so excited to have him perform during Crescendo.
HILTON HEAD ISLAND CONCOURS D’ELEGANCE & MOTORING FESTIVAL
NOVEMBER 5 - 7
The achievements and wonder between man and machine have no better showcase than at the Hilton Head Island Concours d'Elegance & Motoring Festival. Over 500 cars, boats, motorcycles, and aircraft are exhibited during the first weekend of November. This richly textured experience showcases the best of Southern hospitality, dining, luxury lifestyle, and triumphs of aviation and automobiles.
THE NUTCRACKER
NOVEMBER 12, 13, 19, AND 20 AT 7:30 PM; 14 AND 21 AT 2:30 PM
Celebrate the beginning of the holiday season with the Hilton Head Dance Theatre's production of The Nutcracker for a classic and magical performance the whole family will enjoy!
HILTON HEAD ISLAND LANTERN PARADE
NOVEMBER 13, 5:00 PM - 8:00 PM
Crescendo concludes with the iconic Hilton Head Island Lantern Parade. Here, you’ll bask in the warm glow of lanterns as visitors and locals light up the beach to celebrate and represent our history, our ecology, our recreation, and ourselves. The parade runs from Alder Lane Beach Access to Coligny Beach Park.
MORE TO EXPLORE
While these are a few of the signature highlights of Crescendo, there are dozens of events, exhibitions, and parties taking place throughout the festival. Check out the first public concert performance of the Broadway-bound musical Clicquot November 5 - 6, American Idol winner Candice Glover paying tribute to the legendary music of Aretha Franklin on November 12, the Hilton Head Island Oyster Festival November 12 - 13, and so much more! Be sure to visit our Crescendo event page to see the full line-up of everything this year's celebration has to offer.
The Crescendo curtain closes on November 13, 2021. Until then, mark your calendars and enjoy the show!
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