Thank you for your interest in hosting your event in Savannah.  Mayor Van Johnson issued an Executive Order on Tuesday, August 24^th, 2021 cancelling all events on City of Savannah property, with the exception of weddings, through the end of September 2021.  This Order was issued in response to the growing number of COVID cases in our community.

If you have an event permitted through the Office of Special Events, Film, and Tourism during the month of September, you will have the opportunity to either reschedule your event or be reimbursed in full for any payments made to the City of Savannah.

Please contact the office at (912) 351-3837 for more information on these changes.

The Office of Special Events, Film & Tourism was created to streamline services offered by the City of Savannah for these industries. This is accomplished by having a one-stop shop for individuals and organizations to plan their events and gain necessary permitting.  

Primary Services include:

• Permitting for film and media projects for students and professional filmmakers;
• Coordinating and permitting large-scale events;
• Permitting block parties and festivals;
• Permitting food trucks, coordinating food truck lotteries, and hosting food truck rodeos;
• Permitting and managing events in parks and squares;
• Managing tourism-related improvements and complaints.

The Office is located in Daffin Park at One Waring Drive. Please contact the Office at (912) 351-3837 for information about services.

Important Information

Starting January 1, 2020, the Office of Special Events, Film & Tourism will no longer accept personal checks for permits. The only form of payment taken will be Money Orders and Cashier’s Checks. Thank you.

The Office of Special Events, Film and Tourism can no longer “hold” dates without a permit application. This includes permit applications for parks, squares, runs, parades or any other event (except film) in the public right-of-way These changes are being made so that we can more effectively and equitably manage the multitude of event requests that we receive.

EFFECTIVE IMMEDIATELY:
1. Event organizers must submit a permit application in order to hold a date;
2. Event organizers can submit a permit application for review one calendar year prior to the event; and
3. At a minimum, permit applications must be received by this office no later than 90 days from the date of the event.
Application submission DOES NOT indicate approval.

Important Dates

The Special Events Ordinance will be effective January 1, 2020. 

The Tour Service for Hire Ordinance will be effective January 1, 2020. All tour companies have until April 1, 2020 to comply with all requirements in the Tour Service For Hire Ordinance.

Photo credits: Bunny Ware