The South Carolina Arts Commission announced on May 17, 2024, that Aiken is now home to the 12th South Carolina Cultural District as voted by their board of directors. The Aiken Downtown Cultural District is the first South Carolina Cultural District in the Central Savannah River Area. Residents and visitors can enjoy an abundant and diverse range of cultural activities among its iconic, tree-lined streets and charming downtown of Aiken.
The district is in the heart of downtown Aiken, which contains many of Aiken’s art landmarks. It includes the Aiken Center for the Arts, Amentum Center for the Performing Arts, the Aiken Art Walk annual event, Newberry Street Festival Center, several public artworks, and The Alley, the outdoor social hub for downtown that offers live music seven months of the year.
East of Newberry Street is home to the city’s Center of African American History Arts and Culture as well as the annual arts and crafts festival, Aiken’s Makin, one of the largest in the Midlands. It begins at Chesterfield Street and runs east to Union. Nearby, two churches along Richland Avenue are venues to secular and non-secular performances.
Moving south toward Colleton Avenue you’ll find the Aiken County Public Library, which offers both books and programming for adults and children, including story times, book clubs, Crafternoons, language exchanges, and movies. Located across the street from the library is the Wilcox Hotel, an historic property serving as a piece of living history infused with art by virtue of frequent live jazz in the evenings.
