Fresh off five stellar award wins, Lisa Knowles-Smith & The Brown Singers head to Greenville for SpiritFest 2026

Tye Tribbett, Tamela Mann and more join the 34th annual SpiritFest at Bon Secours Wellness Arena Sunday, September 6

Fresh off one of the biggest nights of the 41st Annual Stellar Gospel Music Awards, Lisa Knowles-Smith & The Brown Singers will bring their celebrated sound to Greenville this Sunday, September 6, as part of the 34th annual SpiritFest at Bon Secours Wellness Arena.

Knowles-Smith emerged from this year’s Stellar Awards with five honors connected to a standout season for Revival: Live in Dallas and the hit song “Promises (Live).” The honors included Albertina Walker Female Artist of the Year, Song of the Year, Producer of the Year with Frederick Perry, and wins with The Brown Singers for Duo/Chorus Group of the Year and Quartet of the Year. The Stellar Awards made their national cable premiere on BET Sunday, August 30 — putting one of Gospel music’s biggest current success stories before a national audience just one week before SpiritFest.

Lisa Knowles-Smith & The Brown Singers join a SpiritFest lineup featuring Tye Tribbett, Tamela Mann, Tim Rogers & The Fellas, Keyla Richardson, and Alphaeus Anderson and Pure-N-Heart, with The Sensational Southern Echoes and Purified appearing during the pre-show and David Mann co-hosting the evening. Tribbett was also among the featured performers during this year’s Stellar Awards celebration, further connecting SpiritFest’s Greenville stage with artists currently shaping the national Gospel conversation.

The September 6 gathering marks SpiritFest’s 34th annual event and 35 years since its1991 founding, accounting for the 2020 pause during the COVID-19 pandemic. For more than three decades, the Greenville tradition has brought Gospel music, worship, community service and recognition together in one of the Upstate’s longstanding faith-centered gatherings.

This year, SpiritFest carries the theme “One Sound. One Spirit. One Community.

Let’s Come Together.” The 2026 message calls churches, generations and communities to gather around a shared faith in Christ while celebrating Gospel music and the community it continues to serve.

“SpiritFest is more than a concert — it is a demonstration of what becomes possible when people unite around Christ,” said Dr. Elijah Ray, founder and longtime steward of SpiritFest.

Ray, a business development and relationship management executive, has stewarded SpiritFest for more than three decades, drawing upon relationship-building, faith, cultural stewardship and a commitment to excellence to sustain the annual gathering.

SpiritFest’s impact also extends beyond the concert stage. Its community initiatives include SpiritFest 30 Days of Prayer, a community food-drive partnership and a scholarship program that has supported Upstate students for more than a decade. The event also recognizes leadership, excellence and service through the Trailblazer Award, Dr. Elijah Ray Award and Community Impact Award.

With SpiritFest now just days away, tickets remain on sale for Sunday’s celebration. Doors open at 4:00 p.m., followed by the pre-show at 4:15 p.m. and the main concert at 5:00 p.m. Group rates for parties of 10 or more are available at $45 per general-admission seat while they last; contact Sandy Norman at (864) 420-7973.

EVENT DETAILS
WHAT: SpiritFest 2026 — 34th Annual Gospel Concert
WHEN: Sunday, September 6, 2026 | Doors 4:00 PM | Pre-Show 4:15 PM | Concert
5:00 PM
WHERE: Bon Secours Wellness Arena, 650 N Academy Street, Greenville, SC 29601
TICKETS: SpiritFest.co(opens in new tab)