Our Story

About Us

Myrtle Beach Songwriters Festival is produced by Songs That Save Foundation, a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization (EIN 41-4583817). Donations are tax-deductible to the extent allowed by law.

The Myrtle Beach Songwriters Festival, presented by Songs that Save Foundation, is a two-day, walkable celebration of original music, storytelling, and coastal culture. Bringing together respected regional and touring songwriters across multiple venues, the festival creates a vibrant arts experience that supports local businesses while spotlighting the power of original music.

What We Do

Programs, Services & Impact

Programs

The Myrtle Beach Songwriters Festival — two free days, November 13–14, 2026, with more than 50 songwriters and poets across seven walkable downtown venues. Between festivals we run the Road to the Festival fundraiser showcase series: free evenings of original music, six songwriters a night.

See the showcase series

Services

Every festival event is free and open to the public, so cost is never what keeps someone out. We give original songwriters a stage and an audience, and we open the festival to community volunteers who want to help run it.

Volunteer with us

Impact

Festival proceeds go to Backpack Buddies, a program of Help 4 Kids of Myrtle Beach that sends weekend food home with Horry County children who rely on school meals. Help 4 Kids reports delivering nearly 3,000 food packs every week, and has run Backpack Buddies since 2004.

How Backpack Buddies works
The Myrtle Beach Songwriters Festival, a program of The Songs That Save Foundation, exists to unite artists and audiences through the power of original music while strengthening our community through service. Our mission is built on three pillars—Hunger, Hope, and Health—which guide every aspect of our work. Through partnerships that fight food insecurity, programs that place instruments in the hands of children and teach them to write their own songs, and initiatives that support the well-being of working musicians, we strive to create meaningful change—one song, one story, one shared space at a time.

Where the Music Goes

Every Song Has a Destination

A song written late on a Friday night is only the beginning. What a festival crowd gives back can travel across Horry County and find its way into a child’s backpack.

For two free days, November 13–14, 2026, more than 50 songwriters and poets will perform across seven walkable venues in downtown Myrtle Beach. The festival is the first major community outreach event of Songs That Save Foundation, dedicated to using the power of music to fight hunger, inspire hope, and support the well-being of artists and communities.

Hunger

No child or member of our community should have to wonder where their next meal will come from.

We put festival proceeds toward one of the most immediate solutions there is: providing food for children and families who might otherwise go without, especially on Saturdays and Sundays, when school meals are unavailable.

Hope

A song is proof that something small can travel a long way. We carry that same belief forward to the next writer, the next neighbor, and the next generation.

Through music, we aim to inspire and encourage children, artists, and members of our community to discover their voices, believe in their possibilities, and create better lives.

Health

Music can help us carry what feels too heavy to hold alone. We believe caring for artists means supporting the whole person—not only the songs they create.

Through resources, partnerships, and community support, we aim to strengthen the emotional, physical, and professional well-being of musicians and artists so they can continue creating, connecting, and sharing their gifts.

Our Cause

Help 4 Kids — Backpack Buddies

Help 4 Kids — Backpack Buddies

Backpack Buddies is a program of Help 4 Kids of Myrtle Beach — 100% volunteer, entirely donation-reliant. Every Friday during the school year, kids who count on school meals head home to two quiet days without them. Backpack Buddies sends them off with kid-friendly, self-serve, nutritious food they can open on their own — sized to slip discreetly into a backpack and carry home with dignity.

Help 4 Kids has served Horry County since 1989, and the Backpack Buddies program has run since 2004. Proceeds from the 2026 festival go straight to that work.

Nearly 3,000 food packs delivered every week across Horry County

100% volunteer, 100% donation-reliant

Backpack Buddies feeding local kids since 2004

Help 4 Kids serving the community since 1989

Fill a Backpack

Learn more about the program at help4kidssc.org

Support Our Mission

Donate