As one of the most highly anticipated events of the year, BB&T Fall for Greenville returns to downtown Greenville October 13-15 with signature tastes from 47 different food vendors.
The festival will kick off Thursday night, October 12th, with a free concert and continues October 13-15 with Greenville’s premier local restaurants showcasing over 250 unique menu items. Highlights of this year’s festival include seven entertainment stages, Food Truck Row on Coffee Street and six interactive mobile tours, including the Duke’s Mayonnaise 100th Anniversary Taste Tour.
According to Fall for Greenville Board Chair Kenneth Dillard, the festival has continued to grow in popularity with a record number of restaurants and bands applying to participate in this year’s event. “As one of Greenville’s must-attend events of the year, the festival is a great display of what Greenville has to offer in great dining,” said Dillard. “We look forward to treating attendees to an incredible three-day weekend packed with great entertainment for all ages.”
BB&T, one of the largest financial services companies in the U.S., joins the festival as the 2017 and 2018 title sponsor. “BB&T is proud to support Fall for Greenville for the next two years and provide the opportunity for others to experience all the tremendous events and activities offered by our community,” said Jon Chilton, BB&T Greenville Market President. “This is another way we fulfill our mission to help make the communities in which we work a better place to live and underscores our commitment to the Greenville area.”
The festival will open on Thursday night at 6:30 p.m. with a free pre-event concert at the Peace Center Stage on the River. Musical performances will include Outshyne at 7 p.m. and Whiskey Meyers from 8:30 p.m. to 10 p.m. Food options from Larkin’s on the River 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 75 popular national and local entertainers on six different stages, including headliners Will Hoge, J. Roddy Walston and the Business, and Lee Fields and the Expressions on the OneMain Main Stage; The New Respects and Dead 27s on the Hawkins Law Firm West End Stage; Vita and the Woolf and Dangermuffin on the Beer Garden Stage; AJ Ghent and The Adam Knight Trio on the Furman Jazz & Blues Stage; The Night Affair Band and Sly Sparrow on the Peace Center Stage on the River and Wirewood and Ashley Heath on the Aloft Acoustic Stage. Before festival-goers arrive on-site, they can listen to featured artists and more on the festival’s Spotify station sponsored by Scene SC at http://bit.ly/2x5WpsA.
Festival-goers looking to sample an assortment of craft beers can stop by the Carolina Ale House Beer Garden, where 25 breweries will feature over 50 different craft brews. The festival will also feature the Windstream Wine Garden, where beverage professionals will be on-hand throughout the weekend to assist in matching fine wines to personal taste. Souvenir sample cups will be available for purchase for those looking to enjoy smaller portions of the wine and beer offerings. To further enhance this year’s event, BB&T Fall for Greenville has partnered with Challenge Butter to offer culinary demonstrations by local chefs throughout the weekend.
This year’s festival will feature interactive mobile tours, including the Ford Experience Tour, showcasing the latest in Ford vehicles and technology and the opportunity to win exciting prizes, and M&M’s Caramel, offering samples of their newest flavor. Additional festival highlights include the Kids’ Area, which will feature an entire block filled with children’s rides and activities on Broad Street. Professional chefs and food critics will also judge participating restaurants on their best dish and recognize the best entree and dessert with the US Foods Silver Spoon and Sugary Spoon awards. An awards presentation will take place Saturday at 5:30 p.m. at the Challenge Butter Culinary Stage.
Greenlink will provide complimentary shuttle service during BB&T Fall for Greenville. Festival-goers can park at County Square and hop on the free downtown trolley. The trolley will drop off on South Main Street, near the festival entrance. In addition, the City will offer free parking in the Broad Street Garage beginning at 5 p.m. on Friday through the end of the festival on Sunday. For those who would like to bike into downtown Greenville for the festival, a Bike Valet sponsored by Bikeville will be available on Saturday and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. The Bike Valet will be located on the Swamp Rabbit Trail under the Main Street Bridge.
Festival taste tickets can be pre-purchased online through October 11 and at Soby’s on the Side, 22 E. Court Street, and Dapper Ink, 207 Wade Hampton Blvd., through October 13. 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 Kids’ 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 purchased sales.
Event attendees who are looking to stay in downtown Greenville during BB&T Fall for Greenville can reserve a room at Aloft Greenville Downtown, the official host hotel. For specific details and booking options, visit fallforgreenville.net.
Named a Top 20 Event by the Southeast Tourism Society, BB&T Fall for Greenville continues to support the local community by partnering with 13 local nonprofits this year. Over the past 10 years, the festival has donated over $500,000 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 BB&T Fall for Greenville conversation over Twitter and Instagram.