High Water Music Festival weekend spills onto Folly as music, tides, and crowds rise together
by Lorne Chambers | Editor
On an island where residents keep one eye on the tides, the name “High Water” lands a little differently.
And during the 2022 High Water Festival weekend, that feeling wasn’t just metaphorical. As music rose along the banks of the Cooper River, the ripple effect carried all the way to Folly Beach, where visitors and locals alike leaned into a few days where live music and coastal living felt perfectly in sync.
Because if there’s one thing Folly knows, it’s that good music and beach vibes go hand-in-hand.
Set at Riverfront Park in North Charleston, High Water once again drew thousands to the Lowcountry, cementing its place as Charleston’s signature music event. But when the gates closed each night, many festivalgoers made their way back toward the coast—filling beach rentals, restaurants, and bars on Folly, turning the weekend into something that stretched well beyond the main stage.
That connection feels intentional.
Founded and curated by Charleston’s own Shovels & Rope, High Water has always carried a distinctly local heartbeat, even as its national profile continues to grow. That Lowcountry sensibility—laid-back but deeply rooted—translates easily to Folly, where the lines between a music festival and a beach weekend can blur in the best way.
And the festival itself didn’t waste time showing off both sides of that identity.
South Carolina native Adia Victoria delivered one of the weekend’s early highlights, stepping into the afternoon heat and meeting it head-on. Her bluesy, gothic Southern sound felt right at home in the Lowcountry air, offering a reminder that before the national acts take over, this is still South Carolina’s stage.
From there, the performances only grew bigger.
My Morning Jacket brought a sweeping, immersive set that seemed to stretch as wide as the marshland surrounding the venue, pulling the crowd into extended, jam-heavy moments that felt almost transportive. It was the kind of performance that lingered long after the final note—perfect fuel for late-night conversations back on porches and decks across Folly.
Then came Jack White.
Raw, electric, and relentlessly inventive, White delivered a set that felt both explosive and precise. Riffs ripped, tempos shifted, and the crowd stayed locked in throughout, watching a living legend at work. It was the kind of performance that people would still be talking about the next morning—likely over coffee, looking out at the Atlantic.
And like any proper Lowcountry gathering, the food held its own.
A strong lineup of local vendors kept crowds fueled throughout the weekend, with everything from elevated festival fare to coastal staples. Among them was Co-Hog, the seafood truck run by former Folly Beach residents Nicole and Courtney Tomer, serving up familiar flavors that felt right at home in a setting defined by salt air and good company.
By the time the weekend wrapped, High Water had once again done what it does best—bring world-class music to Charleston while still feeling unmistakably local. And on Folly Beach, where the tides and the tunes both seem to dictate the rhythm of the day, that kind of balance feels just about perfect.
