SEWE 2027

The Southeastern Wildlife Exposition started in February 1983 as a wildlife art show and grew into the biggest weekend of Charleston's winter. The 2026 show drew more than 40,000 people. For three days the quietest month of the year fills the peninsula's hotels, working dogs take over a park on the Ashley River, and falcons and owls fly over Marion Square.

What makes it work for a visitor is that it isn't one hall. SEWE spreads across five venues, and each has its own character: fine art in a luxury hotel, working retrievers launching off a dock into a pool by the Ashley River, and a free conservation fair on the city's main square. You can do the free part in an hour or fill all three days.

The five venues, and which need a ticket

Marion Square, the Gaillard Center and The Charleston Place are all within about three blocks of each other on upper Meeting Street, so most people walk between them. Brittlebank Park and the Charleston Marriott are the outliers, about a mile west on Lockwood Drive. SEWE runs a free shuttle for ticket holders, but it has no fixed timetable or guaranteed capacity, so for the DockDogs give yourself time or take a rideshare.

What you'll actually see

The dogs. DockDogs is the crowd-pleaser: dogs sprint down a dock and launch into a pool, scored on distance and height. It runs from 10 am at Brittlebank Park, where the retriever demonstrations and the sheep and duck herding happen too. On the 2027 Friday schedule, herding demos are at 10:30 am and 2 pm and the Wildrose British Labrador retriever demo is at 11:30.

The animals. The Center for Birds of Prey flies its raptors in Marion Square, free; in 2026 the flight demonstrations ran at 10:30 am and 2 pm each day. Indoors, the Busch Wildlife Sanctuary show is at 11 am on Friday and wildlife biologist and TV host Forrest Galante has a live animal show at 2 pm.

The art. Wildlife and sporting painters and sculptors fill the galleries at The Charleston Place, and the Marriott carries decoys, sporting art and, new for 2027, the Modern Huntsman talks in its courtyard. The Friday afternoon Quick Draw, at 3 pm, has artists paint or sculpt a piece in one hour, and then it goes to auction.

Tickets: buy before January 25

General admission is one ticket for every venue, show and demonstration, sold by the day or for all three. Online prices are $35 to $40 a day and $85 for the weekend, and online sales close at 11:59 pm on January 25, 2027. After that the price goes up: at the venues it's $50 on Friday, $50 on Saturday, $45 on Sunday and $110 for three days. Every venue sells tickets during the weekend. Children 10 and under are free, tickets are non-refundable, and the show runs rain or shine.

VIP packages are a different product: they add the Thursday gala, a lounge and the VIP shuttle, are for adults 21 and over, and historically sell out in October. Some special events are ticketed on their own and can sell out at the door.

Where to stay, and booking the weekend

SEWE weekend is the one stretch of February when downtown Charleston fills, so the room comes first. The best base is upper King or Meeting Street, within walking distance of three venues. The Francis Marion at 387 King Street faces Marion Square directly (rates on Expedia). The wider field is in our where to stay guide, or you can see downtown hotels for February 12 to 14 on Expedia, with the SEWE dates already filled in. The rest of the month, with its cheaper weeks and the oyster festival, is in our February guide.

If the wildlife is why you came, the harbor has its own. Charleston's bottlenose dolphins live in the harbor year-round, and a narrated harbor cruise usually finds them; February is cold on the water, so bring a real jacket and check the winter departure times when you pick a date. Our harbor cruise vs dolphin tour guide explains the difference.

Dates, hours, prices, venues and the 2027 schedule were checked on October 30, 2026 against SEWE's event FAQ and general admission page; online prices and the 45th-show count from ABC News 4; 2026 attendance from Live 5 News.