Aiken County Calendar of Events
Click on a date for more information about an event in Aiken County. Some events have maps that help you find your way.
Battle of Aiken
February 24, 2024 @ 9:00 am - 10:00 pm
29th Annual Festival of Living History
A family event that will stimulate all of your senses for an exciting, educational, and memorable experience.
WHEN:
THE WEEKEND EACH FEBRUARY AFTER PRESIDENT’S DAY.
TIME:
SAT: 9 A.M. TO 10:00 P.M.
SUN: 9 A.M. TO 5:00 P.M.
SOME PEOPLE SPEND HALF A DAY AT THE BATTLEFIELD, BUT
MOST SPEND THE WHOLE DAY. MANY COME FOR THE WEEKEND.
ADMISSION:
5 AND UNDER: FREE.
6 TO 12: $5
13 TO 18: $10
ADULTS: $15
THE BATTLE IS A NON-PROFIT 501C3 EVENT WITH NET
PROCEEDS FUNDING OUR EDUCATIONAL SCHOOL FIELD TRIP DAY AND OTHER HISTORICAL PROJECTS. WE THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT!
TICKETS:
ALL ADMISSION TICKETS ARE PURCHASED AT THE GATE.
THERE ARE NO ADVANCE TICKETS AVAILABLE.
PARKING:
FREE. HANDICAP PARKING IS AVAILABLE.
FOOD:
A VARIETY OF DELICIOUS FOOD AND BEVERAGES WILL BE
AVAILABLE FOR PURCHASE FOR BREAKFAST, LUNCH, AND
DINNER. INCLUDING OLD SOUTH BBQ AND SARSAPARILLA!
WHAT TO BRING:
FOLDING LAWN CHAIRS OR BLANKETS TO SIT ON.
COVERED WALKING SHOES, WARM CLOTHING, AND CAPS.
WHERE:
BATTLE OF AIKEN PARK, 1210 POWELL POND ROAD. JUST
OFF INTERSTATE 20 AT EXIT 18 (SC HYW 19). TAKE HWY 19
SOUTH TOWARDS AIKEN. TAKE A LEFT ON POWELL POND
ROAD AND FOLLOW THE SIGNS. THAT’S 45 MINUTES FROM
COLUMBIA; 20 MINUTES FROM AUGUSTA.
WEATHER CONDITIONS:
THE EVENT WILL BE HELD RAIN OR SHINE! IF LIGHTNING IS IN THE AREA, THE BATTLES WILL BE DELAYED AND THEN STARTED AS SOON AS POSSIBLE.
Since 1995, thousands of spectators travel to Aiken each year to see hundreds of soldiers, and living historians recreate one of the last Confederate victories of the war: The Battle of Aiken. The event commemorates battles that were typical of the engagements during Sherman’s march through Georgia and the Carolinas. The rare Confederate victory in Aiken saved the town from being burned in 1865.
This annual weekend event has been awarded the SC Parks, Recreation, and Tourism’s Governor’s award for Best South Carolina Event. In addition, The Battle was also awarded the Dr. James Butler National Award for being the nation’s Best Living History Program. In addition, Reenactment Guide selected the Battle of Aiken as one of the top 10 Reenactments in America!
Each year, up to 4,000 children attend one of South Carolina’s largest school field trip programs on Friday to see history come alive! Any public school, private school, or home school may attend the educational program.
On Saturday and Sunday, families can step back in time and hear, see, smell, and feel the thunder of cannons, muskets, and horses! Families can tour through numerous stations to interact and learn about Civil War music and dance, Medical Field Hospitals, Uniforms, Confederate and Union Camps, Artillery Batteries, Saber Demonstrations, Cavalry Camps, 1861 Women’s Fashions, Blacksmithing, and other 19th Century Crafts. Spectators can tour an authentic 19th-century log cabin as well as a recreated one-room schoolhouse, jail, and country store. Sunday will feature a historically accurate 19th century Church service.
The highlight of the Festival is the weekend’s three dramatic recreated battles on a historically accurate battlefield. Hundreds of historically accurate soldiers recreate the Battle that saved the Town of Aiken from Sherman’s Cavalry. These recreated incidents of the past put up an entertaining dramatic show while educating the public about the War Between the States.