MOJA Arts Festival returns Sept. 24-Oct. 1, celebrating 50 years of iconic music

MOJA Arts is now accepting applications:

Planning Committee members – apply HERE with a letter of recommendation by Thursday, July 23.

Event Hosts – businesses and organizations who want to host their own official MOJA events can apply HERE by Aug. 3.

Co-Sponsors – Companies or organizations interested in co-sponsoring the festival should contact City Director of Cultural Affairs Rochelle Riley at rileyr@charleston-sc.gov.

New nonprofit MOJA Arts takes over planning of 42nd annual festival, honoring Barbados, Gullah Geechee, Jamaica and Sierra Leone

CHARLESTON, S.C. – July 20, 2026 – The 42nd annual MOJA Arts Festival will run Sept. 24 through Oct. 1 at locations across Charleston, featuring local and national performers. This is the first year the festival has been planned by MOJA Arts, a newly formed 501(c)(3) nonprofit created to stabilize and grow the event long-term.

The festival is shortening from 11 days to eight this year and introducing a new tradition: honoring the cultural legacies of four West African and Caribbean nations. The 2026 festival will spotlight Barbados, Gullah Geechee, Jamaica and Sierra Leone.

The festival finale at Hampton Park will highlight the 50th anniversary of several iconic 1976 albums, anchored by a free, family-friendly concert produced by Ray Chew of Chew Entertainment and Charleston’s Tommy Brown. The lineup draws from Stevie Wonder’s “Songs in the Key of Life,” Parliament’s “Mothership Connection,” Marvin Gaye’s “I Want You,” Earth, Wind & Fire’s “Spirit,” Curtis Mayfield’s “Sparkle” soundtrack, The Isley Brothers’ “Harvest for the World,” Rose Royce’s “Car Wash” soundtrack and Roy Ayers’ “Ubiquity.”

Ray Chew, Music Director for “Dancing with the Stars” and Daytime Emmy-nominated Music Director for “Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade,” returns to Charleston after his Juneteenth Block Party and History
Lesson drew more than 1,000 people downtown for a Michael Jackson tribute. Additional festival events will be announced every week through September.

“We are energized by the continued momentum of the MOJA Arts Festival and remain committed to expanding its visibility, elevating its artistic excellence and raising the bar each year to reflect the creativity, innovation and world-class spirit that define both this extraordinary festival and the City of Charleston,” said Charlton Singleton, the festival’s artistic director.

“We are so excited to bring together some of the finest talent across the Lowcountry to celebrate some of the best music ever made,” said Rochelle Riley, the City’s director of Cultural Affairs. “I cannot wait for journalists and music lovers from across the country to come to Charleston to experience this display of local talent, cuisine and culture.”

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The City of Charleston’s Office of Cultural Affairs (OCA), established in 1977, guides the city’s investment in fine and performing arts, culture and history for the Charleston metro area’s roughly 870,000 residents and nearly 8 million annual visitors. OCA produces the Piccolo Spoleto Festival, the Juneteenth Block Party and History Lesson, and Holy City Holidays, and co-sponsors the national MOJA Arts Festival.