October 9-10, 2026 / Camden, SC

Southern Gothic Festival

Two immersive days of literature, folklore, true crime, horror and music, exploring the strange, beautiful and unsettling stories of the South.

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Authors Book Signings Ghost Tours Storytelling Music True Crime Folklore Camden, South Carolina Authors Book Signings Ghost Tours Storytelling Music True Crime Folklore Camden, South Carolina Authors Book Signings Ghost Tours Storytelling Music True Crime Folklore Camden, South Carolina

2026

Speakers & Panelists

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About

About Southern Gothic

The Southern Gothic Festival explores what happens when the Southern and the Gothic collide in a contemporary South shaped by dark history and new voices reimagining its stories. Beginning with literature, from horror and Southern noir to grit lit, the festival also explores true crime, folklore, ghost stories, local history, and music.

Each year, writers, historians, storytellers, musicians, podcasters, and scholars come together to consider what Southern Gothic has been, what it is becoming, and why the strange relationship between the South and the Gothic continues to intrigue us.

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2026