2025 in Review: Festivals
Greg Wilson/Anderson Observer
2025 marked another year that saw thousands visit the county for festivals, concerts and events.
Pendleton’s Spring Jubilee, listed as one of the top arts festivals on the East Coast, saw record crowds again in early April. The following week, Belton’s Annual State Chili Cookoff Championships attracted cooks from across the nation for the event.
The City of Anderson’s signature spring event, The Anderson Soiree, took over downtown on the last weekend of April, and thousands filled Main Street for the two-day arts and music festival. The 2025 edition featured a mix of musical acts, a juried art show, and culinary vendors, serving as a major kick-off to the outdoor festival season in the Upstate.
Anderson County hosted a new event in 2025, the Memorial Day Weekend Kickoff officially ushering in the summer season with two community events: the KidVenture Splash Pad, which opened for the season at the Anderson Sports & Entertainment Center and the first Great Anderson County Yard Sale & Food Truck Rally: Held at the Civic Center, drawing thousands of bargain hunters and foodies.
The Saluda River Rally joined forces with Rhythm on the River in June for an all-day event with something for every age group. The kayak trip down the Saluda River, music, food and entertainment at Dolly Cooper Park brought a sizable crowd, though next year the events will return to a schedule of separate days.
The Saluda River continues to be a focus for recreation, with the soon-to-open Piedmont Riverfront Park and the county’s taking possession of the Pelzer Lower Mill property to spearhead the cleanup and redevelopment of the 72-acre site along the Saluda River. The site had been a long-standing "brownfield" concern. By taking ownership, the county can access specific grant funding unavailable to private owners or small non-profits to turn the riverfront property into a community asset.
Anderson County’s biggest summer concert unfolded over two sweltering days in late July, as the Rock the Country music festival returned on July 25–26, drawing headliners Kid Rock, Nickelback, Hank Williams Jr., and Tracy Lawrence to a field packed with roughly 25,000 fans. Officials hailed the event—its final stop of the tour—as a roaring economic engine, generating more than $17 million in local impact from tickets, lodging, food, and spillover spending that rippled through hotels, restaurants, and shops.
Celebrate Anderson and the Cancer Association of Anderson’s “Hot Air Affair,” returned for Labor Day weekend, with the headline concert Kool & the Gang bringing record numbers to the civic center.
Fall festivals were greeted with amazing weather and saw the streets full in Belton for the Standpipe Festival, in Honea Path’s Fall Festival, in Iva’s Depot Days and at the Pendleton Fall Festival which drew record crowds to the Village Green.
The year concluded with Christmas tree lightings, parades and other holiday events which were all well-attended in each community.
