On expansive lawns in the Hamptons and sandy blankets on Coney Island, people gathered over Memorial Day Weekend to start their summer. For the next few months, New Yorkers will do what the rest of the country thinks is impossible for us: slow down.

That was not the case for the New Yorkers who traveled to Charleston, S.C., for the Spoleto Festival USA, which opened Friday and runs through June 12. The region is known for its slow pace of life, but during the festival the days are packed from the early morning to late at night with shows, meals, and parties.

Spoleto offers all the things that New York’s chief patrons of culture value: an explosion of visual art, booming creative energy, and social sophistication. And it’s all wrapped up in a heartening small-town bustle that allows us to see all these things in a pure, more community-oriented light than we do in New York.

The festival’s opening ceremony Friday at noon set the tone. Charleston’s ancient church bells rang as about 800 people congregated outside the Old Exchange, a historic waterfront building that housed Revolutionary War prisoners. The ceremony included the singing of “The Star-Spangled Banner,” the release of hundreds of colored balloons, and, in true Spoleto style, a performance by an avant-garde dance troupe from the Netherlands. And the crowd, with their parasols and pink straw hats, loved every moment of the spectacle.

On the narrow portico were Charleston’s mayor, Joseph Riley; the chairman of the Spoleto board, Eric Friberg, and the first lady of South Carolina, Jenny Sanford.

Spoleto is as much a celebration of the power of art as it is of civic life, so Mayor Riley was the star of the event. He hailed the power of the arts to create an informed and curious citizenry.

“All those who come here make a personal discovery and return home and expand the arts life in their communities,” he said. “Mediocrity can no longer be a welcome friend.”

Over the past few days, the patrons of the festival – whether they’re from New York, Missouri, or Beaufort, S.C. – have shunned mediocrity. That is true in the dozens of arts events offered daily, and also in the social life of the festival.

No one wants to miss a Spoleto party, thanks to a high-powered group of Charlestonians who love to show off their homes and talk art with their counterparts from all over the country.

The host committee set the bar of excellence with a block party Friday night. This was no ordinary block party, as it took place in Bedon’s Alley – the chicest alley in the chicest part of town. Bars and buffets were set up in the gardens, doorways, and driveways in front of the homes on the street. A canopy of Chinese paper lanterns lit the way for more than 500 people. Guests of New York origin included two Spoleto board members, Joan Sarnoff and Lou Hammond, as well as Barbara Hearst.

Most of the 30 parties planned by the host committee take place in meticulously restored antebellum mansions.

The one party that feels it could happen anywhere is the black-tie gala, which took place Saturday night in the exhibition hall of the Gaillard Municipal Auditorium. This was the place to show off high fashion. Ms. Hammond wore Ungaro purchased on Madison Avenue. Ms. Hearst wore Oscar de la Renta. Spoleto board member Jennie DeScherer and her husband, Richard, regularly attend affairs in New York that are just like this one, with a band, fancy centerpieces, and whimsical food presentations. In this case, the sushi appetizer was served on the base of a martini glass, turned upside down on the plate. The dessert was lemon and chocolate mousse served in chocolate cups shaped in a yin and yang.

Some of the tables were filled by the corporate sponsors of the festival – although sponsors are much less of a presence here than they in New York (a refreshing difference). Wachovia entertained several New York clients at the festival, including Elaine and Norman Brodsky and Joan and Joel Picket.

The leading topic of conversation at the parties is the productions. “Incredible” and “amazing” are adjectives exchanged as often as “bizarre” and “unintelligible.” Having all come to this destination for exposure to experimental work, people are honest and open about their reactions.

“Mabou Mines Dollhouse,” which played at St. Ann’s Warehouse in 2003, generated strong responses, both positive and negative. It is an adaptation of Henrik Ibsen’s play in which the men are played by dwarves. The set is designed to the scale of the male actors, so the women seem outlandishly large. The men, however, possess the power.

“It’s bizarre,” one woman said Friday night, on her way out after the first act.

A highlight was the Saturday performance of the Music in Time series, organized by one of the leading proponents of new music, John Kennedy. Audience members were both delighted and shocked when Mr. Kennedy left his post to uncover a female mannequin on the side of the stage and knock her over, a theatrical gesture that was part of “Here [enclosed],” by Michel van der Aa.

Boston-based composer Ken Ueno’s “all moments stop here and together we become every memory that ever has been” featured music boxes. Each of the musicians wound their music boxes at their own pace, creating cacophony until only one music box was playing.

In a few weeks, Mr. Kennedy will be conducting a 112-piece orchestra of New York musicians in Merce Cunningham’s “Ocean” at the Lincoln Center Festival.

“It’s a wonderful happening,” Mr. Kennedy said, who performed the work outdoors at Damrosch Park in 1996.This year, the performance will take place at the Rose Hall of Jazz at Lincoln Center.

“New York finally has the right hall to do it,” Mr. Kennedy said.

The musicians will be playing in the upper balconies of the hall, surrounding the audience.

Mr. Kennedy has found it easier to present new music in venues outside of New York.

“In Santa Fe, our concerts draw 500 people. In New York, we’d have the 50 people from the new music subculture and friends of the musicians. The concept of getting people walking off the street just doesn’t happen in New York,” Mr. Kennedy said.

One reason is that New Yorkers are jaded and have so much choice and variety in the performing arts.

At Spoleto, the jadedness disappears, and people open themselves up to new art forms, new people, and, perhaps, a new city to visit as much as possible.