Watterson Brands presents:
Music Festival 2023
This event has been cancelled due to extreme weather conditions.
- 7 October, 2023
- Hilton Head Island, SC
This event has been cancelled due to extreme weather conditions.
De Mission & Vision
The Lowcountry Fish & Grits Music Festival brings awareness to the rich Gullah Geechee culture and its connection to the African diaspora by showcasing great musical talent and local cuisine. TRACE OUR AFRICAN ROOTS THROUGH MUSIC AND FOOD WAYS. "Music, Food, and Good time for the Binyas (natives) and Comyas (non-natives)!"
De Food
Fish and Grits, Hoppin John, Oystas, Red Rice, Sweet Potata Pie and more!
De Market
Lowcountry Gullah Geechee vendors that showcase the vibrant culture through art, clothes and more.
De Show
The festival will include a diverse mix of acts from the African American, Gullah Geechee and diaspora including Folk, Funk, Jazz, Spoken Word, Afro La, R&B and more!
Friends & Sponsors
Thank you to all the amazing support for this year's Fish and Grits Music Festival!
Oh yeah! You can bring your kids
- FAMILIES – The Lowcountry Fish & Grits Music festival will be family friendly for all ages.
- FESTIVAL LOVERS – A mix of Benyahs and Cumyahs that share a love for community, food and music.
- TOURISTS – The Lowcountry Fish & Grits Music Festival will provide historical context of the Gullah Geechee people living up and down the NC, SC, GA and FL coastline.
De Show
The festival will include a diverse mix of acts including folk, funk, jazz, spoken word, R&B and more!
Latrese Bush
Recording Artist
Latrese Bush
Recording Artist
Latrese Bush is an internationally acclaimed performing and recording artist whose original music has topped the UK Soul Chart and ranked high on the Jazz Billboard Charts. Her smooth, melodic range has also supported music legends including Grammy Award-winning Disco Queen Gloria Gaynor, Jazz icon Roy Ayers, and global pop star Justin Bieber. A proud native of Bluffton, SC, and a Gullah Geechee woman, Latrese is the founder of the Fish and Grits Music Festival (FGMF), which since its debut in 2023 has drawn thousands from across the country for an authentic taste of Gullah culture. Her sound is a rich blend of gospel, soul, jazz, and R&B—rooted deeply in the traditional Gullah Geechee gospel that shaped her. Get ready for a Gullah Geechee good time!
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@LatreseBush
IG: https://www.instagram.com/latresebush/
FB: https://www.facebook.com/LatreseBushMusic/
Votte Hall
Recording Artist
Angela Bonaparte and Company
Recording Artists
Latrese Bush
Recording Artist
Latrese Bush
Recording Artist
Latrese Bush is an internationally acclaimed performing and recording artist whose original music has topped the UK Soul Chart and ranked high on the Jazz Billboard Charts. Her smooth, melodic range has also supported music legends including Grammy Award-winning Disco Queen Gloria Gaynor, Jazz icon Roy Ayers, and global pop star Justin Bieber. A proud native of Bluffton, SC, and a Gullah Geechee woman, Latrese is the founder of the Fish and Grits Music Festival (FGMF), which since its debut in 2023 has drawn thousands from across the country for an authentic taste of Gullah culture. Her sound is a rich blend of gospel, soul, jazz, and R&B—rooted deeply in the traditional Gullah Geechee gospel that shaped her. Get ready for a Gullah Geechee good time!
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@LatreseBush
IG: https://www.instagram.com/latresebush/
FB: https://www.facebook.com/LatreseBushMusic/
Votte Hall
Recording Artist
Angela Bonaparte and Company
Recording Artists
Latrese Bush
Recording Artist
Latrese Bush
Recording Artist
Latrese Bush is an internationally acclaimed performing and recording artist whose original music has topped the UK Soul Chart and ranked high on the Jazz Billboard Charts. Her smooth, melodic range has also supported music legends including Grammy Award-winning Disco Queen Gloria Gaynor, Jazz icon Roy Ayers, and global pop star Justin Bieber. A proud native of Bluffton, SC, and a Gullah Geechee woman, Latrese is the founder of the Fish and Grits Music Festival (FGMF), which since its debut in 2023 has drawn thousands from across the country for an authentic taste of Gullah culture. Her sound is a rich blend of gospel, soul, jazz, and R&B—rooted deeply in the traditional Gullah Geechee gospel that shaped her. Get ready for a Gullah Geechee good time!
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@LatreseBush
IG: https://www.instagram.com/latresebush/
FB: https://www.facebook.com/LatreseBushMusic/
Votte Hall
Recording Artist
Angela Bonaparte and Company
Recording Artists
Louise Cohen
Gullah Story Teller / Preservationist
Louise Cohen
Gullah Story Teller / Preservationist
Affiliation: The Gullah Museum of Hilton Head Island
Roots: Hilton Head Island, SC
McIntosh County Shouters
Gullah Ring Shouters - NEA National Heritage Fellow
McIntosh County Shouters
Gullah Ring Shouters - NEA National Heritage Fellow
The Gullah ring shout is a powerful and deeply spiritual ancestral ritual birthed among enslaved Africans that traces its roots to 18th-century West and Central Africa. The ring shout is one of the oldest known surviving African traditions in North America and laid the foundation for nearly every major genre of American popular music—from gospel and blues to jazz, soul, rock, hip-hop, and even modern dance. The McIntosh County Shouters are one of the nation’s leading practitioners of this sacred tradition. Since 1980, they have performed across the U.S. and internationally, preserving this vital piece of American history. In recognition of their cultural importance, they were awarded the prestigious National Heritage Fellowship by the National Endowment for the Arts in 1993. When you witness the McIntosh County Shouters, you’re not just watching a performance—you’re experiencing a living, breathing thread of African American history and its transformative influence on the rhythm and soul of American music and dance.
FB: https://www.facebook.com/mcintoshcountyshouters
Website: https://mcintoshcountyshouters.com/
La Bodega
Funk band
La Bodega
Funk band
La Bodega Man is Frederick Capers and Todd Toho. A stylistically unique Funk Band from day one, the members of La Bodega have been been singing, performing, since 2011 when a friend asked if they could play his birthday party. Winners of Savannah, GA's Last Band Standing and a Semi-Finalist in Cumulus national Next2Rock competition. Their funky sound and drive for beats are influenced from Frederick and Todd's love of Prince and old school hip-hop.
Henri Robert
Founder, Cards
Henri Robert
Founder, Cards
World is committed to making participation in the event a harass ment free experience for everyone, regardless of level experience gender, gender identity and expression
Laura Bryant
Developer Expert
Laura Bryant
Developer Expert
World is committed to making participation in the event a harass ment free experience for everyone, regardless of level experience gender, gender identity and expression
De Food & Market
Lowcountry Gullah Geechee vendors that showcase the vibrant culture through art, food, clothing and more.
De Food
This category includes all vendors selling hot/cold food products, including dessert items such as cakes, cobblers, etc.
De Market
This category includes vendors selling culturally relevant handmade crafts, natural products, specialty items (e.g. jarred preserves, etc), authors, artists, and merchandise that can be worn or hung.
De Food
Fish and Grits, Hoppin John, Oystas, Red Rice, Sweet Potata Pie and more!
Let's Connect on Social!
The festival will include a diverse mix of acts including folk, funk, jazz, spoken word, R&B and more!
Partners and Sponsors
Thank you to all the amazing support for this year's Fish and Grits Music Festival!
Partners and Sponsors
Thank you to all the amazing support for this year's Fish and Grits Music Festival!
InTown Door Services
Gold Level Sponsor
Gullah Geechee Heritage Corridor
Gold Level Sponsor
Gullah Geechee Heritage Corridor
Gold Level Sponsor
Official Website: https://gullahgeecheecorridor.org/
Mikkelson Law
Patron Level
The Bank
Premiere Level Sponsor
Platinum Level
Silver Level
Premiere Level
Program
Tama and Brad Bernstein
Patrons & Friends
Silver Level
Festival Gallery
This year, the Exhibz International Food Festival will be upgraded with lots of activities and sub-programs
De Location
Where:
Lowcountry Celebration Park
94 Pope Avenue, Hilton Head Island, SC 29928
United States
When:
Saturday, October 7th, 2023
1:00 – 7:00pm EST (Doors open at 12pm)
Where:
Lowcountry Celebration Park
94 Pope Avenue, Hilton Head Island, SC 29928
United States
When:
Saturday, October 7th, 2023
1:00 – 7:00pm EST (Doors open at 12pm)
From the blog
This year, the Exhibz International Food Festival will be upgraded with lots of activities and sub-programs
Welcome to WordPress. This is your first post. Edit or
There’s such a thing as “too much information”, especially for
There’s such a thing as “too much information”, especially for