Every year the animals on the coast come out to play, or well shag, at the SOS Spring Safari! This beloved tradition happens annually in North Myrtle beach and attracts thousands of shag enthusiasts and lovers of beach music in waves to the Grand Strand for a ten day period to party the days away in the very place where shag all began! This year the dates are April 13th through the 23rd, and you’re not going to want to miss it. The SOS Spring Safari is the perfect time to get together with fellow shag lovers, dance to your heart’s content, and enjoy the vibrant nightlife in the heart of the shag lowcountry!
SOS Spring Safari hits North Myrtle Beach like a great ocean wave and is the biggest adult party in the area with a wide variety of activities planned! Some of the fan favorites include live music by popular bands, shag dancing, shag dancing lessons with great instructors, and tea parties and beloved local lounges! If you’re looking for fun you’ll find it here! With the gorgeous sun shining down during the day you’ll hardly realize that the true fun starts when it goes down and the local lounges start lighting up with activity! This year you’ll see familiar faces at familiar places like Pirates Coves, Fat Harold’s, Ducks, and the OD Lounge where you’ll reconnect with old friends and make many new ones!
SOS stands for ‘Society of Stranders’, and was originally created and owned by Gene “Swink” Laughter, an infamous prankster (look him up, it’s pretty funny), until it was handed to the association of Carolina Shag Clubs in 1989 going from a beach bum friends get together to a festival with over 10,000 members in attendance! Their motto is ‘where friends meet to enjoy the lifestyle, music, and dance’, and really that is what the SOS is all about!
On the last Saturday of the SOS Spring Safari, everyone meets on Main Street in North Myrtle Beach for the perennial favorite parade of the year, the ACSC Club’s Parade! This parade really is the shining pearl of this annual event, it’s an all day event, and it’s not one to miss! The Association of Carolina Shag Clubs members plan, design, and build the parade floats for both a great time and an exciting opportunity to win one of many coveted prizes. The award categories range from most original float to best shag theme and this parade specifically brings huge crowds from around the area, not just shag enthusiasts, for a great time! Overall, if you love shag, dancing in general, beach music, Carolina cooking, good times and good people then the SOS Spring Safari is something you are going to want to experience for yourself, and there’s no doubt you’ll be coming back year after year!