Ware Shoals Catfish Feastival Returns May 21-23 with Live Music, Food and Family Fun
May 18, 2026
One of the Upstate’s most enduring Memorial Day Weekend traditions returns this month as the Ware Shoals Catfish Feastival kicks off Thurssday, May 21, and runs through Saturday, May 23, at Smikey Grays in Ware Shoals.
Now celebrating its 45th year, the annual event has grown into one of the region’s most anticipated community gatherings, drawing tens of thousands of visitors each Memorial Day weekend. Admission is free, and the festival is family friendly and alcohol free. Pets are not permitted, with the exception of service animals.
True to its name, the Feastival puts food front and center. Fried catfish and catfish stew are the stars of the show, with a wide variety of additional food vendors rounding out the offerings. As organizers put it, “Why do we call it a Feastival? Because we eat our way through it!”
The entertainment lineup spans multiple genres, with performances scheduled from The Alamo Band, Lollis Family Gospel, Roping the Wind, Travis South Band, Brotherhood (a Doobie Brothers tribute), Madison Medlin, Danny Dawson, Eagle Sunrise Band, Palmetto Stompers, Next Generation Cloggers and more.
Beyond the food and music, attendees can browse craft and vendor booths, enjoy amusement rides, and take in the Catfish Feastival Princess pageant, with proceeds from that competition benefiting Shriners Children’s Hospital in Greenville.
The Feastival is held at Katherine Hall, 1 Mill Street, in Ware Shoals. For more information, visit catfishfeastival.org.
