Grand Strand Weekend Guide: Dry Skies, Big Tides, Full Halloween Slate

The first rain-free weekend of October arrives on the Grand Strand on Oct. 24-25 with afternoon highs near 70, gusty north winds, morning high tides above 6 feet at Springmaid Pier and a Halloween calendar that runs from a $5 BOOnanza in Little River to free movie nights and outdoor wrestling in Conway.

The forecast: cool mornings, breezy afternoons, no rain

The National Weather Service forecast for Myrtle Beach, issued Thursday, Oct. 22, calls for sunny, breezy conditions Saturday with a high near 70 and a low near 55, then sunny and breezy again Sunday with a high near 71 and a low near 53. Winds Friday night were forecast from the northeast at 10 to 18 mph with gusts to 24 mph. Monday through Wednesday stay sunny to mostly sunny with highs of 70 to 72 and lows in the low to mid 50s.

WMBF’s First Alert forecast on Friday, Oct. 23, called it the first rain-free weekend in October, with mornings in the upper 40s to low 50s, gusty afternoon breezes and highs in the lower 70s. High pressure should keep rain to the west through next week, and WMBF said Halloween currently looks dry and comfortable. Sunrise Saturday is 7:27 a.m. and sunset 6:32 p.m.

Tides and surf

NOAA’s predictions for Springmaid Pier show a widening tide range through the weekend. On Saturday, Oct. 24, high tide is at 6:19 a.m. (6.0 feet), low at 12:47 p.m. (0.6 feet) and high again at 6:44 p.m. (5.7 feet). On Sunday, Oct. 25, high is at 7:04 a.m. (6.4 feet), low at 1:36 p.m. (0.4 feet) and high at 7:29 p.m. (5.7 feet). Monday morning brings the largest high tide of the stretch, 6.7 feet at 7:49 a.m., with a low of 0.3 feet at 2:25 p.m. Early-morning walkers will find a narrow beach at high water; the wide, hard-packed sand opens up in the early afternoon.

With north and northeast winds and no rain in the forecast, conditions favor beach time, but swimmers and surfers should check the NWS Wilmington surf-zone forecast and posted flags first. The NWS lists no hazards for the Grand Strand through Wednesday.

Saturday, Oct. 24

• Halloween BOOnanza, NMB Park and Sports Complex soccer and lacrosse fields, 150 Citizens Circle, Little River, 5 to 8 p.m. Admission is $5 for ages 3 and up, free for 2 and under, cash only; concessions extra. A DJ, marshmallow roasting, games and inflatables. Children must be with a parent or guardian.
• Myrtle Beach Fall Fling, Doug Shaw Memorial Stadium, 705 33rd Ave. N. Gates open at 4 p.m., with a screening of “Monster House” to follow. Free; food for purchase, per WMBF’s event roundup.
• BooFest at Barefoot Landing, North Myrtle Beach, noon to 4 p.m., per MyrtleBeach.com’s calendar.
• Halloween at The Hangout, 1181 Celebrity Circle, Myrtle Beach, daytime activities 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. and live music 6 to 10 p.m. Free.
• Halloween Bash on The Avenue, outside Crocodile Rocks at Broadway at the Beach, 7:30 p.m.
• Glow-in-the-Dark Halloween Dance Party, Ripley’s Aquarium, 1110 Celebrity Circle, 7 to 9 p.m. Adults and ages 12 and up $29.99, ages 3 to 11 $19.99, under 3 $9.99, plus tax.
• Spooktacular Halloween Variety Show, North Myrtle Beach High School, 2 and 6 p.m. Saturday and 2 p.m. Sunday. Adults $10, students and seniors $7.
• Monster Mash on Millpond, Billy Gardner Sports Complex, 1515 Mill Pond Road, Conway, 5 to 7 p.m. Free; pumpkin painting $5.

Sunday, Oct. 25

• Scare in the Square Wrestling, Town Green, 200 Laurel St., Conway, 5 to 8 p.m. Free.
• Spooktacular Halloween Variety Show, North Myrtle Beach High School, 2 p.m. matinee.

Coastal Carolina football is idle this weekend. The Chanticleers, 2-5 overall and 1-2 in the Sun Belt, play at Georgia State on Saturday, Oct. 31, then return to Brooks Stadium in Conway on Nov. 7 against Old Dominion and Nov. 14 against Arkansas State. Kickoff times are not yet set.

Next week: Oct. 26 to Nov. 1

• Thu., Oct. 29: Myrtle Beach Pelicans Trick-or-Treat, Pelicans Ballpark, 4:30 to 8 p.m., ages 12 and under. Free, tickets required.
• Fri., Oct. 30: Downtown Myrtle Beach Fright Nights live entertainment at Plyler Park and the Boardwalk; Jeepers Creepers Trunk-or-Treat opens Myrtle Beach Jeep Jam at the former Myrtle Square Mall site (through Nov. 1); free “Ghostbusters” screening at 7 p.m. at The Terrace, 110 Laurel St., Conway.
• Sat., Oct. 31: Surfside Halloween Charity Car Show, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., with Surfside Drive closed from Hollywood Drive to Ocean Boulevard; Thompson Farm’s Halloween Helicopter Drop in Conway, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. with the candy drop at 2 p.m., $17.18 per person ages 3 and up; Trick-or-Treat at Broadway at the Beach, 4:30 to 6:30 p.m., free; Trick-or-Treat at Barefoot Landing, 5 to 7 p.m., free; Hometown Halloween at The Market Common, 5 to 7 p.m., free; Fright Nights Halloween Carnival at Plyler Park, 5 to 8 p.m., free; Halloween on the MarshWalk, Murrells Inlet, 5 to 10 p.m., with costume contests at 6 and 7.
• Sun., Nov. 1: Fright Nights Day of the Dead celebration, Plyler Park and the Boardwalk, 1 to 4 p.m., free, with games, characters and face painting.

Trick-or-treating hours vary by town along the Strand, WPDE reports: several municipalities have set Saturday, Oct. 31, windows while others leave it to residents. Check your city’s announcement before heading out.

Beach access notes

The City of Myrtle Beach closed the 12th Avenue North emergency beach access ramp for construction on Oct. 15. On Oct. 22, the city said the South Carolina Department of Environmental Services approved an accessible beach mat at 15th Avenue South, and that four beach wheelchair rental lockers are planned at 53rd Avenue North, 26th Avenue North, Second Avenue North and 15th Avenue South. Concrete pads are in, the lockers are expected by mid-December, and RentFun will operate the program, WPDE reported. No launch date has been set.

The Grand Strand Take

This is the weekend the shoulder season earns its reputation. A dry, 70-degree Saturday with a $5 family event in Little River, a free stadium movie in Myrtle Beach and a free pumpkin-painting party in Conway is a cheaper evening than almost anything summer offers, and all of them end before 9 p.m. The tide table is the detail most visitors miss: with highs above 6 feet before 8 a.m. all three mornings, the beach is narrowest exactly when the light is best. The hard-packed sand returns around the midday low, 12:47 p.m. Saturday and 1:36 p.m. Sunday.

For vacation-rental owners, a dry stretch through Halloween is a maintenance window: exterior photos, gutter clearing, deck sealing and HVAC checks before the November lull. The 12th Avenue North ramp closure matters for listings that advertise that access, and the coming wheelchair lockers are worth noting once the city confirms a launch. Grand Strand App’s newsletter, Useful notes from the coast, will carry trick-or-treat hours and any forecast changes before Oct. 31.

What it means for you

• Plan beach walks for early afternoon: low tide is 12:47 p.m. Saturday and 1:36 p.m. Sunday at Springmaid Pier, and morning highs top 6 feet.
• Bring cash and a layer to BOOnanza: $5 at the gate, cash only, with sunset at 6:32 p.m. and temperatures dropping toward the mid-50s overnight.
• Saturday’s Surfside car show on Oct. 31 closes Surfside Drive from Hollywood Drive to Ocean Boulevard from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.; route around it.
• Rental owners: use the dry week for exterior work and update any listing that references the 12th Avenue North access.
• Check the NWS surf-zone forecast and posted flags before swimming; north winds were forecast to gust past 20 mph.

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