Fall for Greenville delights foodies with weekend of flavor October 8-11

GREENVILLE, SC – Fall for Greenville presented by Pepsi and OneMain Financial returns to downtown Greenville with signature tastes from 40 different restaurants. This year’s festival will kick off Thursday night, October 8, with a free concert on the Peace Center Stage and continueOctober 9-11 with Greenville’s premier local restaurants showcasing 250 unique menu items. In addition, the festival will feature musical entertainment, culinary demonstrations, competitions, interactive mobile displays and children’s activities that span almost one mile of event space, from North Street to Augusta Street.

According to Fall for Greenville Board Chair Jennifer Sutton, the international award-winning event has helped put Greenville on the map as a culinary destination. “Fall for Greenville brings a unique and vibrant energy to downtown Greenville where festival-goers can enjoy a taste of signature cuisine from local restaurants and enjoy live music and fun-filled activities geared toward all ages,” said Sutton.

The festival will open on Thursday night at 6:30 p.m. with a free pre-event concert at the Peace Center Amphitheatre. Musical performances will include Nathan Angelo at 7 p.m. and The Suffers, who will perform from 8:30 p.m. to 10 p.m. Food options from Larkins on the River, Automatic Taco and Highway 301 will be available for purchase on-site. Limited seating will be available for this event.

Continuing throughout the weekend, festival-goers can enjoy free concerts from 60 popular national and local entertainers on five different stages, including headliners JEFF The Brotherhood, The Orwells and JD McPherson on The Orangeville Stage presented by Clemson University; Chocolate Thunder Jam: A Tribute to Linda Rodney and Mac Arnold & Plate Full O’ Blues on the Michelin on Main Stage; Stokeswood on the Carolina Ale House Stage; Steve Watson on the Furman University Jazz & Blues Stage and Retro Vertigo and The Tams on the Peace Center Stage. Before festival-goers arrive on-site, they can listen to featured artists and more on the festival’s Spotify station.

As the Main Stage sponsor this year, Clemson University will convert East Washington Street to Orangeville. “Clemson University is very pleased to be a sponsor of this year’s Fall for Greenville festival,” said Wil Brasington, Senior Director of Alumni Relations, Clemson University. “While Clemson, SC may be our hometown, Greenville is our home city!  Clemson and Greenville have enjoyed a very strong partnership and synergistic relationship in so many ways over the years, and in many ways, this involvement in Fall for Greenville is simply a continuation of that.  Given that Fall for Greenville has developed a strong reputation over the years for showcasing many of the finer offerings available in and around Greenville, it seemed natural for us to use this occasion to highlight the “Orangeville” experience and the many ways Clemson, a top national public university, is making an impact both in the local community and far beyond.”

New this year, the festival will feature the Aloft Greenville Downtown Social Media Lounge powered by Clemson University. The lounge will offer a virtual area to check out the latest festival highlights, including social media updates. To further enhance this year’s event, Fall for Greenville has partnered with USC Upstate to offer culinary demonstrations throughout the weekend and ABSOLUT VODKA and Southern Wine & Spirits for the Bartenders’ Mix-Off, where local restaurant staff will compete with their version of the best Fall for Greenville signature drink.

Sunday is family fun day at this year’s festival. From Noon to 2 p.m., children can enjoy unlimited rides in the Nationwide Insurance Kid’s Area on Broad Street. Wristbands will be $15 each and available for purchase on Sunday. In addition, a fun-filled, interactive children’s “kazookie” performance is scheduled for Sunday from Noon to 1:30 p.m. on the Peace Center Stage.

Additional festival highlights include the Beer Garden, featuring 20 different breweries with 35 different craft brews, and the Bank of America Wine Garden, offering a large variety of wines to match the personal tastes of festival-goers.

Throughout the festival weekend, Greenlink will provide complimentary shuttle service from three park-and-ride locations: the Kroc Center, the University Center and Greenville County Square. The shuttles will start their service one hour prior to the start of the festival and will run continuously until one hour after the scheduled closing times of the festival.  In addition, a Bike Valet sponsored by Bikeville will be available on Saturday and Sunday from Noon to 6 p.m. near the Carolina Ale House Stage.

Festival taste tickets can be pre-purchased until Friday, October 9 at 3 p.m. at Michelin on Main. Tickets are $5 for a sheet of eight and can be used throughout the festival weekend to purchase festival food and beverages, merchandise and rides in the Nationwide Insurance Kid’s Area. Festival-goers who pre-purchase $50 worth of tickets (10 sheets) will receive one free sheet of tickets. No refunds will be given for pre-ticket sales.

Named a Top 20 Event by the Southeast Tourism Society, Fall for Greenville continues to support the local community by partnering with 11local nonprofits this year. Over the past 10 years, the festival has donated over $400,000 to local charities.

Festival-goers can visit fallforgreenville.net to customize their schedule for the weekend.  In addition, attendees are encouraged to stay connected with this year’s event by becoming a fan on Facebook at facebook.com/fallforgreenville and using the hashtag “#FFGVL” to join in the Fall for Greenville conversation over Twitter and Instagram.