Charleston’s The Refinery is an open air music venue and mixed-use event space that brings a unique concept to the Lowcountry, and plenty of great live music. Since opening in 2022, they have made a name for themselves among Charleston’s venues, and as we reach the final months of 2025, they continue to evolve and grow their vision for the Meeting Street compound.
“It’s been a super busy year,” says venue manager Drew Augustine. “We’ve had upwards of 35 shows and we’ve been really happy with them.”
In addition to a stacked fall lineup that includes shows from Lettuce, Dylan Scott & Zach John King, Jesse McCartney, Little Stranger, and The Revivalists (Extra Chill has partnered with The Refinery to promote these shows), they’ve also had some exciting developments including the new 150-cap music venue and private event space, Limbo.
“Limbo has been ramping up,” Drew says. “Primarily we took that on to operate it as a private event space, and then during concerts it’s open to ticket holders.”
Not long after opening it, they realized they had the opportunity to host smaller shows, including local artists. Charleston rocker Fo Daniels was the first to play the space, and will play again for his “Anything But Ordinary” single release on October 24th.
“We recently upgraded the PA system and the stage and made some changes to the room,” Drew explains. “It’s worked pretty well so far and it’s been fun to see what we can get in there and see what works.”
Nashville’s Jed Harrelson has played a sold out show in the room, Canadian Jesse Roper has played there twice so far, and the new local act Tounds (plus Hollifield) brought plenty of familiar faces to the room.
Charleston always welcomes new spaces for locals to play, and Limbo is especially appealing because it’s adjacent to the large outdoor stage at The Refinery. Most locals would struggle to sell enough tickets for the main stage, but would love to play at the compound, and the Limbo space supplies that opportunity.
“We got feedback from Fo and a bunch of other local groups that are looking for smaller places to play,” Drew continues. “We’re trying to make the door deals as appealing as possible to artists.”
Not only do artists get the association with the main stage, they also get featured on The Refinery’s social media feeds and newsletters, offering exposure that most 150-cap venues cannot provide.
The Refinery also hosts intimate events via the 1956 Railcar that is parked adjacent to their main stage, and larger parties on the rooftop that is typically the VIP area during concerts. Several of these, including the upcoming Halloween party, have been in partnership with Loose Ends Entertainment, a Charleston local group.
“We’re trying to be creative,” Drew says. “We’ve been surprised with the things that people are coming to us with, and we try to keep an open mind and give it a shot. If it continues to work then we’ll continue to do it.”
One huge event for The Refinery has been the monthly Wu Wednesdays series, a Wu-Tang Clan themed party by The Dropping Pin, another Charleston local. Wu Wednesdays started on the patio in front of The Whale, the independent craft beer bar that operates on the property.
“It started off with 10-15 people hanging out and listening to Wu-Tang,” Drew recalls. “It continued to grow, and eventually developed into this legitimate 200-500 person ticketed event once a month.”
Outside of music events, The Refinery also hosts the monthly Charleston Vintage Market (next on October 26th), and the Heritage Fire food tour returns to the venue for the second time on November 16th.
Local non-profit radio station, Ohm 96.3, also operates out of the space, providing even more local flavor and community. The sports bar, Cleats, recently moved out, and The Refinery is in talks with a new tenant to take over that will align with their vision and concept.
Overall, The Refinery looks forward to continued growth in the coming years, both through their main concept of live music, and other collaborations with independent business owners in the Lowcountry.
