The Gervais Street Bridge Dinner, which annually shuts down the connector that spans the Congaree River between Columbia and West Columbia for a fancy meal attended by close to 1,000 people, is set for Oct. 9.

It will mark a return to the dinner’s traditional fall date for the first time since the COVID-19 pandemic forced it to cancel in 2020. It will also be the first fall dinner since ownership transferred from Soda City Friends to the nonprofit Carolina Together in 2020. 

Carolina Together held a spring edition of the Gervais Street Bridge Dinner in May 2021, but had to cancel the scheduled October 2021 dinner due to a spike in COVID cases. The nonprofit said at the time that it didn’t plan to continue hosting two dinners a year and would return to the fall date moving forward.

Southern Way Catering, which has handled food in the past, will do so again, with “Bourbon Columbia preparing wonderful libations, and Always Original Bakery providing sweet treats,” the dinner announced this week on Facebook.

Other businesses that will be involved are Gardener's Outpost, Indah Coffee, Cromer's and Something Borrowed.

The dinner, which Carolina Together says will raise money for different causes each year, has announced 11 beneficiaries for 2022 — Senior Resources, Home Works, Congaree Land Trust, The Unumb Center, Cindy Roof Wilkerson Foundation, Dickerson Children’s Advocacy Center, Palmetto Animal Assisted Life Services, Midlands Fatherhood Coalition, Camp Cole, SC Youth Advocate Program, and Canoeing for Kids.

Carolina Together has opened up applications for next year’s beneficiary. Submissions will be accepted through Aug. 10 at gervaisstreetbridgedinner.com/benefit. 

“Applicants must be located in Richland or Lexington County, considered a charity or non-profit and be in good standing with the Secretary of State,” according to the dinner’s Facebook page.

Tickets for the dinner go on sale July 13 at 1 p.m.