A laid-back festival seven miles from the oceanfront brings together live music, river adventures and a little reality-TV grit, Oct. 23–25
By Jolene Puffer | Myrtle Beach News
LONGS, S.C. — Just seven miles inland from the North Myrtle Beach oceanfront, under the cypress trees and Spanish moss of the Waccamaw River, a different kind of festival is getting ready to tune up.
The Barefoot Hootenanny Music Festival runs Friday, Oct. 23 through Sunday, Oct. 25 at River Island Adventures, 1249 Vera Road in Longs. The festival’s tagline is “Where Music and Nature Meet.” The weekend combines two stages of live music with kayaking, paddleboarding, yoga, forest bathing, a charity Survivor-style competition and a Saturday afternoon session with two survivalists from the reality series Naked and Afraid.
“We wanted to create something that feels like more than just going to see a band,” said Jeff Cline, owner of River Island Adventures. “The Hootenanny is about the whole experience: live music, being outside, camping, getting on the river, meeting people and making a weekend out of it. It brings together so many of the things we love about this area in one place.”
Tickets are on sale now at riverislandadventures.com for the full weekend or a single day.
Two stages, three days
Music runs on two stages: the Lip Rippin’ Chillympics River Stage and the Triple Threat Tattoo Woodsy Stage.
The festival opens at 2 p.m. Friday. The Well-Worn Collective plays first at 2:15, followed by Catfish John at 3:30. AJ Case and Mac McComb hold down the Woodsy Stage in the late afternoon. At 5:30, a Community Drum Circle with The Different Drum invites the crowd to join in. WALONA takes the River Stage at 7 p.m. The Goofy Footers close the night with a two-hour set from 9 to 11.
Saturday is the longest and fullest day. It starts at 9 a.m. with Earth Meditation & Sound with Hance, then Yoga with Stevie at 10. Terry Hayes & The Scrambled Legs open the River Stage at 11. The afternoon lineup includes Asphalt & Gravel, Two For Now, Brian Roessler, Peyton Benton and Pickety Split. Will Ness plays the Woodsy Stage at 6, and Melissa Joiner & The Travel Cats follow at 7.
As the sun goes down, the schedule turns to the outdoors. A Tea Ceremony & Native Plant Talk with Gwenn and Ryan runs from 7:30 to 8:15. “Owl Call at the Outpost” follows at 8:15. The Fitzkee Brothers featuring Jaden Lehman headline Saturday night from 9 to 11.
Sunday is the slow morning of the weekend. Forest Bathing with Jamie starts at 8:30, followed by Yoga with Stevie at 9:30 and Earth Mandala Art with Alyson at 11. The River Stage lineup is Gravy Crockett at 10, J.P. Taylor at 11:15 and Sawgrass at 12:15. Kama Muta plays the Woodsy Stage at 1, and Sweet Sweet closes the main lineup at 2.
Naked and Afraid comes to the river
One of the weekend’s most unusual offerings is “Fire & Fortitude.” Nicole and Wes of Naked and Afraid will lead the session on the Woodsy Stage Saturday from 3:30 to 5 p.m. The reality series drops survivalists into the wilderness with nothing, so a riverside forest in Horry County is a fitting setting.
Survivor Games for charity
Earlier Saturday, the Charity Survivor Games run from 1 to 3 p.m. in the Main Field. It requires an add-on ticket. Survivor-style challenges are River Island Adventures’ signature activity; on a normal weekend, teams paddle to the outfitter’s private 48-acre island and race through a series of challenges.
Get on the water
Kayaks and stand-up paddleboards are available to rent until 5 p.m. Friday and Saturday and until 2 p.m. Sunday. Register at the Life Jacket Station.
The weekend ends on the river itself. The Sunday Paddle Jam, from 3:30 to 5:30 p.m., puts J.P. Taylor and Will Ness on the water with festival-goers. Paddle Jam tickets are a separate add-on and are limited. They can be bought throughout the weekend at the Life Jacket Station. Ticket holders meet there at 3 p.m.
Why it’s worth the drive
The Grand Strand has no shortage of big festivals. Barefoot Hootenanny is the opposite of a packed beachfront concert: it’s a small festival set among the trees, with a fire pit, hammocks, and a river a few steps from the stage.
It’s also a weekend that keeps money in the local economy. The lineup is local bands and local wellness instructors, hosted by a locally owned outfitter that has been introducing visitors to the Waccamaw since 2015.
If you’ve lived here for years and never paddled the Waccamaw, this is a good weekend to start.
If you go
