Explore family friendly events, theatres, galleries, concerts, nightlife, things to do, and more in the Greenville, SC and Upstate areas.

Interested in adding an event to our calendar? Please click the green “Post Your Event” button below.

Sunday, February 25, 2024
2024 Carl Sandburg Poetry Contest is open with a theme of “Memory”
Feb 25 all-day
online w/ Carl Sandburg Home

Carl Sandburg wrote countless words in an array of different genres, including poetry, children’s stories, journal articles, as well as a biography and autobiography! He wrote of love and nature, dreams and struggles. This year’s theme of “Memory” is echoed in much of his works. ““Under the summer roses, when the flagrant crimson, lurks in the dusk, Of the wild red leaves, Love, with little hands, comes and touches you with a thousand memories, and asks you beautiful, unanswerable questions.” Carl Sandburg

Poems submitted for the 2024 contest should reflect the theme of “Memory.” By definition, “the process or power of recallling something learned or experienced from the past” Note: Poems do NOT need to be titled Memory, as long as the poem itself relates to the theme.

Students are invited to submit a poem to Carl Sandburg Home National Historic Site’s annual Student Poetry Contest. The contest encourages youth to explore writing their own poetry and is open to students nationwide!

  • Submissions are accepted from grades 3-12 and must be submitted by email by Monday March 4, 2024. See below for submission rules.
  • Winners will be notified by April 7, 2024, and will be invited to participate in a virtual celebration program on Sunday, April 28.
Monday, February 26, 2024
2024 Carl Sandburg Poetry Contest is open with a theme of “Memory”
Feb 26 all-day
online w/ Carl Sandburg Home

Carl Sandburg wrote countless words in an array of different genres, including poetry, children’s stories, journal articles, as well as a biography and autobiography! He wrote of love and nature, dreams and struggles. This year’s theme of “Memory” is echoed in much of his works. ““Under the summer roses, when the flagrant crimson, lurks in the dusk, Of the wild red leaves, Love, with little hands, comes and touches you with a thousand memories, and asks you beautiful, unanswerable questions.” Carl Sandburg

Poems submitted for the 2024 contest should reflect the theme of “Memory.” By definition, “the process or power of recallling something learned or experienced from the past” Note: Poems do NOT need to be titled Memory, as long as the poem itself relates to the theme.

Students are invited to submit a poem to Carl Sandburg Home National Historic Site’s annual Student Poetry Contest. The contest encourages youth to explore writing their own poetry and is open to students nationwide!

  • Submissions are accepted from grades 3-12 and must be submitted by email by Monday March 4, 2024. See below for submission rules.
  • Winners will be notified by April 7, 2024, and will be invited to participate in a virtual celebration program on Sunday, April 28.
Tuesday, February 27, 2024
2024 Carl Sandburg Poetry Contest is open with a theme of “Memory”
Feb 27 all-day
online w/ Carl Sandburg Home

Carl Sandburg wrote countless words in an array of different genres, including poetry, children’s stories, journal articles, as well as a biography and autobiography! He wrote of love and nature, dreams and struggles. This year’s theme of “Memory” is echoed in much of his works. ““Under the summer roses, when the flagrant crimson, lurks in the dusk, Of the wild red leaves, Love, with little hands, comes and touches you with a thousand memories, and asks you beautiful, unanswerable questions.” Carl Sandburg

Poems submitted for the 2024 contest should reflect the theme of “Memory.” By definition, “the process or power of recallling something learned or experienced from the past” Note: Poems do NOT need to be titled Memory, as long as the poem itself relates to the theme.

Students are invited to submit a poem to Carl Sandburg Home National Historic Site’s annual Student Poetry Contest. The contest encourages youth to explore writing their own poetry and is open to students nationwide!

  • Submissions are accepted from grades 3-12 and must be submitted by email by Monday March 4, 2024. See below for submission rules.
  • Winners will be notified by April 7, 2024, and will be invited to participate in a virtual celebration program on Sunday, April 28.
Wednesday, February 28, 2024
2024 Carl Sandburg Poetry Contest is open with a theme of “Memory”
Feb 28 all-day
online w/ Carl Sandburg Home

Carl Sandburg wrote countless words in an array of different genres, including poetry, children’s stories, journal articles, as well as a biography and autobiography! He wrote of love and nature, dreams and struggles. This year’s theme of “Memory” is echoed in much of his works. ““Under the summer roses, when the flagrant crimson, lurks in the dusk, Of the wild red leaves, Love, with little hands, comes and touches you with a thousand memories, and asks you beautiful, unanswerable questions.” Carl Sandburg

Poems submitted for the 2024 contest should reflect the theme of “Memory.” By definition, “the process or power of recallling something learned or experienced from the past” Note: Poems do NOT need to be titled Memory, as long as the poem itself relates to the theme.

Students are invited to submit a poem to Carl Sandburg Home National Historic Site’s annual Student Poetry Contest. The contest encourages youth to explore writing their own poetry and is open to students nationwide!

  • Submissions are accepted from grades 3-12 and must be submitted by email by Monday March 4, 2024. See below for submission rules.
  • Winners will be notified by April 7, 2024, and will be invited to participate in a virtual celebration program on Sunday, April 28.
Thursday, February 29, 2024
2024 Carl Sandburg Poetry Contest is open with a theme of “Memory”
Feb 29 all-day
online w/ Carl Sandburg Home

Carl Sandburg wrote countless words in an array of different genres, including poetry, children’s stories, journal articles, as well as a biography and autobiography! He wrote of love and nature, dreams and struggles. This year’s theme of “Memory” is echoed in much of his works. ““Under the summer roses, when the flagrant crimson, lurks in the dusk, Of the wild red leaves, Love, with little hands, comes and touches you with a thousand memories, and asks you beautiful, unanswerable questions.” Carl Sandburg

Poems submitted for the 2024 contest should reflect the theme of “Memory.” By definition, “the process or power of recallling something learned or experienced from the past” Note: Poems do NOT need to be titled Memory, as long as the poem itself relates to the theme.

Students are invited to submit a poem to Carl Sandburg Home National Historic Site’s annual Student Poetry Contest. The contest encourages youth to explore writing their own poetry and is open to students nationwide!

  • Submissions are accepted from grades 3-12 and must be submitted by email by Monday March 4, 2024. See below for submission rules.
  • Winners will be notified by April 7, 2024, and will be invited to participate in a virtual celebration program on Sunday, April 28.
Friday, March 1, 2024
2024 Carl Sandburg Poetry Contest is open with a theme of “Memory”
Mar 1 all-day
online w/ Carl Sandburg Home

Carl Sandburg wrote countless words in an array of different genres, including poetry, children’s stories, journal articles, as well as a biography and autobiography! He wrote of love and nature, dreams and struggles. This year’s theme of “Memory” is echoed in much of his works. ““Under the summer roses, when the flagrant crimson, lurks in the dusk, Of the wild red leaves, Love, with little hands, comes and touches you with a thousand memories, and asks you beautiful, unanswerable questions.” Carl Sandburg

Poems submitted for the 2024 contest should reflect the theme of “Memory.” By definition, “the process or power of recallling something learned or experienced from the past” Note: Poems do NOT need to be titled Memory, as long as the poem itself relates to the theme.

Students are invited to submit a poem to Carl Sandburg Home National Historic Site’s annual Student Poetry Contest. The contest encourages youth to explore writing their own poetry and is open to students nationwide!

  • Submissions are accepted from grades 3-12 and must be submitted by email by Monday March 4, 2024. See below for submission rules.
  • Winners will be notified by April 7, 2024, and will be invited to participate in a virtual celebration program on Sunday, April 28.
Saturday, March 2, 2024
2024 Carl Sandburg Poetry Contest is open with a theme of “Memory”
Mar 2 all-day
online w/ Carl Sandburg Home

Carl Sandburg wrote countless words in an array of different genres, including poetry, children’s stories, journal articles, as well as a biography and autobiography! He wrote of love and nature, dreams and struggles. This year’s theme of “Memory” is echoed in much of his works. ““Under the summer roses, when the flagrant crimson, lurks in the dusk, Of the wild red leaves, Love, with little hands, comes and touches you with a thousand memories, and asks you beautiful, unanswerable questions.” Carl Sandburg

Poems submitted for the 2024 contest should reflect the theme of “Memory.” By definition, “the process or power of recallling something learned or experienced from the past” Note: Poems do NOT need to be titled Memory, as long as the poem itself relates to the theme.

Students are invited to submit a poem to Carl Sandburg Home National Historic Site’s annual Student Poetry Contest. The contest encourages youth to explore writing their own poetry and is open to students nationwide!

  • Submissions are accepted from grades 3-12 and must be submitted by email by Monday March 4, 2024. See below for submission rules.
  • Winners will be notified by April 7, 2024, and will be invited to participate in a virtual celebration program on Sunday, April 28.
Sunday, March 3, 2024
2024 Carl Sandburg Poetry Contest is open with a theme of “Memory”
Mar 3 all-day
online w/ Carl Sandburg Home

Carl Sandburg wrote countless words in an array of different genres, including poetry, children’s stories, journal articles, as well as a biography and autobiography! He wrote of love and nature, dreams and struggles. This year’s theme of “Memory” is echoed in much of his works. ““Under the summer roses, when the flagrant crimson, lurks in the dusk, Of the wild red leaves, Love, with little hands, comes and touches you with a thousand memories, and asks you beautiful, unanswerable questions.” Carl Sandburg

Poems submitted for the 2024 contest should reflect the theme of “Memory.” By definition, “the process or power of recallling something learned or experienced from the past” Note: Poems do NOT need to be titled Memory, as long as the poem itself relates to the theme.

Students are invited to submit a poem to Carl Sandburg Home National Historic Site’s annual Student Poetry Contest. The contest encourages youth to explore writing their own poetry and is open to students nationwide!

  • Submissions are accepted from grades 3-12 and must be submitted by email by Monday March 4, 2024. See below for submission rules.
  • Winners will be notified by April 7, 2024, and will be invited to participate in a virtual celebration program on Sunday, April 28.
Monday, March 4, 2024
2024 Carl Sandburg Poetry Contest is open with a theme of “Memory”
Mar 4 all-day
online w/ Carl Sandburg Home

Carl Sandburg wrote countless words in an array of different genres, including poetry, children’s stories, journal articles, as well as a biography and autobiography! He wrote of love and nature, dreams and struggles. This year’s theme of “Memory” is echoed in much of his works. ““Under the summer roses, when the flagrant crimson, lurks in the dusk, Of the wild red leaves, Love, with little hands, comes and touches you with a thousand memories, and asks you beautiful, unanswerable questions.” Carl Sandburg

Poems submitted for the 2024 contest should reflect the theme of “Memory.” By definition, “the process or power of recallling something learned or experienced from the past” Note: Poems do NOT need to be titled Memory, as long as the poem itself relates to the theme.

Students are invited to submit a poem to Carl Sandburg Home National Historic Site’s annual Student Poetry Contest. The contest encourages youth to explore writing their own poetry and is open to students nationwide!

  • Submissions are accepted from grades 3-12 and must be submitted by email by Monday March 4, 2024. See below for submission rules.
  • Winners will be notified by April 7, 2024, and will be invited to participate in a virtual celebration program on Sunday, April 28.
Tuesday, April 2, 2024
Evelyn Berry in Conversaton with Ray McManus
Apr 2 @ 6:00 pm
Hub City Writers Project

Evelyn Berry and Ray McManus discuss Berry’s poetry collection Grief Slut— an examination of the queer lineage in the American South.

Join Evelyn Berry and Ray McManus at Hub City Bookshop as they discuss Berry’s poetry collection Grief Slut on Tuesday, April 2nd at 6:00PM.

Get a 10% discount on the book when you RSVP and purchase a copy on Eventbrite!

About the Book:

Evelyn Berry’s debut poetry collection, Grief Slut, is an examination of the queer lineage of pleasure, grief, and resilience in the American South. Berry offers a portrait of a girl living through boyhood and grappling with the violence of nostalgia in poems that blend high art, archival slivers, and Taco Bell. This collection invites us into a landscape home to sloppy kissers, swamp suitors, scrappy “limbwrecked boys,” and drag queens drenched in glitter sweat, where “each day is trespass” and queer youth fight to “hear one another breathe just a little while longer.”

About the Author

Evelyn Berry is a trans, Southern writer, editor, and education. She’s the author of Grief Slut (Sundress Publications, 2024). She’s a recipient of a 2023 National Endownment for the Arts Poetry Fellowship and lives in Columbia, South Carolina.

About the in-conversation partner

Ray McManus is the author of four books of poetry: Punch. (winner of the 2015 Independent Publishers Book Award for Best Book of Poetry in North America), Red Dirt Jesus (selected by Alicia Ostriker for the Marick Press Poetry Prize 2011), and Driving through the country before you are born (winner of the South Carolina Book Prize in 2006), and a chapbook called Left Behind. He is the co-editor for the anthology Found Anew with notable contributors with South Carolina ties. His poems have been published in numerous journals such as CrazyhorsePrairie Schooner, and POETRY magazine. He lives in South Carolina where he teaches for USC Sumter and serves as the Writer in Residence for the Columbia Museum of Art. Pre-order his newest poetry collection The Last Saturday in America from Hub City Press here.

Sunday, April 7, 2024
ShalomFest ’24
Apr 7 all-day
Temple of Israel

ShalomFest ’24 is a cultural festival of Jewish music, arts, history, customs, and food. Returning for its 12th year following a 4-year hiatus, this favorite community event will feature choir performances; folk dancing demos; exhibits on Jewish history and customs; movies; and much more. Admission is FREE, traditional Jewish food is available for purchase. ShalomFest is family-friendly and appropriate for all people of all religions.

Sunday, April 28, 2024
Wits n Words
Apr 28 @ 4:30 pm
Mist N Smoke lounge

Join us for an unforgettable evening at Wits
and a Word”!
Deaf Byron will have you in stitches with
their hilarious stand-up comedy.
_ Divinity and Marley Quinn will mesmerize
you with their soulful poetry.
Whether you’re a lover of wit or a seeker of
profound words, “Wits and a Word” is the place
to be!
Date: April 28th
Time: 4:30
Location: 280 Whitney Rd
Get ready for laughter, rhymes, and an evening
that celebrates the magic of words!

Saturday, May 25, 2024
Arts Jam: Art Vendors + Music, Dance, and Poetry Show
May 25 @ 12:00 pm
The Artistry Gallery

Music, poetry, art, and dance collide for Carolina Muse: Arts Jam, a celebration of our multimedia literary & arts magazine’s published creators based in the Carolinas.

This intimate, immersive arts event features local musicians, dancers, writers, and visual artists all in one show. Shop art pieces & crafts made by local artists and enjoy performances & readings from talented creators of several styles & genres. We’re excited to build community with fellow artists & arts-lovers of several creative mediums.

– Music & dance performances
– Poetry readings
– Art & crafts for sale
– Raffle tickets!

📆 Saturday, May 25, 2024
🕰️ 1pm-4pm (art sale starts at 12pm)
📍 The Artistry Gallery, GVL, SC
💵 $15

Saturday, February 1, 2025
Wedding Festivals
Feb 1 @ 10:00 am – 2:00 pm
Greenville Convention Center

https cdn.evbuc .com images 719405029 166462170245 1 original - Wedding Festivals

Join us for Wedding Festivals at the Greenville Convention Center on February 1st, 2025, from 10:00 AM to 2:00 PM in the elegant ballroom! Explore the latest wedding trends, meet talented vendors, and find everything you need to plan your perfect day. From stunning gowns to breathtaking venues, this is a must-attend event for every bride and groom-to-be!

Thursday, March 6, 2025
I Remember Glenn Springs: Stories with Ben Greer
Mar 6 @ 7:00 pm
Old Stone Church

Ben Greer is an author, poet, and educator who was born and raised in Glenn Springs. He graduated from the University of South Carolina and Hollins University. He published his first novel, Slammer, at 26 to rave reviews and went on to publish 4 others. His first book of poetry was published at 59. His latest book of poetry is called Naked Prince: New & Selected Poems.

Ben has also written three plays, including Little Tin Gods, produced by Theatre South in 2008. Having taught at the University of South Carolina for 33 years, he is retired and lives in Columbia.

Join us at the Old Stone Church on Thursday, March 6, 2025 at 7:00pm to hear Ben’s stories and memories of growing up in Glenn Springs. This event is free and all are welcome. Refreshments will be served.

Sunday, March 30, 2025
The Thorn
Mar 30 @ 7:00 pm
Bon Secours Wellness Arena

“The Thorn,” a powerful and popular live theatrical event, seen live by over one million people, will bring the passion of Jesus to life this spring at Bon Secours Wellness Arena.

The Thorn offers audiences a unique theatrical experience in a show that has been hailed as “Cirque meets ‘The Passion’” thanks to its compelling mix of drama, music, dance, martial arts, aerial acrobatics, emotionally evocative performances, and timeless spiritual perspectives. The story spans from creation to the formation of the early church. Watch the trailer here.  For more information, please visit TheThorn.com

Author John Bolin created the show over 25 years ago to convey the meaning of Christ’s sacrificial death to a group of young people who knew little about the story of Jesus’ suffering but were familiar with pain through their own practice of cutting and self-harm.

The show has evolved ever since, with the current live version returning to the original format featuring St. John, “the beloved disciple,” recalling his many amazing encounters with Jesus.

“It’s a story full of love, sacrifice, spiritual warfare, and redemption,” said Bolin.

Improv Comedy Show with Laughing Stock
Mar 30 @ 7:30 pm – 8:30 pm
Hoppin' Greenville

Laughing Stock Improv and has put together an hour of FAST & FUNNY improv comedy games! We have been performing around Greenville since 2007 and we’re excited to play another full hour of shortform improv comedy for you guys. HOPPIN’ GVL, March 30th, 7:30-8:30pm, $5.00 at door (cash or card)

Sunday, September 28, 2025
Reedy River Missionary Baptist Church – 146th Church Anniversary Celebration
Sep 28 @ 10:00 am – 12:00 pm
Reedy River Missionary Baptist Church

The Reedy River Missionary Baptist Church celebrates 146 years in the Greenville County community on Sunday, September 28, 2025, at 10 AM. This Year’s anniversary will be marked by inspiring worship, thanksgiving and fellowship, as we celebrate “Missions” through community service, charitable outreach, and programs to sustain families and children.

Saturday, November 8, 2025
No Youth No Church Conference
Nov 8 all-day
Greenville Convention Center
244357 704115 - No Youth No Church Conference

Join us at the Greenville Convention Center for ABA Ministries No Youth No Church Conference on November 7-8,2025. Engage in transformative sessions, practical workshops, and vibrant discussions designed to equip you in nurturing confident, courageous, and unshakable young believers. Immerse yourself in cutting-edge sessions, innovative AI training, and electrifying discussions that sculpt a generation of fearless disciples, ensuring your legacy remains strong and impactful.

 

Saturday, November 15, 2025
If Grace Had a Face Gospel Concert
Nov 15 @ 7:00 pm
Greenville Convention Center

Join us at the Greenville Convention Center for The Hurt Behind The Smile Productions for If Grace Had a Face Concert with Jekayln Carr on November 15, 2025 5:30 – 11pm.

Come join us for a night of beauty and elegance as we explore the concept of grace through art, music, and storytelling!