Barefoot Hootenanny 2026: A Guide to the New River Music and Camping Festival in Longs, SC

Out in the pine woods of rural Horry County, where the Waccamaw River slides along dark and slow beneath the cypress trees, a small music festival is getting ready for its first weekend. The Barefoot Hootenanny will take over River Island Adventures in Longs from October 23 to 25, 2026, with two stages, 21 acts, tent sites under the trees and a river that doubles as part of the entertainment.

It is a very different kind of event from the big beachfront festivals that fill the Grand Strand calendar. According to the Post and Courier, organizers expect fewer than 400 tickets to be sold in year one, which means the crowd will feel closer to a neighborhood gathering than a stadium show. There will be late-night jam sessions, food trucks, kayaks pulled up on the bank and a Halloween celebration on Saturday night, all a short drive inland from North Myrtle Beach.

If you are planning a late October beach week, the Hootenanny is an easy way to add an evening, or a whole weekend, of live music in the woods. Here is what we know so far about the lineup, tickets, camping and the causes it supports, along with some thoughts on how to pair it with a stay by the ocean.

What the Barefoot Hootenanny Is

The Barefoot Hootenanny is the creation of River Island Adventures, led by owner Jeff Cline, with the local band The Goofy Footers serving as co-hosts. The venue sits at 1249 Vera Road in Longs, on the Waccamaw River in rural Horry County, and the property already welcomes people who come to paddle, camp and spend time outdoors. This fall it becomes a festival ground for the first time.

Cline told the Post and Courier that he wants the weekend to be more than a chance to watch a band. His idea is to bring music, the outdoors, camping and community together in one place, so that people leave having shared a few days rather than just a set list. That spirit shows in the schedule, which mixes concerts with river trips, skills workshops and charity games, and in the choice to keep attendance small in the first year.

The Lineup: 21 Acts on Two Stages

Twenty-one acts are set to play across two stages over the weekend. Among the names announced are The Fitzkee Brothers featuring Jaden Lehman, Sweet Sweet, Walona, Melissa Joiner + The Travel Cats, Sawgrass, and the co-hosting Goofy Footers. It is a lineup built around regional talent, the kind of bands you might catch on a patio on a Friday night and then find yourself following for years.

Two stages mean there should be little dead air between sets, and the late-night jams give musicians and fans a chance to keep the music going after the scheduled acts wrap up. Set times had not been published when we wrote this, so check with River Island Adventures closer to the weekend if there is a particular band you do not want to miss. If you enjoy discovering local acts, our guide to live music venues in North Myrtle Beach will point you toward places where many of these same musicians play the rest of the year.

Tickets and Prices

Pricing is straightforward. A weekend pass is $100, a single-day ticket is $50, and children 15 and under get in free when they come with an adult. That last detail makes the Hootenanny unusually friendly for families, since a couple bringing two or three kids pays the same as a couple coming alone.

With fewer than 400 tickets expected in the first year, it is sensible to secure yours early rather than planning to buy at the gate. The reported coverage did not spell out where tickets are sold, so the simplest route is to call River Island Adventures at (843) 882-7487 and ask about purchasing, camping reservations and any rules for bringing coolers, pets or chairs. Prices and policies can change, so confirm before you go.

Camping on the Waccamaw

For the full experience, the festival offers camping on 13 acres next to the grounds. Options include wooded tent sites, car camping and RV sites without hookups, so anyone bringing a camper should plan to be self-contained for power and water. There is something about falling asleep to the sound of a distant fiddle and waking to mist lifting off a blackwater river that you do not forget, and for many people that will be the heart of the weekend.

Late October nights along the river can feel noticeably cooler than the afternoons, so pack layers, a warm sleeping bag and a good headlamp for finding your way back from the late jams. Because camping details such as check-in times, fire rules and quiet hours were not included in the coverage we reviewed, call the venue before you load the car.

Beyond the Music: Kayaks, Workshops and a Halloween Party

The Hootenanny leans hard into its riverside setting. Guests can kayak to a nearby island, browse vendors, eat from food trucks and join outdoor-skills workshops, including lessons in primitive fire-making taught by veterans of the survival television series Naked and Afraid. It is the kind of workshop that sounds like a novelty until you are sitting around a circle watching someone coax a flame out of a pile of tinder, and then it becomes the story everyone tells on the drive home.

Hootenanny Charity Survivor Games

For a $15 donation, festival-goers can take part in the Hootenanny Charity Survivor Games, a competitive, good-humored way to raise money for the weekend’s causes. Details on the individual challenges were not released in the coverage we reviewed, but the format fits neatly with the fire-making workshops and river setting.

Saturday Halloween Celebration and Sunday on the River

Because the festival falls the weekend before Halloween, Saturday brings a Halloween celebration, which is a fine excuse to pack a costume. Sunday closes with a river activity, a gentle way to end a weekend that began with guitars and campfires. If your family is building a fall itinerary around the season, our list of family-friendly fall activities in North Myrtle Beach has more ideas for the rest of the week.

The Charities Behind the Weekend

Three organizations are set to benefit from the festival. The Surfrider Foundation works to protect oceans and beaches, The Adaptive Surf Project helps people with disabilities get into the water on a surfboard, and Winyah Rivers Alliance focuses on the rivers of this corner of the Carolinas, including the Waccamaw that runs right past the festival grounds.

That mix of beach and river causes suits a festival held a short drive inland from the Atlantic. Coastal families spend their summers in the surf and their autumns on the rivers, and the Hootenanny’s charity choices tie those two halves of Grand Strand life together in a way that feels natural rather than tacked on.

Pairing the Festival With a North Myrtle Beach Stay

Longs is a short drive inland from North Myrtle Beach, which makes the Hootenanny easy to fold into a beach vacation. Some visitors will camp the whole weekend. Others will stay by the ocean and drive out for a day of music, returning at night to a hot shower and the sound of the surf. Either way, you get the best of both landscapes in a single trip.

If you stay near Cherry Grove, on the north end of town, you will be well placed for the drive inland and for a morning walk along the marsh. Ocean Drive puts you close to the shag clubs and restaurants on Main Street, Crescent Beach offers a relaxed middle ground, and Windy Hill on the south end sits near Barefoot Landing for dinner on the waterway. Late October is also a gentle time on the beach, and the same weekend brings other happenings you may want to add, so check our Myrtle Beach events calendar and our pillar guide to things to do in Myrtle Beach before you finalize your plans.

Another Reason to Be in Cherry Grove That Weekend

The festival happens to share its Saturday and Sunday with the Grand Strand Kite Festival, which is scheduled for October 24 and 25 from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. at The Point at Cherry Grove, 6300 North Ocean Boulevard. It is free, and it is organized with Klig’s Kites. A family could easily spend Saturday morning watching big, bright kites tug at their lines over the north end of the beach, then drive inland in the afternoon for music by the river. As with any outdoor event, times and plans can shift with the weather, so confirm before you go.

A Sample Hootenanny Weekend

One easy rhythm is to spend Friday settling into your rental and watching the sun set from the beach, drive inland Saturday for an afternoon of music, a fire-making workshop and the Halloween party, then sleep in on Sunday before heading back to the Waccamaw for the river activity, or simply spend the day on the sand. Families with young children might choose the day ticket, while music lovers who want every note can pick up a weekend pass and treat the beach as a place to recover afterward.

Groups that want room to gather after the festival will find it in oceanfront homes in North Myrtle Beach, with space for a late dinner and stories from the day, while couples and smaller parties may prefer the simplicity of oceanfront condos with a balcony over the water.

Frequently Asked Questions

Make the Beach Your Home Base for Hootenanny Weekend

A weekend of river music in Longs pairs beautifully with mornings on the sand in North Myrtle Beach. Stay by the ocean, drive inland for the bands and the campfire workshops, and come back to a quiet beach and a comfortable bed when the last jam winds down.

Sources: The Post and Courier (September 2026). Lineup, ticket prices, camping options and schedules are subject to change, so confirm all details with River Island Adventures before you go.