October is when Bluffton seems to put everything it loves about itself out on the street. The air begins to soften, the May River catches that unmistakable fall light, seafood season returns to center stage, and Old Town's galleries, restaurants, parks, and sidewalks become gathering places.
For travelers searching for things to do in Bluffton, SC in October, one weekend shows the town off particularly well. The 22nd Historic Bluffton Arts & Seafood Festival runs October 9–18, 2026, culminating with Street Fest on Saturday, October 17, and Sunday, October 18. More than 100 artists are expected for the juried art show in the heart of Old Town.
We already have a full guide dedicated to the fall festivals in Bluffton.
This itinerary answers a slightly different question: what should your entire weekend look like while you're here?
Arrive Friday and make Old Town Bluffton Inn your home base. During a normal weekend, our location means you can leave your car behind for much of your stay, and during fall festival weekend that becomes even more valuable. Check in, unpack, and spend a few quiet minutes at the Inn before heading outside.
Friday afternoon is your chance to experience Bluffton before Saturday's energy arrives. Walk toward Calhoun Street, browse the galleries and boutiques, and continue toward Wright Family Park and the Church of the Cross. Notice what Old Town feels like without the festival tents, because tomorrow these same streets will look completely different. That contrast is part of the fun.
Return to the Inn for a glass of wine before dinner. Tonight is the evening to make a reservation, since festival weekends bring considerably more people into Old Town and dinner is not something to leave entirely to chance. Try FARM, The Pearl Kitchen & Bar, Okan, The Bluffton Room, or another restaurant our front desk recommends based on what you're craving. Then get some sleep, because Saturday is a full day.
Early risers can begin the festival Saturday with the Old Town Oyster Run 5K, scheduled for 8 a.m. on October 17 at Oyster Factory Park. Not interested in running? We fully support that decision. Enjoy breakfast at the Inn, have another cup of coffee, and head outside around 9:30.
At 10 a.m., Old Town becomes the festival. It kicks off right here at the Old Town Bluffton Inn with a mimosa tent outside our front doors, sponsored by Old Town Bluffton Inn, Charter One Realty and the Rotary Club of Bluffton. You might catch Vince, Danielle, Jack, Jill, and the rest of our staff pouring mimosas throughout the day to help support the Rotary Club.
Street Fest runs until 5 p.m. Saturday, with more than 100 artists exhibiting work across media including painting, photography, metal, clay, and wood. One such artist is Mickey Boisvert, our in-house resident artist, who will be painting away during the festival right here at the Inn. If you've stayed with us before, you know her work: our lobby walls are filled with Mickey's beautifully detailed paintings, a private gallery at the Inn for our guests to enjoy.
Inn-Sider Tip: Don't approach it like a trade show where you need to check off every booth. Wander, and stop when something interests you. Talk to the artists, listen to the music, eat something, and step into the permanent galleries and businesses alongside the festival booths. This event works because Old Town itself is part of the setting.
Today, skip the formal lunch reservation and eat your way through the festival instead. Locally harvested seafood and Lowcountry cuisine are central to the event's purpose and history, which grew from a one-day gathering in 2005 into a broader celebration of Bluffton's river, food, culture, and arts community. Find something that smells good and follow your instincts.
There will be good music drifting all over town on Saturday, but you will want to come back to the Inn for a live performance from La Bodega on our front porch. La Bodega's story starts back in 2011, when a friend asked if they could play at his birthday party. Since then, locals and visitors alike have loved their funky sound and drive for beats, shaped by Frederick and Todd's shared love of Prince and R&B classics plus whatever else a passerby is willing to request. They will be jamming out on our front porch between 1 p.m. and 4 p.m. on Saturday.
This is where staying in Old Town changes the weekend. Walk back to the Inn, sit down, have some water, and drop off anything you've purchased. Put your feet up for half an hour in your room, the lobby, or outside with La Bodega. Then decide whether you want to return right away or wait for the late-afternoon crowd to thin. You don't have to survive festival day in one continuous push.
Head back out for the final hour. By now the light is softening over Old Town, the midday crowds have started to ease, and the festival takes on a slower, more relaxed feel. This is the time to revisit the artwork you weren't sure about earlier, to circle back to the booth you walked past twice, and to have the longer conversation with an artist you only had a moment for this morning. The last hour is often when the best finds happen, because you already know what you love and you're no longer trying to see everything at once.
Inn-Sider Tip: If you're still thinking about it three hours later, you probably like it.
Take your time with this pass. Pick up the piece you talked yourself out of, listen to a little more music, and let yourself enjoy Old Town without any pressure to keep moving. When Street Fest wraps at 5 p.m., don't assume the day is over. Some of the best moments of festival weekend are still ahead, and the riverfront is calling.
The festival schedule currently has Rockin' on the Dock beginning at 6 p.m. Saturday at Oyster Factory Park, extending the celebration into the evening with seafood and live music from J. Edwards Band. Walk down, enjoy the riverfront, and let Saturday finish where Bluffton's story begins, beside the water.
Sunday morning gives you a chance to add something beyond the festival. The 2026 schedule includes hourly May River boat tours from the Calhoun Street Public Dock beginning at 8 a.m., subject to availability. An early cruise lets you experience Bluffton from the water and still return before Street Fest gets moving. Or you can simply take a quiet walk to the river with coffee. Both work.
Sunday's Street Fest runs 10 a.m.–4 p.m., and today should feel less urgent. Return to favorite artists, pick up whatever you talked yourself out of buying on Saturday, listen to music, and explore the parts of Old Town you missed. Have lunch as you go. Then, as 4 p.m. approaches, make one last walk back toward the Inn.
One of our favorite parts of a big Bluffton weekend happens after the official event ends. The streets begin to clear, vendors pack up, and the town exhales. If you're staying Sunday night, don't rush home, because this is when you get Old Town back. Have dinner, sit on the porch, and enjoy the quiet after a weekend when the entire community seemed to show up outside.
That contrast, festival energy followed by a small-town Sunday evening, is a pretty accurate picture of Bluffton, and it's one of the best reasons to experience October from right here in the middle of it.
Book your stay at Old Town Bluffton Inn and experience October in Bluffton from the heart of Old Town.