Plan Your Visit · Savannah, Georgia
Festivals, Events & When to Visit
Savannah is beautiful in every season, but each has a distinct character — and a calendar of festivals that can make (or complicate) your trip. Here's an honest guide to the year in Savannah.
October – November
Fall
The best time to visit, full stop. Crowds thin out after the summer rush, the heat and humidity finally break, and the atmosphere is ideal for ghost tours and long walks through the squares. October is spooky season in America's most haunted city — it doesn't get better than this. The only caveat: hurricane season technically runs through the end of November, though major storms are rare.
December – February
Winter — Romantic & Magical
Savannah in winter is genuinely underrated. Christmas lights transform the squares into something out of a holiday film, the weather is pleasant (60s–70s by day, 40s–50s at night), crowds are manageable, and hotel rates drop significantly. A wonderful time for walking tours, cozy restaurant dinners, and exploring without fighting the masses.
March – May
Spring — Blooming & Busy
The azaleas erupt into full, glorious bloom and the whole city feels vibrantly alive. It's also peak tourist season — March is particularly intense, as the St. Patrick's Day celebration draws enormous crowds and the entire city turns green for a week. Pollen in March and April can be relentless. Book accommodations well in advance.
June – August
Summer — Hot, Humid & Fun
Savannah summers are legitimately hot and very humid — upper 90s with air you can wear. But summer is Tybee Island season, museum weather, and the city has an energy all its own. Pack bug spray, quality sunscreen, a wide-brimmed hat, and drink more water than you think you need. Afternoon thunderstorms pass quickly.
St. Patrick's Day — Savannah Turns Green
Every March 17, Savannah hosts one of the largest St. Patrick's Day celebrations in the United States — a tradition stretching back to 1824. The parade draws hundreds of thousands of visitors, the fountains run green, and the party spills across the squares and down River Street for days on either side.
If you're coming for it: book your room months ahead and expect premium rates. If you're not: avoid mid-March entirely unless crowds are your idea of fun. There is no in-between.
The major annual events worth planning a trip around — or planning around, since hotels fill and rates climb when the big ones land. Dates shift slightly year to year, so confirm on each event's official calendar before booking.
February
Savannah Book Festival
Authors, readers, and literary lovers fill the Historic District's theaters and squares for talks, panels, and signings — much of it free. A perfect-weather weekend for book people.
Mostly FreeFebruary
Savannah Black Heritage Festival
A weeks-long celebration of Black art, music, history, and culture across the city, with performances, lectures, and exhibitions honoring Savannah's deep African American heritage.
Free EventsMid-March
St. Patrick's Day Festival
One of the largest in the country — parade, green fountains, and a city-wide party. The single biggest event on Savannah's calendar. Book months ahead.
Late March – Early April
Savannah Music Festival
A world-class, multi-genre festival — jazz, classical, folk, and global acts performing for two weeks in historic venues across the city. One of Georgia's premier cultural events.
April
SCAD Sidewalk Arts Festival
Forsyth Park's sidewalks become a gallery as hundreds of SCAD artists compete in chalk. Free, family-friendly, and one of the most photogenic days of the Savannah year.
FreeApril
NOGS Tour of Hidden Gardens
One of the only chances to step behind the garden walls of the Historic District — private courtyards and hidden gardens open for a beloved spring tradition. Tickets sell out early.
May
Savannah Scottish Games
Pipes, drums, caber tosses, and clan tents — a full Highland games gathering that's been a Savannah tradition for half a century.
June 19
Juneteenth Celebrations
Fireworks, live music, and community celebrations marking Juneteenth, including the Jubilee fireworks show with battle of the bands, vendors, and food.
FreeJuly 4
Independence Day on the Waterfront
Fireworks over the Savannah River with live music along River Street — plus a second show visible from Tybee Island's beaches if you'd rather celebrate with sand underfoot.
FreeAugust
Savannah VOICE Festival
Two weeks of opera, musical theater, and song in intimate historic venues — a world-class vocal festival founded by baritone Sherrill Milnes.
September
Savannah Jazz Festival
A week of free live jazz culminating in big outdoor nights in Forsyth Park, blending national headliners with Savannah's own deep jazz tradition.
FreeOctober
Savannah Pride Festival
A multi-day celebration with music, performances, food, and a parade — one of the fall's most colorful weekends.
October
Tybee Island Pirate Fest
Savannah's beach town goes full buccaneer — parade, costume contest, market, and re-enactments. A fun, family-friendly day trip during spooky season.
Late October
SCAD Savannah Film Festival
One of the largest university film festivals in the country, drawing major actors, directors, and premieres to the Historic District's theaters for a week each fall.
November
Savannah Food & Wine Festival
A highly regarded week of tastings, dinners, and culinary events throughout the Historic District — the showcase for one of the South's best food cities.
December
Holiday Season & Tour of Homes
The squares dress up in lights, boat parades glitter on the river, and the Holiday Tour of Homes opens the Historic District's private interiors — Savannah at its most magical.
October in America's Most Haunted City
There is no better place to spend October than Savannah. The weather turns perfect, the Spanish moss seems to hang a little lower, and the most haunted city in America leans all the way into its reputation — haunted history events, costumed revelry in the squares, and ghost tours filling every evening through Halloween night.
Fair warning: October evenings book out faster than any other time of year. If a ghost tour is on your list — and in this city, it should be — reserve your spot well before you arrive.