Sapelo’s Cultural Day a Glimpse of Home

Sapelo Island, GA — September 11, 2024 — The Sapelo Island Cultural and Revitalization Society announced that tickets for its annual Cultural Day festival are now available for purchase online via Eventbrite at www.eventbrite.com. Tickets can also be purchased at the Sapelo Island Visitors Center and the SICARS office. Each October, SICARS sponsors the festival at the Farmer’s Alliance grounds on Sapelo Island, Georgia. This year’s event will be held October 19, 2024 and at least 1,000 people are expected to attend.

A Taste of Home

For many, Sapelo is home. There are those who were raised on Sapelo, then there are those whose parents raised them off the island, but with a strong sense of Geechee identity and love for Sapelo. “Sapelo is where home as we know it began,” says SICARS Board Member Cynthia Hillery-Jackson. “From there, our roots spread. There is the land, and the very feel of our culture. It’s a richness that can come only from visiting Sapelo.” Many island descendants and their families are expected to attend the festival, as well as visitors from all over Georgia and the United States.

What to Expect

The purpose of the Cultural Day festival is to promote awareness of the rich traditions of Sapelo Island and its historic Hogg Hummock community. Those in attendance will encounter local craftspeople, who practice the traditional arts of Sapelo, like castnet making, basket weaving and Geechee cooking. The entertainment lineup for the festival includes African dancers, African drumming and ring shouters, who practice a traditional form of gospel praise singing. These offerings will highlight how the island’s ancestors lived, worked and survived on a barrier island. Overall, the festival is meant to draw attention to the need to preserve the historic and cultural resources on Sapelo Island, and to highlight those historic landmarks that need protecting. SICARS is a non-profit organization operating on the island that fights to promote land retention, economic development and cultural and historic preservation. If you would like more information on the work that we do, please visit our website at www.sicars.org or call 912-485-2197 to speak with a SICARS representative.