Festivals
This fine arts festival runs throughout the West End of downtown Greenville and beyond for three full days and presents a diverse range of art-centric options targeting families, casual art lovers, and serious collectors. Other key components of festival programming are educational collaborations that reach a diverse age range from young children to young adults and budding arts professionals.
This three day event is hosted by the Clemson University English department in early April as a celebration of literature and writers. Events include book fairs, trivia nights, faculty readings, and visiting writer readings.
In October, Denver Downs Farm hosts an ongoing Fall Festival and Pumpkin Patch with an intricate Corn Maze, live weekend entertainment, friendly farm animals, bonfires, and more than 35 fun-filled family activities for kids of all ages. Other events are held throughout the year and the barn is available to rent for gatherings and events.
Each October, discover a world of tempting tastes, sights, and sounds as mouthwatering aromas carry you along Greenville’s Main Street. You’re invited to enjoy the Southeast’s most popular outdoor festival, which features over 45 restaurants with over 250 menu items and free entertainment on seven stages.
Downtown Seneca comes alive with music and outdoor dining Thursdays from April through October.
The Annual Fall Harvest Festival is usually held the first Saturday in October on Pendleton Square. The festival features scarecrows made by businesses and organizations in the area, local crafts and foods, and various food vendors as well as performances from dancers, singers, and other performance artists.
Thousands of people pour into historic Pendleton the first full weekend in April for the award winning Spring Jubilee. Patrons shop for unique, one-of-a-kind arts and crafts made by artisans from around the country and enjoy live entertainment and local food vendors.
Each year in April, local and area civic-minded organizations host the Azalea Festival. The streets of Pickens will be filled with artists offering a variety of their work and crafts, local organizations handing out important information on a series of topics, and an assortment of food that will entice even the pickiest of eaters.
Every year, Walhalla celebrates its German heritage at Oktoberfest. With arts, crafts, and great food and drink on Main Street and Sertoma Field at Highway 183, it’s one fun-filled event with two great venues.
Fairs
The Anderson County Fair is held annually in late April/early May at the Anderson Sports and Entertainment Center Complex in Anderson.
The Upper SC State Fair is held annually in late August/early September at the Greenville Pickens Speedway in Easley.
Food Markets
Since 2010, the Clemson Farmers Market has provided fresh, locally grown produce, specialty foods and products, and unique handmade arts and crafts. The Market is a gathering place for people in the community to shop local, purchase healthy food items, and to have FUN! Vendors love to share stories about how their products get from farm to consumer. The Market is held Thursday afternoons from 3pm to 6pm May through September. Specialty markets are held on the First Thursday of each of these months and the First Thursday of October, November, and December.
This members-only food store specializes in organic, natural, and allergy specific foods. Shelves are stocked with commonly used bulk items, beverages, produce, prepackaged products, refrigerated and frozen products, as well as culinary and medicinal herbs and supplements. Items are priced at wholesale plus shipping. Mark-ups are added at the register according to membership status, as is the state sales tax.