#MustDo: 11 events to bookmark in COLA

Don’t wait on the warmer weather to spring into planning your weekend activities. From bottomless brunch tastings on the river to seeking out new talent at the jazz festival, you’ll want to fill up your iCals with these winter + spring events.

We’ve gathered your #MustDo events around Soda City, from now until May. So grab your calendars, these are dates you don’t want to miss.

February

Columbia Craft Beer Week | Feb. 9-17 | locations + prices vary | Whether you’re a fan of Lagers, IPAs, or Stouts, you are sure to find something of your liking here. Featuring 11th Annual World Beer Festival and the 3rd Annual Smoke and Beer Festival you will find unlimited international, national and local brews around town. Not only can you enjoy drinking beer, but you’ll find it in your food too. Check out what’s brewing in Cola this week. You won’t want to miss it.

Brunch So Hard | Feb. 17 | 11 a.m.-3 p.m. | Stone River, 121 Alexander Rd. | $35 | Did I hear bottomless mimosas and a bloody mary bar? Feast on unlimited small plates from your favorite Columbia brunch spots while enjoying live music and games on the Congaree River. You know where I’ll be on Feb. 17.

March

37th Annual St. Pat’s in Five Points | March 16 | Five Points | $20-125 | See if the luck o’ the Irish really is on your side this St. Patrick’s Day. The festival line-up includes Dashboard Confessional, Lovely the Band, Walker Hayes, Mitchell Tenpenny + more. We know you’ll have a shamrockin’ time, especially with the promise of green beer.

Mardi Gras Columbia Festival | March 2 | 10 a.m.-6 p.m. | City Roots, 1005 Airport Blvd. | $5 | Not able to make it to NOLA this year? The parade through Rosewood will have you feeling like you are celebrating in the French Quarter with floats, live music, and plenty of good food.

Indie Grits Festival | March 28-31 | times vary | Nickelodeon Theatre | $6-150 | You won’t want to miss out on this popular film festival. While the schedule of films and events hasn’t dropped yet (be on the lookout March 1), go ahead and add this festival to your calendar.

ColaJazz Festival | March 2 | 6:30 p.m. | The Senate, 1022 Senate St. | $25-75 | So, you like jazz? From Grammy award winners + internationally known artists to local talent, the ColaJazz Festival is the place to be for all jazz fans. Make sure to get your tickets early, because last year the event was sold out.

April

WREN Summit 2019: The Time is Now | April 1 | 7:30 a.m.-5:30 p.m. | Columbia Museum of Art | $50-75 | Empowered women empower women. Hear from some of South Carolina’s favorite women (including keynote speaker A’ja Wilson) + speakers just in time for Equal Pay Day on April 2. The summit will also feature leadership development workshops + sessions for participants.

Columbia Fireflies 2019 Season Opener | April 4 | 7:05 p.m. | Segra Park (formerly known as Spirit Communications Park) | prices vary; ticket packages available now; individual tickets available soon | Kick off the fourth season of Columbia Fireflies games at the season opener vs. in-state rivals Charleston RiverDogs… but most importantly, featuring Budweiser Thirsty Thursday™ half-priced beer.

Columbia International Festival | April 6-7 | S.C. State Fairgrounds | “Travel” around the world in just 2 days at Columbia’s international festival. Learn, eat, and experience the cultures of over 75 countries that will participate in this years festival.

River Rocks Music Festival | April 13 | 12-8 p.m. | Congaree River at Founder’s Park | 555 Williams St. | $12-15 | The weather will be warm, the view will be nice + the music will be good. What could be better than that? This year, you’ll be able to hear from Justin Townes Earle, The Artisanals, Little Stranger, Stagbriar + The Dubber.

Columbia Food and Wine Festival | April 26-28 | Five Points | $TBA | The Columbia Food and Wine Festival is expanding its footprint + programming for its second year. There will now be a weekend full of wining + dining events, interactive demonstrations + opportunities to meet local hospitality professionals. More details are coming soon.

And because almost all of these events are food + drink-centric, we thought you might want to bookmark something a little more balanced, like the Lexington Medical Center 46th annual Governor’s Cup Road Race May 17 + 18. The 5K run/walk and half marathon race weekend is far enough away from the Columbia Food and Wine Festival that you’ll have time to recover.

– COLAtoday team