Spring Fling: Spartanburg's largest downtown festival starts Friday. What you need to know.
The streets of downtown Spartanburg will come alive with music, packed crowds, vendors and the aroma of tasty treats this weekend during the annual Spring Fling.
Spartanburg's largest downtown festival gets underway at 5 p.m. Friday and runs through 6 p.m. Sunday. The festivities run until 10 p.m. Friday, from 11 a.m.-9 p.m. Saturday and start at noon on Sunday.
The family-friendly festival features plenty of music and food, entertaining exhibits and free admission. Visitors are encouraged to bring cash and IDs, if they want to take part in activities like the Craft Beer Experience and be prepared for a day in the sun. Coolers, smoking and pets are not allowed.
Wondering where to go and what to do during Spring Fling? Here are five things to know:
Spring Fling will kick off with 2023 Spartanburg Regional Healthcare System Criterium
Billed as the fastest night in Spartanburg, the annual Criterium bicycle race kicks off Spring Fling's festivities.
The first race is 3 p.m. Friday. The race path includes Converse, Broad, Church and Main streets. Some bleacher seating is available at the corner of Broad and Church streets.
3 p.m. | Women's Cat 4/5 |
3:35 p.m. | Men's Cat 4/5 |
4:10 p.m. | Masters |
5 p.m. | Kids Ride |
5:40 p.m. | Men's Cat 2/3 |
6:30 p.m. | Halftime Show |
6:40 p.m. | Women's Pro |
7:50 p.m. | Men's Pro |
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Plenty of food options will be available over the weekend
The festival will feature food courts along Church Street and at the top of Broad Street with vendors including Sully's Steamers Spartanburg, McCoy's BBQ, Papa John's Pizza and Rick's Lemonade. More vendors will be in the Family Fun Zone including Bronzeville Bites, Sweets on the Run, and Tropical Shaved Ice.
This year's food truck rodeo, located by Denny's Tower, will feature A Taste of Detroit, Aspen Street Sweets, Bobalish LLC, Cool Hawgz BBQ, Sweet Touch, The Street Food & Boba, Vegan Shack House, Weezy’s, and Y’all Hungry Food Truck. The trucks will be parked by the plaza on Saturday and Sunday.
Craft beer fans will want to check out the Craft Brew Experience, sponsored by Mermet Corporation. The attraction will be located near the former Wild Wing Cafe. The Happy Tappy Camper, The Beer Vault, and Beer Necessities will offer selections from 11 a.m.-9 p.m. Saturday and noon-6 p.m. Sunday.
What's going in the old Wild Wings?: Greenville-based Smoking Butt Heads BBQ coming to former Wild Wing spot
Music fans can groove to artists performing on four stages
Stages will be set up throughout downtown during the festival with four stages operating Saturday and Sunday. This year's headliner is Nashville, Tennessee-based singer-songwriter Maggie Rose, who will perform from 7-9 p.m. Saturday on the Spring Street stage.
Each stage will feature hourly performances by bands, dance groups and other entertainers. Buskers also will perform on Wall Street.
Here's when your favorite band will perform:
Friday, April 28
4-6 p.m. | .No Sweat Band |
7-9:30 p.m. | Fly Fidelity |
Saturday, April 29
11 a.m. -12 p.m. | Tyler Long Music |
1-2 p.m. | Soul Legit |
3-4 p.m. | Vera Soul |
5-6 p.m. | SPANK |
7-9 p.m. | Shades of Brown |
11 a.m.-12 p.m. | The Carolina Players |
12:30-12:45 p.m. | Arts in Motion |
1-1:15 p.m. | Pine Street Pantherettes |
1:30-1:45 p.m. | AVK Dance Studio |
2-2:15 p.m. | Palmetto En Pointe |
2:30-2:45 p.m. | Queen Bee Dance Studio |
3-3:30 p.m. | Moses Jenkins |
4:30-5:30 p.m. | Beth Inabinett |
6:30-8:30 p.m. | Vinyl Junkies |
11 a.m.-12 p.m. | The High Tides |
1-2 p.m. | April B & The Cool |
3-4 p.m. | Crawford & Power |
5-6 p.m. | Shot Thru The Heart |
7-9 p.m. | Maggie Rose (Headliner) |
11 a.m.-12 p.m. | Mystic Criss Cross Gamin |
12:30-1:30 p.m. | Reptiles with Justin Fox |
2-3 p.m. | Magic & Comedy by Glen |
3:30-4:30 p.m. | The Sound of Learning |
5-6 p.m. | Kenny the Crown |
Sunday, April 30
12-1 p.m. | Fernwood Rising |
2-3 p.m. | Song Band |
4-6 p.m. | The Time Pilots |
12-1 p.m. | United Sound Entertainment |
2-3 p.m. | The Revival |
4-6 p.m. | The Back in the Day Band |
12-1 p.m. | Kendall Lanford |
2-3 p.m. | Brian Ashley Jones |
4-6 p.m. | Dirty Grass Soul |
12-1 p.m. | B-Rad the Kids Magician |
1:30-2:30 p.m. | Kenny the Crown |
3-4 p.m. | Southeastern Reptile Rescue |
4:30-5:30 p.m. | Magic & Comedy by Glen |
There will be Spring Fling attractions for whole family
Family-friendly fun will abound throughout the festival area. There will be a family fun zone on Church Street near the library featuring rides and inflatables from Kirskey Amusements as well as entertainment like face painting and a game trailer.
Other entertainment includes The Answer's Carolina Classic Car Show happening by Denny's Tower from 11 a.m.-5 p.m. on Saturday, The Buffalo Soldiers Motorcycle Club Bike Show, which will happen in the same area from 1-5 p.m. Sunday, and The Main Street Marketplace exhibit, which will feature 60 local vendors.
Here’s how to navigate road closures and parking at Spring Fling
Road closures start Thursday at 1 a.m. for the Criterion race. East Broad Street from Church Street to Converse Street, Liberty Street from the Kennedy parking garage to Dunbar Street, and East Main Street from Church Street to Converse Street will be closed on Thursday.
Additional streets will be closed Thursday night and Friday morning. Church Street from St. John Street to Kennedy Street, Main Street from Daniel Morgan Avenue to Converse Street, Broad Street from Daniel Morgan to Converse Street, Dunbar Street from Magnolia Street to the Dunbar Parking Garage, and Converse Street from Broad Street to Dunbar Street will be closed for the duration of the festival.
Free parking will be available in all of the downtown parking garages.
Samantha Swann covers city news, development and culture. She is a University of South Carolina Upstate and Greenville Technical College alumna. Contact her at sswann@shj.com or on Instagram at @sameatsspartanburg. Can't get enough food news? Subscribe to our weekly newsletter for foodies, Spartanburg Eats.
This article originally appeared on Herald-Journal: Spring Fling is Spartanburg's largest annual downtown festival.
