A monthly concert series on Elmwood Avenue harkens back to the politically charged community that formed at The UFO, a coffeehouse that catered to progressives and former GIs in the 1960s and '70s.
USC women's basketball coach Dawn Staley took to Twitter Wednesday to thank megastar Beyonce Knowles-Carter for a congratulatory gift and note.
A USC class is putting together a Taylor Swift-themed party at Tin Roof, all in the name of a good cause.
Under the brand Notoriously Dapper, Columbia native Kelvin Davis has carved out a space for himself as a content creator, author and model, all with the hopes of inspiring body confidence in men.
While typically seen at markets like Soda City, Tayler Simon plans to build her e-commerce site into a physical location for book clubs, activist groups and community building.
Here's what you need to know ahead of this year's St. Pat's in five Points festival.
Columbia design brand, Twin Stitch, was featured last month on ABC's "Tamron Hall Show." Get to know the designer behind the elegantly maximal gowns, Roneisha Stark.
A year after Columbia removed it, the artist behind a 40-foot fire hydrant is skeptical the city will follow through with its plans. “They are artist bigots. They think they know what’s art and what’s not art and they didn’t think it was worthy.”
While Main Street and other roads are receiving more attention and interest, Sumter Street, which runs parallel to Main, lacks the same appeal. The city hopes to change that.
Body slams and elbow throws were a common sight at the Dumpster Fire Roller Derby Tournament in Columbia, SC, where teams came from across the country to compete.
From the Reconstruction era to the present, the South Carolina Military Museum is highlighting the contributions of Black veterans from the state to civil rights movements in the U.S. The exhibit will open on Feb. 23 and run through the end of June.
The minds behind Re-Find Vintage and the now-closed NOMA Warehouse are teaming up to launch a monthly night market at the antique shop's forthcoming Rosewood location.
It’s easy to criticize Columbia, it’s harder to do something about those criticisms. But if just one person decided they wanted to try to take a creative risk, they have a pretty good shot of doing it here.
This year's Mardi Gras Fest will honor its late-founder Tom Hall with commemorative posters and tokens, a memorial stage and a dedication to the party.
In an increasingly digital age, adult social groups in Columbia like Girls Who Walk and For The Girls offer a reprieve from the virtual limbo.
A Southern boy through and through, Hall represented the best of the contemporary progressive South. As comfortable on a horse and hunting in a field as he was behind a camera creating a history-altering independent film, Hall’s passion for taking big bodacious bites out of life was infectious and, as we can so easily see now, the stuff of legends.
The second-annual Black History Ball will feature a speech from MLK Jr. youth worker Rev. Chavis and TikTok rapper Van Van — all in the hopes of raising money for local scholarships and preserving the Gullah historical narrative in SC.
Shaq tops the bill for Hidden City Music Festival, which will be at the Historic Columbia Speedway in Cayce, as his alter ego, "DJ Diesel."
A soul-pop band and blues rock husband-and-wife duo are among the headliners for the 42nd annual St. Pat's in Five Points festival, which will feature dozens more bands and artists, including internet viral "Lil Boo Thang" rapper and singer Paul Russell.
The family of a 17-year-old girl and her grandfather who were killed in a drunken driving crash in September filed a lawsuit against Henry's of Cayce on Jan. 8, a day after the restaurant announced its impending closure, which owners attributed to rising liquor liability costs.
While the Cottontown business will close by month's end, the owners confirmed, NOMA Warehouse won't be going away completely.
Beloved SC band Sequoyah Prep School closed out decades of sold-out shows at New Brookland Tavern on State Street in West Columbia and welcomed crowds to the bar's new location on Harden Street in Five Points.
After the loss of key businesses in West Columbia's entertainment district, many are wondering where the small city across the Congaree River is headed.
The popular vintage and antiques mall is moving to South Edisto Street in the Rosewood neighborhood in early 2024, the owner confirmed.
Richland County Council voted to issue an $80 million bond for Riverbanks Zoo and Garden's expansion projects despite pleas to reconsider from Columbia Mayor Daniel Rickenmann.
The Museum of York County has you covered with its first-ever "airing of the grievances" at their upcoming version of "Seinfeld's" Festivus.
This was a solid year for local theater, with most groups doing what they do best. But is that always the best choice, or just the safest? Free Times theater writer August Krickel looks back at the Midlands' theater scene.
Black Nerd Mafia's Kwasi Brown compiled a list of the best Black, independent artists creating in Columbia today for Free Times.
J. Marion Sims, a South Carolinian, is widely credited for creating the modern discipline of gynecology. J.C. Hallman's nonfiction book, “Say Anarcha,” casts a dark light on Sims' legacy through the eyes of the enslaved woman who is remembered as the test subject for many of his unethical and cruel experiments.
In 2021, USC’s then-President Bob Caslen asked the Board of Trustees to pen a letter to the General Assembly asking for a one-time exemption from the Heritage Act to rename Sims Hall — which the university refers to as "Women's Quad" on its website. Caslen's request was ignored.
USC in Columbia, SC will offer a class on global pop sensation Taylor Swift that will explore business, the music industry and the success of her Eras Tour.
Black Nerd Mafia hosts concerts, open mic nights and showcases to platform independent artists in Columbia — creating spaces downtown where they say there aren't many for persons of color who are creatives.
Palmetto State native Darius Rucker will join thousands of other stars on Hollywood Boulevard with his very own star.
Congaree National Park staff removed 18 feral hogs, which have become more comfortable hanging around humans, during a 24-hour shut-down of the park on Nov. 16.
One year after rejecting the proposal, a majority of Richland County Council members approved a first reading of an $80 million bond from Riverbanks Zoo and Garden.
With a lifelong green thumb and decades of professional work, Jenks Farmer is an expert when it comes to gardening in the Midlands. He gives Free Times a few of his recommendations on how to become "plant people."
The Carolina House of Telfar is a kiki ballroom haus, a family of performers and artists who compete in the underground ballroom scene that's been a haven for queer folks for decades.
The Summer Camp Tour with Trucks will make one stop in the Palmetto State — and it's Soda City.
The Reimagine Experience project, in its early stages, will be a complete overhaul of the museum's permanent exhibits, which occupy the four-floor building and consist of only about 5 percent of items in the collection.
Due to the power dynamic between artist and patron, getting a tattoo can be intimidating for anyone, but especially for more vulnerable clientele — a handful of women tattoo artists in Columbia are changing that.
Under Waites' leadership, Historic Columbia has become a leading force for historical interpretation and preservation that seeks to tell the stories all of people and places in Columbia.
Women's tackle football — played in the same uniforms and by the same rules as men — is gaining in popularity across the country, bringing together women and men with a love for the game.
Beyond their mission to make fashion accessible and high-caliber in the Midlands, the team at Cola Fashion Week knows style. Free Times sat down the entire COLAFW team to get their wardrobe must-haves.
“No offense to any stuffy libraries but, we're not your mom’s library,” said Mary-Kate Quillivan. “Whatever you thought a library was, it’s not what we are.”
While the exhibit features photographs and gowns, much of the exhibit is about revealing the distinction between designer Alexander McQueen and Lee, the person his friends knew and loved.
One of the world’s most cerebral designers is a fitting subject for a photographer whose aim was to look beyond the surface, art critic Tom Mack writes in his review of the art museum's exhibit, “Rendezvous: Lee Alexander McQueen and Ann Ray."
Say goodbye west Columbia, New Brookland Tavern is moving to Five Points.
Five LGBTQ+ creatives who call Columbia on their art, their identities and why they choose to stay in the South.
SC Pride's Brave the Rainbow campaign aims to branch beyond a window sticker for businesses, but it'll take more energy and more people to help make the queer-supporting project make impact.
SC Pride began more than 30 years ago as a way to make the LGBTQ+ community in Columbia visible, protected and honored. It's still doing that today, but with a broader perspective.
A new Special Collection in USC's Thomas Cooper Library and an initiative with the campus and Historic Columbia are aiming to bring queer history to life, and honor it in a way that hasn't yet happened.
Brosius led the Columbia Museum of Art for 13 years, when she quadrupled visitations and led the museum to the high-caliber heights it's known for today.
Ready to show your pride? Our guide lays out what's happening, where to park, what to wear at this year's Famously Hot Pride.
Free Times Managing Editor Zoe Nicholson on recent changes made — and yet to come — to Columbia's seminal arts and culture publication.
