Sunsets & Soul Music Festival Brings Music, Culture and History Back to Atlantic Beach

Three-day inaugural celebration aims to spotlight and help preserve one of South Carolina’s historic Black beach communities

This October, Atlantic Beach, South Carolina, will become the backdrop for a new celebration of Black music, culture and history as the inaugural Sunsets & Soul Music Festival brings three days of live entertainment and cultural programming to the historic coastal community.

Presented by STARD, the festival runs October 9–11, 2026, with a mission that reaches well beyond the stage. Organizers are using the event to reconnect a new generation with Atlantic Beach while shining a national spotlight on the importance of preserving its cultural legacy.

Founded in the 1930s, Atlantic Beach became a destination for Black families during segregation, offering a place where they could vacation, own businesses and enjoy the freedom of the coast. The community also developed a deep connection to Black music.

Because Black entertainers performing in nearby Myrtle Beach were often unable to stay there, Atlantic Beach became a refuge for musicians and entertainers. Its clubs, restaurants and gathering spaces became part of a thriving Black entertainment scene that helped establish the town as an important cultural destination throughout the Southeast.

Today, Atlantic Beach remains one of the last Black-governed beach communities in the United States, but its future faces significant challenges. Development pressures, including new hotels and condominiums, have raised concerns about displacement and the erosion of the community’s historic identity.

For Jaye Divine, CEO and founder of STARD, the festival represents an opportunity to celebrate that history while encouraging people to become invested in Atlantic Beach’s future.

“Atlantic Beach has long been a place where Black music, culture, trailblazing musicians, and perseverance flourished,” Divine said. “The festival isn’t just about great performances—it’s about reconnecting people to a place whose influence on Black culture deserves to be recognized and celebrated.”

The inaugural lineup will be led by acclaimed R&B vocalist Christopher Williams, best known for his hit “I’m Dreaming.” The festival will also feature blues-rock guitarist Buddy Red, saxophonist Dahi Divine, comedian Tu Rae, funk veteran Leroy Harper Jr. of the James Brown Band, Chef Keith Rhodes and Celebrity DJ Holiday, alongside performers representing R&B, jazz, neo-soul, blues, rock and classical music.

Throughout the three-day celebration, Atlantic Beach will become a walkable cultural experience, with a main outdoor stage supported by a Grammy-winning horn section, strings and a world-class rhythm section. Additional venues throughout town will host performances, cultural programming, local food, artisan vendors and immersive experiences.

But organizers see the festival as something larger than a weekend of entertainment.

Atlantic Beach has endured decades of economic hardship and disinvestment, while the changing tourism landscape following desegregation contributed to the decline of many historically Black vacation communities across the country.

Atlantic Beach survived.

Today, families are returning to reconnect with their roots, businesses are investing in the area, and local leaders and preservation advocates are working to protect its identity while creating opportunities for the next generation.

Titus Leaks, Town Manager of Atlantic Beach, believes the festival can help accelerate that momentum.

“For generations, Atlantic Beach has represented resilience, opportunity, and community,” Leaks said. “The Sunsets & Soul Music Festival is more than a music festival; it’s an opportunity to honor the legacy of those who came before us while inspiring a new generation to experience and invest in the future of the Black Pearl.”

That investment is at the center of the festival’s mission. By bringing visitors from around the country to Atlantic Beach, organizers hope to support local businesses, expand heritage tourism and introduce more people to a community that has played an important role in Black American history.

At a time when historic Black communities continue to face development pressures and cultural displacement, Atlantic Beach offers a powerful reminder that preservation and progress do not have to exist on opposite sides.

The Sunsets & Soul Music Festival is inviting visitors to experience that story firsthand.

Come for the music. Stay for the history. Leave inspired by the legacy of Atlantic Beach.

The Sunsets & Soul Music Festival takes place October 9–11, 2026, in Atlantic Beach, South Carolina.

Tickets are available now at sunsetsandsoulmusic.com.