Preview Party for The Charleston Show

Celebrate the opening night of The Charleston Show, formerly known as the Spring Antiques Show, at the exclusive Preview Party on Thursday, March 21, 2024 at  Festival Hall in downtown Charleston, SC! Enjoy a remarkable evening benefiting Drayton Hall Preservation Trust with a dazzling cocktail party and a special exhibit titled Flights of Fancy: An Exploration of Uncommon Birds.  Then get early night-before access to all The Charleston Show has to offer.

This wonderful annual spring event returns to Charleston with this exciting Preview Party on March 21, 2024, with VIP Reception — 6:00 pm; Opening Night Party — 7:00 pm to 9:00 pm Tickets to the 2024 Preview Party are $225 for Opening Night Party and $325 for VIP Reception.  VIP tickets are limited.   Both options include 3-day tickets to The Charleston Show and admission to visit and tour Drayton Hall anytime between March 22 and March 31, 2023.      Friends of Drayton Hall receive $25 off per ticket.

Don’t miss this exclusive Charleston, SC spring event! Get first dibs on all of the fantastic items from dealers from the United States and England offering the finest in antiques, design, and fine art before the show opens to the public on Friday morning! View Drayton Hall’s exhibition, experience a fabulous cocktail party, and enjoy premiere early access to the show! Get tickets early, the Preview Party is always a sell out!

Tickets

In 1733, John Drayton (1715–1779), received a portfolio containing 48 watercolor paintings by artist George Edwards (1694–1773), the father of British ornithology. These watercolors were completed ten years before the publication of the first volume of Edwards’ A Natural History of Uncommon Birds (1743), and are the oldest of their type to survive in North America. Drayton was 18 years old and this exchange is the best evidence for him experiencing a grand tour of Europe as Edwards never visited North America. Long forgotten, the watercolors were discovered in the attic of 25 East Bay Street upon the death of Charlotta Drayton in 1969. Over time, portions of the portfolio were sold. In 2009, Drayton Hall was able to purchase 21 of the 48 paintings, now recognized as the Lenhardt Collection of George Edwards Watercolors at Drayton Hall. Flights of Fancy: An Exploration of Uncommon Birds highlights some of the most important species and reunites additional original portfolio paintings from museums and private collectors for the first time in 55 years.

 

The Charleston Show is produced by