69th annual Beaufort Water Festival looks to bounce back in final weekend

BEAUFORT, S.C. (WTOC) - The 69th Annual Beaufort Water Festival is entering its final weekend, which has seen fewer people visit the downtown area.

Traditionally, the water festival brings 10 to 15 % more people to downtown shops, restaurants, and hotels throughout the city.

However, this year, that isn’t the case.

“This year we are trailing a little bit,” Robb Wells, President and CEO of Visit Beaufort, Port Royal, and Sea Islands.

And it’s having an impact on businesses like Panini’s on the Waterfront.

“I’ve been hearing about the water festival all summer,” Worker at Panini’s on the Waterfront, Emma Scherer said. “Like this is going to be the week or 10 days that will be the craziest of the whole summer. I will say it hasn’t completely lived up to those expectations, but it’s not over yet.”

Visit Beaufort says this decrease in people is due to the 10% decrease in the number of tickets the water festival could give out, due to the pavilion area of the park being closed.

“This year the festival has had to make concessions given the park restraints and stuff of that nature, and I think we are starting to see some of that in the numbers,” Wells said.

And due to more people being conscious travelers, deciding to stay home and vacation rather than go somewhere.

“Pacing has been a little different this particular summer than in previous summers,” Wells said.

For restaurants, like Panini’s, they schedule more people during the 10-day water festival than normal and hope business picks up going into the final weekend.

“We’re hoping for twice the amount of business we have seen to help make back what we were expecting,” Shift leader at Panini’s, Kourtney Woodworth, said.

Visit Beaufort says that this weekend should be similar to last weekend, which means fewer people will be shopping, but more money will be spent.