Taste of Charleston has again been struck from the local culinary calendar, with organizers citing a “lack of excitement in the air to carry it further.”
This fall was supposed to mark the return of the annual sampling spree, which went on hiatus in 2017 following a 36-year-long run. At that time, organizers said they would use the time off to find a new venue and recruit new participants.
But Lowcountry Hospitality Association president John Keener says the Charleston Restaurant Foundation ultimately decided to cancel the Oct. 13 event in order to focus its energies on the annual Lowcountry Oyster Festival.
“With as many festivals that are going on in Charleston every weekend, we didn’t think we could make an impact on the community,” Keener says. “We’ve decided to rethink what we were doing.”
According to Keener, the event may eventually reemerge as a program within another festival. Partnering with an event specialist would take some of the planning burden off his volunteer organization, he says.
In its final year, Taste of Charleston drew about 5,000 attendees.
Keener says the Charleston Restaurant Foundation will honor all of its contractual obligations associated with Taste of Charleston, including refunding the cost of purchased tickets.
The Lowcountry Oyster Festival is scheduled for Jan. 26, 2020.
