Lands End Woodland River Festival

Labor Day weekend on St. Helena Island means one thing for Lowcountry families: the Lands End Woodland River Festival is back. Here's everything you need to know before you go, plus the remarkable land history behind it.

The Land Behind the Festival

To understand the festival, you have to understand the land. In 1920, forty-seven Gullah families pooled their money to purchase 328 acres of the former Baker Plantation at Lands End on St. Helena Island. These were descendants of formerly enslaved Africans who wanted somewhere they could fish, hunt, gather firewood, bury their loved ones, and simply have a place of their own. They called themselves the Woodland Club, and for the rest of the 20th century they held fundraising events to keep the property taxes paid and the land intact.

That effort paid off. The Lands End Woodland is now recognized as the oldest African American landowners association in South Carolina, and the organization has spent decades protecting it, including a boundary dispute with media mogul Ted Turner that drew national attention to the community's fight to hold onto its land. Today, Lands End Woodland, Inc. is a nonprofit run by descendants and heirs of the original founders, and the festival exists to fund the ongoing work of conservation and to keep that legacy visible for the next generation.

What to Expect Friday Night

Friday's festivities kick off at 5pm with the festival's signature Crab Crack and Fish Fry, held right on the river bank next to the historic tabby ruins of the former Riverside Plantation, a stone's throw from Fort Fremont. Expect live entertainment, good food, and the kind of easy evening atmosphere that has made this a Labor Day tradition for two decades.

What to Expect Saturday

Saturday is the main event, starting at 10am and running all day. The lineup includes performances from Gullah storyteller Aunt Pearlie Sue, African dancers and drummers, a Libation Ceremony, Gullah Storytellers, and a rotating cast of local cultural groups. Add in food and seafood vendors, craft vendors, a Disney Princess appearance for the little ones, and there's something for every generation in the family to enjoy.

A Little History While You're There

The festival grounds sit close to two other pieces of St. Helena Island history worth knowing about while you're in the area:

The Riverside Plantation tabby ruins. The remains sit right along the river bank where Friday's Crab Crack takes place. Tabby, a building material made from oyster shell, lime, sand, and water, was common to Lowcountry plantation construction, and the ruins are a physical reminder of the land's earlier history before the Woodland Club families made it their own.

Fort Fremont. Just next door, Fort Fremont was built starting in 1898 to help defend Port Royal Sound and the Beaufort naval station during the Spanish-American War. The fort's gun batteries, built to fire on enemy ships up to eight miles offshore, were manned until the early 1910s and never saw combat. The site is now a Beaufort County historic park, and it's worth a stop if you have time before or after the festival.

The Bigger Picture

The Lands End Woodland River Festival isn't just a Labor Day party. It's part of a broader story about Gullah Geechee land retention along the South Carolina coast, a story that includes the 2005 federal legislation establishing the Gullah Geechee Cultural Heritage Corridor. The mission of the festival is simple: conserve and use the property the way its founders intended, and keep that legacy alive for the families who come after.

Plan Your Visit

• When: Friday, September 4th (starting 5pm) and Saturday, September 5th (starting 10am)
• Where: Lands End Woodland, 100 Lands End Road, St. Helena Island — about 6 miles south of Historic Penn Center
• Learn more: landsendwoodland.org

Whether you're a longtime Lowcountry local or visiting for the long weekend, the Lands End Woodland River Festival offers a rare chance to experience Gullah culture, food, and history exactly where it took root. See you on the river.