Arts & Entertainment

Arts and Entertainment: Year-round events. All-around excellence and enjoyment.

The weatherman may say it’s impossible, but whatever the temperature, real snow falls every December at Columbia County’s annual Snow Festival. That’s how it is in Columbia County: Life is all about the art of the possible. Music, dance, fine arts—Columbia County has it all. It’s the kind of place where one day you might enjoy live music on the river and the next day learn more about the art of comedy at the Laurel and Hardy Museum, inspired by Columbia County native Oliver Hardy.  That’s another thing about Columbia County: All kinds of stars have a way of rising here, from comedy greats to musical hit-makers like Josh Kelley and Charles Kelley & Dave Haywood of Lady Antebellum.

Of course, while the arts seem to flourish here naturally, they also thrive with strong community support from local patrons and from Columbia County Arts, Inc., the arts council assisting artists in residence and arts organizations like the Artists’ Guild, the Columbia County Choral Society and the Columbia County Symphony Orchestra. In a place that’s all about the art of the possible, the possibilities in Columbia County and Augusta are artfully—and endlessly—enjoyable.

Year-round musical events: Columbia County hits the high notes all year, from performances by the Columbia County Symphony Orchestra to the Candlelight Jazz Concert Series, from the Symphony Orchestra Augusta’s annual free performance of POPS! Under the Stars at the Lady Antebellum Ampitheatre to the long-running annual Concert Series at the Jabez S. Hardin Performing Arts Center. The newest addition to our venues is the Columbia Theater in Harlem, GA, the county’s first movie theater now being restored.

Dance: Young dancers find their wings at Columbia County Ballet, while audiences and dancers alike find ballet bliss at the Augusta West Dance studio, home of five performing companies.

Theater: There’s no waiting in the wings for young theater performers from elementary to high school age, ready to hone their craft at the Musical Theater Workshop. And the curtain rises year-round at the Fort Gordon Dinner Theater where audiences savor professional class productions of musicals, comedy, and drama.

Fine Arts: A number of excellent galleries and museums, including the Columbia County Museum of Art, Augusta’s Morris Museum of Art, and Augusta’s Artists Row, nurture the local arts scene, while fine arts are a frequent focus of area festivals.

Year-round festivals: From that refreshing Snow Festival in December to the Columbus Day Festival and Fine Art Show in the fall, Columbia County and Augusta celebrate year-round with a delightful festival menu of arts, music, food, and fun. A special regional highlight is the Arts in the Heart of Augusta, a three-day event featuring a juried art show that draws more than 100 fine arts and craftsmen.

Whatever the season, great arts and entertainment are always in the forecast for Columbia County!