We’ll send a calendar invite 🗓

Happy April, Columbia. Did you know that April is “National Jazz Appreciation Month,” “Celebrate Diversity Month” and “Pets are Wonderful Month?” Rightfully so, because this month in Cola is filled with music, cultural experiences + pet-friendly festivals, plus some exciting ways to give back, get empowered + learn more about our community.

1️⃣ Columbia Food and Wine Festival | Sunday, April 15 | 11 a.m.-3 p.m. | Saluda Ave., Five Points | $65-100 | Hosted by the Five Points Association + Free Times, Columbia Food and Wine is the first ever food + wine festival to hit Cola. There will be fun cooking demos, chef showdowns, a food influencer panel (ft. our producer Sam), live music and, of course, tons of food (40+ restaurants) and wine (25+ beverage stations). 🍽🍷 Devine Cinnamon Roll Deli + Cantina 76 will be there, so count me in.

2️⃣ Indie Grits 2018 | April 12-15 | Nickelodeon Theatre + various venues | $6-12 for individual events; $100-150 for festival passes | The 12th Annual Indie Grits Festival highlights creative contemporary culture in Cola + the Southeast, all in just four days; drawing national visitors. It was even named one of the 20 “Coolest Film Festivals” in the world by Moviemaker Magazine… twice. From 80+ films to go see to live musical performances, visual art interventions + a gaming showcase, I’d say buying a Festival Pass is the best bang for your buck. I’m most excited for this music lineup. 💯

3️⃣ Love, Peace & Hip-Hop festival | April 14 | corner of Main + Laurel St. | free | Love, Peace & Hip-Hop is an annual three-day celebration most-known for its final event: a free, family-friendly hip-hop festival on Main St. (this year’s ft. headliner MC Lyte, the first woman to perform hip-hop in the White House) on Saturday, April 14. But the other events sound just as cool: check out the joint opening party with Indie Grits at Tapp’s on Thursday, April 12, and the I Wanna Be Down: Women Claiming their Space as Entrepreneurs in the Marketplace panel on Friday, April 13.

4️⃣ WREN Summit 2018 | April 9 | 8 a.m.-5 p.m. | Columbia Metropolitan Convention Center | 1101 Lincoln St. | $50 | Back for its second annual statewide summit, Women’s Rights and Empowerment Network (WREN) will host this year’s Women’s Economic Empowerment event on April 9, featuring keynote talks + breakout sessions on women’s increased economic mobility, access to resources + leadership. On April 10 (Equal Pay Day), they’ll host a free gubernatorial panel at the UofSC Alumni Center with S.C. gov candidates Phil Noble, James Smith, Catherine Templeton, and Marguerite Willis. Our editor Chloe will be there… will you?

5️⃣ Bark to the Park Walk | Saturday, April 14 | 9 a.m.-1 p.m. | Finlay Park | 930 Laurel St. | Hosted by Pawmetto Lifeline, Bark to the Park gathers hundreds of pet owners who walk their dogs in a 1.5-mile Fun Walk around downtown Cola. The walk raises money for Pawmetto Lifeline, which helps the 13,000+ homeless pet population in the Midlands. Gather a team together and walk for the cause. Maybe even adopt a dog to walk -– which I would totally do.

6️⃣ Artista Vista 2018 | Thursday, April 19 | 5-9 p.m. | The Vista | free | This family-friendly gallery crawl features some of Cola’s best + most established artists’ studios, plus live music and pop-up installation art. Galleries usually offer complimentary beverages + hors d’oeuvres for your stops along the art crawl. And for the kids – join the annual lantern parade at the end of the night, then take them for dessert at Kaminsky’s. (Oh, and shout out to the feature of our producer Beth on the event website homepage.)

7️⃣ Columbia International Festival | April 14 (10 a.m.-7 p.m.) + April 15 (12-6 p.m.) | S.C. State Fairgrounds, Cantey and Goodman Bldgs.| $7 | “Travel,” eat, drink, dance + learn from cultures around the world. All in a day’s work. This year’s International Festival will highlight Mandarin-Speaking communities – ft. cultural booths, entertainment including live performances + authentic food. I’ve never tried traditional dishes from countries like Russia or Ghanda, so you can find me at those booths.

8️⃣ Back to the Roots Festival | Saturday, April 28 | 11:30 a.m.-6 p.m. | City Roots | 1005 Airport Blvd. | $15 | F2T Productions + City Roots will honor the urban farm’s 10th growing season with a hands-on learning experience festival – paired with music, food, wine + cider stations.

9️⃣ Jam Session at Hunter Gatherer: International Jazz Day | Monday, April 30 | 7-10 p.m. | Hunter-Gatherer Brewery & Alehouse | 900 Main St. | $5 suggested donation | In honor of International Jazz Day, Hunter-Gatherer is hosting a jam session featuring local jazz musicians. After the main show, the stage will be open to those who wish to play on their own – no music ability required. I’ll be joining for the live music, but more specifically for Hunter Gatherer’s Goldfish Cracker Crusted Mac & Cheese.

🔟 Give 4 Garnet: A Day of Giving on 4.18.18 | Wednesday, April 18 | 5:59 a.m.-11:59 p.m. | UofSC School of Medicine + online | donation-based event | UofSC is launching its newest annual tradition, the #Give4Garnet initiative – where students, parents, alumni, friends + family amongst the UofSC community are asked to donate, hoping to raise $3 million in 18 hr. + 1 min. (in honor of UofSC’s founding in 1801). Let’s face it, Columbia bleeds Garnet, so we figured this will be a #MustDo for most of y’all.

I’m still waiting on the warmer Spring weather to stick, but these upcoming events will definitely keep the wait entertaining. April seems to be the month of must go-to festivals, so try to add a few of them to your list. Whatever you join in on, keep us in the loop using the #COLAtoday hashtag.

This month is dedicated to treating yourself to a glass of wine + a good meal – so I plan on doing just that. Who’s with me?

–Lauren

Want to see your event in our newsletter? Head over to the Events Page and let us help you spread the word.