There’s a lot to love about Greenville, South Carolina. Its charming downtown is famously walkable, with an urban waterfall acting as a centerpiece. The 22-mile mixed-use Swamp Rabbit Trail is another excellent excuse to spend time outside. The city has also been lauded for its food and art scenes, with everything from restaurants led by James Beard-recognized chefs and countless craft breweries to a thriving theater scene and numerous public art installations. In short, Greenville is the perfect backdrop for an all-out three-day festival centered on local eats, live bands, and great beers.
That festival is Fall for Greenville. This October, I set out to see what it was all about as one of the largest free food and music festivals in the Southeast. It didn’t disappoint (and neither did Greenville). Strolling along the city’s paver-lined Main Street, where fall colors were on full display, my sister and I moved between alfresco stages and food tents, each representing dozens of local talents. The takeaway? Fall for Greenville is a festival where you can bring your strollers and pets for a weekend of outdoor fun — all with free admission.
The music: Local favorites, touring talent, and an epic silent disco
One of the most impressive things about Fall for Greenville is the breadth of music. Not only did more than 80 bands grace seven different stages at this year’s festival, but the genres represented ranged from rock, pop, and electronic to folk, funk, soul, country, bluegrass, jazz, swing, and more. With such a big lineup, I’d recommend doing some research beforehand to avoid missing acts like EVOLUSION, a Styx and Journey cover band that made an impression this year. Big Radio, another cover band, also got my hips moving and made me dance to music from the Gin Blossoms, John Mellencamp, and others.
Many of the performers are local to Greenville or South Carolina, but there are others who come into town for the festival. Other standout acts included husband-and-wife duo Chatham Rabbits — who performed their folk-acoustic blend with bluegrass influences and a sound rooted in the American South — and The Tam, who electrified the stage with their performance and light show (I had to put down my drink for this one)…