“We’re too close not to share resources and promote each other,” Keyserling said.
Plans are still being made by city event staff and its cultural district board for the expanded Taste of Beaufort, which will be held at various venues downtown May 3-4.
Keyserling said the collaboration would pull from the Piccolo Spoleto festival, a companion event run by the city of Charleston to the better-known, 17-day international Spoleto festival held in the city each year.
Plans come as Beaufort and the Beaufort Regional Chamber of Commerce spar in federal court over control of the city’s popular festivals, including Taste of Beaufort.
The nonprofit business group sued the city last year over ownership and operation of the Beaufort Shrimp Festival and Taste of Beaufort, saying its constitutional rights were violated when it was denied a permit in July to operate the shrimp event and objecting to the city registering the names of both festivals with the state.
City officials have said chamber leadership has been unwilling to reach a solution.
Beaufort employed downtown events staff to organize a promote what the city billed as a bigger and better Beaufort Shrimp Festival in October.
Keyserling’s announcement of the Spoleto partnership in his weekly newsletter told visitors to prepare for “a better than ever” Taste of Beaufort.
Tecklenburg and Keyserling have been allies on several recent issues affecting both coastal areas, including opposing offshore oil drilling and exploration and planning for rising sea levels. Beaufort has also patterned its technology incubator, the Beaufort Digital Corridor, after a successful initiative in Charleston.