The SC Crawfish Festival has long been part of Pawleys Island’s story — a quirky, delicious blend of Lowcountry culture, community, and coastal flavor.

The festival began decades ago as the S.C. Crawfish Festival in Pawleys Island, created by local newsman Warren Johnston and his colleague, the late Dick Osteen. Their goal was to promote crawfish aquaculture in the old ricefields around Pawleys Island, turning a working idea into a community celebration. Coastal Observer+1

Over time, the festival grew into a beloved local event that brought people together over steaming pots of crawfish, live music, and that easygoing Pawleys Island vibe.

Jim Bindner, The Grayman, and Ivory’s

For many locals, the Crawfish Festival is forever linked with Jim Bindner, a chef, musician, businessman, and lifelong Pawleys Island character whose commitment to community spanned decades. Goldfinch Funeral Services

Jim owned two iconic Pawleys Island spots:

• The Grayman – his restaurant/bar in the 1980s, known as a lively local gathering place.

• Ivory’s – his fine-dining piano bar in the 1990s, where good food, live music, and special occasions came together. JB's Celebration Park

During those years, Jim hosted the Pawleys Island Crawfish Festival, weaving it into the life of his restaurants and the broader community. JB's Celebration Park+1 For longtime residents, memories of the festival are inseparable from nights at The Grayman and Ivory’s: friends packed around tables, music playing, crawfish piled high, and stories that went on long after the last pot was emptied.

From Tradition to Tribute: JB’s Celebration Park

Jim dreamed of creating a permanent community park in Pawleys Island — a place filled with music, art, flowers, trees, and colorful benches, where people could celebrate life and also remember loved ones they’ve lost. JB's Celebration Park+1

After his passing in 2019, his wife Cindy, close friends, and community supporters carried that vision forward, establishing JB’s Celebration Park, a nonprofit project on Wildcat Way dedicated to being a central gathering place for the Waccamaw Neck. Coastal Observer+1

Today, the park hosts concerts, family events, fundraisers, and festivals — exactly the kind of joyful, community-centered happenings Jim imagined.

The Festival Comes Home

With the launch of the SC Crawfish Festival at JB’s Celebration Park, the famous festival is officially returning to Pawleys Island in a new home. AllEvents+2AllEvents+2

Our modern festival:

• Honors the original S.C. Crawfish Festival and the vision to celebrate local food, water, and culture. Coastal Observer+1

• Celebrates the years when Jim hosted the festival through his restaurants, The Grayman and Ivory’s, keeping that spirit of hospitality alive. JB's Celebration Park+1

• Continues his dream for JB’s Celebration Park as a place where natural beauty, music, art, culture, and family activities come together, bonding the community in friendships and healthy fun. JB's Celebration Park+1

Whether you remember the old days at The Grayman and Ivory’s or you’re tasting Pawleys Island crawfish for the very first time, you’re now part of this ongoing story.

Boil. Taste. Celebrate.
That’s the heart of the SC Crawfish Festival at JB’s Celebration Park — a festival rooted in history, revived for the next generation, and dedicated to the community Jim loved so much.