Blue Crab Festival wins state awards

The World Famous Blue Crab Festival has received three separate awards from the South Carolina Festival and Events Association’s (SCFEA) 2019 Festival & Event Planner’s Conference. The SCFEA Excellence Awards program provides an opportunity for industry recognition for event professionals throughout the state. The festival is proud to have received the Green Award, Best T-Shirt Design and Best Merchandise.

The Little River Chamber of Commerce, host of the World Famous Blue Crab Festival, credits the Green Award to their partnerships with Santee Cooper and the Horry County Solid Waste Authority. “We partner with Santee Cooper to power our festivals with green power, which is generated from renewable resources like wind, solar and landfill gas. The Horry County Solid Waste Authority has implemented the resources to allow for short term events to recycle. These programs ease the stress on our environment and our expense budget,” said Jennifer Walters, president of the chamber.

This is not the first time the festival has received the Best T-Shirt Design Award. The World Famous Blue Crab Festival regularly has it’s T-shirts designed and printed by Identity Promotions. “Identity Promotions regularly achieves designs that are whimsical and appeal to many. And, obviously, we love working with a business that is native to Little River,” said Izzy West, Communications Manager at the chamber.

New to the Little River festivals in 2018 was a slap-band bracelet that was given to children upon entrance to the festival. Their parents’ cell numbers were written inside the bracelet so that in the event the child is lost, security can call the number and quickly reunite the family. Although the bracelets are given out for free, the festival was proud to receive the Best Merchandise Award for this initiative, which was already well-received by the Horry County Police and Sheriffs’ Departments who work closely with the festival planners.