The 67th Annual Beaufort Water Festival started off with a bang at the Opening Ceremonies Friday night, drawing a huge crowd yet again to Downtown Waterfront Park.

With live music and free admission, Opening Ceremony drew quite a crowd and the atmosphere was upbeat. After being able to explore and shop the wonderful craft market vendors all afternoon, the gates opened at 6 pm letting anxious festival-goers flood into downtown’s waterfront and pick a spot for their lawn chairs. The Lowcountry Summer weather was perfectly warm with just enough of a complementary breeze that made for a delightful evening for all.

The Parris Island Marine Corps Band provided energizing musical entertainment during what was a truly perfect Lowcountry evening, with a wide variety of tunes from patriotic – honoring all branches of the armed services – to big band and jazz. The band had the crowd pumped and feeling patriotic when the sunlight began to fade and the day turned into night.

With a near-dark sky came what many people were waiting for; the amazing Water Festival fireworks show. And boy… was it a show! The Beaufort River was full of boats, lighting up the water.

A great opening night.  It’ll be a tough act to follow, but that’s what makes the Beaufort Water Festival so special.  It delivers for everyone…for almost 7 decades now.

The Water Festival continues on Saturday with a fantastic lineup of events including the Raft Race, sports tournaments, and the big Concert in the Park with Randy Houser.