Spring Events Calendar 2026: St. Patrick’s Day, SOS Safari, Blue Crab Fest & More
It’s a Friday night in April, and beach music is spilling out of Fat Harold’s door onto Ocean Drive — the Embers or Band of Oz, you can’t tell yet, but it doesn’t matter because the whole block is moving. Couples who’ve been shagging together for thirty years are dancing on the sidewalk. Strangers are clapping along. The salt breeze off the Atlantic is mixing with the sweet smell of someone’s cigar and the warmth of a night that doesn’t need a jacket. This is SOS Spring Safari, and this is what spring in North Myrtle Beach actually feels like.
From a 40,000-person St. Patrick’s Day parade on Main Street to the shag dance community descending on Ocean Drive to the steam rising off blue crab pots at the Little River waterfront, the spring 2026 events near North Myrtle Beach are worth planning your entire trip around.
March
NMB St. Patrick’s Day Parade & Festival
Saturday, March 14, 2026 | Main Street, North Myrtle Beach
The 35th annual St. Patrick’s Day Parade kicks off at 9 AM on Main Street — the same Main Street that’s walkable from our condo at 601 Hillside Dr N. Approximately 40,000 people line the route for floats, marching bands, and a whole lot of green. You’ll hear the bagpipes before you see them, and the crowd noise builds block by block until the whole street is one long roar of cheers and air horns and kids screaming for candy throws. The festival runs until 4 PM with food vendors, live music, and family activities.
This is a rain-or-shine event. The parade route is compact enough that you can watch from multiple spots, and the post-parade festival turns Main Street into a giant outdoor party — the smell of funnel cakes and pulled pork mixing with the salt air.
Insider tip: Walk from the condo to the parade — avoid the parking nightmare entirely. Grab a spot on Main Street near the walkable restaurants and duck into NY Pizza Kitchen or Fenway Grille when you’re ready to eat. No car needed.
Alabama Theatre & House of Blues Shows
Shows run all March. Highlights:
– Hotel California (Eagles tribute) — March 13 at Alabama Theatre
– Aly & AJ — March 8 at House of Blues
– ONE The Show — Running throughout March at Alabama Theatre
See our full show guide for the complete schedule.
Spring Golf Season Begins
March is the start of peak golf season on the Grand Strand. Courses are in prime spring condition, deals are available (multi-round discounts, afternoon specials), and the weather is perfect for 18 holes. See our golf course guide for the best courses near the condo.
April
SOS Spring Safari
April 17–26, 2026 | Main Street / Ocean Drive, North Myrtle Beach
The Society of Stranders (SOS) hosts their annual Spring Safari — a 10-day celebration of the Carolina Shag dance, the official state dance of South Carolina. Thousands of shag dancers from across the country converge on Main Street for live beach music, dancing at Fat Harold’s and Duck’s, and community events. The hardwood floors at Fat Harold’s have absorbed decades of shuffling feet, and during SOS you can feel the rhythm through the boards before you even step inside.
The highlight: Saturday, April 25 — Main Street shuts down for the big parade with floats, costumes, and shag club competitions.
Why this matters for your trip: SOS Spring Safari is often described as “Spring Break for Adults.” The clubs are walkable from the condo. The energy is infectious — the sidewalks vibrate with bass from every open door, couples are two-stepping on the pavement, and strangers hand you a cold beer and tell you to stick around for the next set. Even if you don’t shag dance (yet), walking through Ocean Drive during SOS is an unforgettable cultural experience.
Book early. SOS weekends are popular — accommodations fill up in advance.
Spring Weather Peak
April on the Grand Strand is spectacular — highs in the mid-70s, low humidity, azaleas exploding in fuchsia and coral along every boulevard, and long sunny days where the light goes golden by 6 PM. The breeze carries the sweet, heavy scent of Confederate jasmine from the garden fences along Ocean Drive. It’s arguably the best weather month of the year. Ocean temps start climbing toward the upper 60s, and evening beach walks feel almost cinematic — warm sand, calm surf, the sky running through its full sunset palette.
May
Blue Crab Festival
Saturday–Sunday, May 16–17, 2026 | Historic Little River Waterfront
The World Famous Blue Crab Festival is the Grand Strand’s biggest annual event — named “Best Annual Event/Festival on the Grand Strand” eight years running. Over 50,000 attendees. 250+ craft vendors. Live beach music all day. And every crab dish your imagination can conjure. The steam rises off the blue crab pots along the Little River waterfront, the air thick with Old Bay and drawn butter, and the crack of crab shells is the only sound competing with the band on stage.
| Detail | Info |
|---|---|
| Dates | May 16–17, 2026 |
| Hours | 9 AM – 5 PM both days |
| Admission | $10 adults, free for kids 12 & under |
| VIP | $100 VIP Experience available |
| Location | Little River Waterfront (~15 min from the condo) |
This is a booking driver. People plan their May vacations around the Blue Crab Festival. If you’re considering a late-spring trip, this is the weekend to target.
Read our complete Blue Crab Festival guide →
Barefoot Landing SummerFest Begins
Barefoot Landing launches its summer entertainment season in late May — free nightly performances echoing across the waterway, Monday night fireworks crackling over the ICW with the reflections doubling in the dark water, and the full summer energy that makes the complex the #1 NMB attraction. The boardwalk fills with families, the smell of kettle corn drifts between shops, and the evening air softens into something warm and easy.
Memorial Day Weekend
The unofficial start of summer. The beach is in full swing — towels and umbrellas dotting the sand from the waterline to the dunes, the smell of sunscreen and salt thick in the air. Mini golf courses are on peak-season hours (open until 11 PM, neon-lit and buzzing with families after dark), and all restaurants and attractions are running full schedules. Water temps are climbing into the low 70s — swimming season is officially on.
At a Glance
| Event | Date | Location | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| St. Patrick’s Day Parade | March 14 | Main Street NMB | Free |
| Hotel California (Alabama Theatre) | March 13 | Barefoot Landing | ~$35–50 |
| SOS Spring Safari | April 17–26 | Main Street NMB | Free (club cover varies) |
| Blue Crab Festival | May 16–17 | Little River | $10 |
| Barefoot Landing SummerFest | Late May–August | Barefoot Landing | Free |
| Memorial Day Weekend | May 23–25 | Everywhere | — |
Walk to the Parade, Shag All Night at SOS, Drive to the Crabs
March 14: you walk from 601 Hillside Dr N to Main Street, grab a spot near NY Pizza Kitchen, and watch 40,000 people cheer the St. Patrick’s Day floats past — no parking lot, no Uber, just a stroll home when the festival wraps. April 25: the SOS Spring Safari parade shuts down the same street, and Fat Harold’s dance floor is thumping so hard you can feel it from the Ocean Keyes balcony. May 17: you drive fifteen minutes to the Little River waterfront, crack blue crabs in the steam and Old Bay haze, and call it the best afternoon of the year.
Three events. Three completely different experiences. One home base at Ocean Keyes that puts you within walking distance of two of them and a short drive from the third. Spring weekends book first — the shag community and crab festival regulars already know.
Check Availability & Book Your Stay
Explore what to do between events: golf courses, beach guide, dining guide, mini golf, and the full things to do guide.
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