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.

Saturday, December 16, 2023
Christmas skit “Name above all names”
Dec 16 @ 3:00 pm – 8:00 pm
Dominion life Spartanburg Church

On December 16th from 3pm to 8pm

We are inviting you to our Christmas skit “Name above all names”, presented by our youth. We will have hot chocolate /coffee /tea /cookies /fellowship /crafts for kids/ pet zoo, bonfire. Don’t miss it. Jesus is the reason for the season.

40 Palmetto Dr, Inman SC 29316

From 3pm-8pm

Monday, December 18, 2023
RENEW: Walking Group
Dec 18 @ 9:00 am – 10:00 am
Greer Relief & Resources Agency, Inc.

Take a walk with a neighbor in the park. Check-in and out at Greer Relief.

Weather dependent unless otherwise noted.

Remember:

  • Please be early. There are no late check-ins.
  • The class is for adults only. Children can walk with you in the park if you (or someone) can watch them. They can participate if they wish, but only those 18 and older will earn a RENEW reward.
  • Must attend in person and be present for the entirety of each class to earn RENEW Rewards.
  • RENEW Rewards: $10 

About RENEW: RENEW is an education, enrichment, and life skills program designed to improve the quality of life and well-being of the greater Greer community. We welcome any and all individuals who are passionate about learning and developing skills that will set them on a path of healthy living.

RENEW: Reaching Every Neighbor Every Way, for classes on: Financial Wellness, Job Services, and Healthy Living

Wednesday, December 20, 2023
RENEW: Walking Group
Dec 20 @ 9:00 am – 10:00 am
Greer Relief & Resources Agency, Inc.

Take a walk with a neighbor in the park. Check-in and out at Greer Relief.

Weather dependent unless otherwise noted.

Remember:

  • Please be early. There are no late check-ins.
  • The class is for adults only. Children can walk with you in the park if you (or someone) can watch them. They can participate if they wish, but only those 18 and older will earn a RENEW reward.
  • Must attend in person and be present for the entirety of each class to earn RENEW Rewards.
  • RENEW Rewards: $10 

About RENEW: RENEW is an education, enrichment, and life skills program designed to improve the quality of life and well-being of the greater Greer community. We welcome any and all individuals who are passionate about learning and developing skills that will set them on a path of healthy living.

RENEW: Reaching Every Neighbor Every Way, for classes on: Financial Wellness, Job Services, and Healthy Living

Sunday, December 24, 2023
Christmas Eve Candlelight Service
Dec 24 @ 10:00 pm – 11:00 pm
Pelham Road Baptist Church

Join us at 10 pm @ Pelham Road Baptist Church for a UCS Christmas Eve service. It will be a wonderful time. See you then! Merry Christmas to all!

“For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.” Isaiah 9:6

Saturday, December 30, 2023
Walk Connemara (Carl Sandburg’s Home) and the Village of Flat Rock
Dec 30 @ 1:00 pm – 3:00 pm
Sandburg Home Main Parking Lot

Spend time on the trails walked by Carl Sandburg. Walk around a lake, past his home, by the goat barn, and over the rock where Sandburg often wrote his poetry. Then walk a short distance to visit the quaint shops of the village of Flat Rock. Go by the rock for which the village is named and past the Flat Rock Playhouse (the official NC State Playhouse).

This is a hilly walk; many will want walking poles. A portion of the trail has roots and other tripping hazards. Tennis shoes will be fine for most; if it has rained that day there is one slick place, so be sure your shoes have good tread. Bring a protein snack and water bottle.

The group will gather in the main parking lot at the entrance to the Sandburg property. There are restrooms near the beginning of the walk and near the Sandburg house.

Tuesday, January 23, 2024
Virtual Writers Workshops
Jan 23 @ 7:00 pm – 9:00 pm
online w/ Carl Sandburg Home

Join writers and poets from across the country each month for a virtual writing workshop. A link will be added to their name when more details and sign-up information becomes available. These workshops are geared towards amateur writers, ages 16 and older recommended. Follow us on Facebook for notifications too.

2024 Virtual Writers Workshops

January 23 – Tony Robles
February 26 – Ruba Ahmed
March – Amber Rose Crowtree

2023 Workshop Writers : Angela Evans, Tom Tenbrunsel, Robert Edward Miss, Kenneth Chamblee, Yasmin Mays, Shannon Yong, Jennifer McGaha, Erica Reid, Raymond McNally, Jane Waldrop, Francis Pearce, Eric Nelson, Darren Todd.

Wednesday, January 24, 2024
Southern Author Expo
Jan 24 @ 10:00 am – 2:30 pm
Hughes Main Library

Each year, the Southern Author Expo offers the chance to meet and greet selected regional authors as well as listen to special featured speakers as they share information on their latest books, their writing process, and other literary themes.

Are you a local author interested in submitting your work for consideration for the next Southern Author Expo? See submission guidelines below and submit your application by August 25.

Saturday, January 27, 2024
World Harvest Presents The Commissioning
Jan 27 @ 6:30 pm
Spartanburg Memorial Auditorium

“The Commissioning” featuring

Christian Hip Hop Artist KB “Kevin Burgess”

This. Will. Be. Transformative! Come and experience a Jesus Movement that will impact the upstate in a historic way. This event exists to gather, mobilize, and empower our generation into their purpose! We believe this monumental event coming Jan 27th of 2024 will be a catalyst to reach not only the upstate but the world with the gospel. No matter where you’re in life, we want you here!

If you’re reading this, we want you to know that this event is not just a one-night moment. We’re inviting your generation into an extraordinary journey that we think will surprise you and compel you. People from all around the upstate and the world will be attending this night for many reasons.

– KB, Evangelist Jacob Ebersole, World Harvest Inc, Jesus Youth, and many other ministries, churches, missions organizations will be represented here. This is a collaboration and a gathering to respond to the need of the Upstate, the Nation, and the World.

– We believe thousands will literally be set on mission right there at the Spartanburg Memorial Auditorium. Not simply because this will be an amazing event, but because of what we will be offering you after. Young people and old will have an opportunity to partner with us on a global scale. Get your tickets fast!

– After the event in the lobby, you will have an opportunity to meet the leaders of this initiative. More importantly there will be a team present to greet you, speak with you about details, what your heart cry is, and to pray with you. Right there in the lobby you will have the opportunity to partner with World Harvest initiatives going on not just in the Upstate, but globally.

About World Harvest Inc.

World Harvest is a global missions movement set to reach every continent with the gospel of Jesus Christ. Founded by Evangelist Jacob Ebersole, who is actually from the upstate of SC – World Harvest has witnessed hundreds of thousands attend their crusades around the world. A few years ago the Herald Journey did a full story on Ebersole’s ministry which ended up on the front page of Sunday’s paper. This year, due to the impact of their campaigns, the story continues and his crusades have went viral on CBN, Christian Post, Charisma, and many more. Jacob’s heart cry has never been about social media, but about global impact. With that said, people are beginning to hear and wonder how they can be a part of this Jesus Movement as this is just the beginning.

About KB

KB for His Glory Alone! “To me, resistance carries with it a certain posture,” KB says. “The only way to deal with an unfree world is to become so absolutely free that your very existence is an act of rebellion.”Three studio releases in and KB is at his creative zenith. For years, the Tampa native has been something of an outlier in hip-hop, firmly placing a thumb print on the game while invoking the power of spiritual conviction. His lyricism is impassioned and astute, and he won’t be bent against his will. Given his commanding presence and consistent output, it comes as no surprise that the world has taken notice. The track “100” from the EP of the same name, took home the Dove Award for Rap/Hip-Hop Song of the Year in 2014. And his last LP, 2015’s Tomorrow We Live, garnered both critical and commercial acclaim, earning a Stellar Award nomination for Rap/Hip-Hop Gospel CD of the Year and debuting on the Billboard charts as the No.1 Christian Album and the No. 4 Rap Album overall.

Now — with the world in a social and political frenzy—KB is redefining what rebellion truly means. Today We Rebel, his third full-length album with Reach Records, is an exercise in zeal and imagination. No-frills, no filler. Just raw, uncut transparency through and through. KB follows his artistic impulses to great effect, lending his take on terms that are dominating the cultural conversation.

About Jesus Youth

From small beginnings, Jesus Youth has been focused on building an army! Established in 2022, many of the youth in Spartanburg came together to be the youth of this generation! Joining forces, putting aside differences, and uniting  under the name of Jesus, with strategic development, counsel, and leadership, what has been built up, will forever continue to affect the youth and generations to come!! What we see here is a move of God that cannot be stopped, the transformation of lives that cannot be denied, and the call to Christ that sounds to every age, race, and ethnicity. With Love in the center, Jesus Youth is pressing forward to win many souls for the kingdom of God! Not only do we focus on saving the lost, a revival is needed for the saved! Come join us for this night of being commissioned into the harvest that has been worked on for so long!

For more information and all other general inquiries about this event, please follow the link below to contact a member of World Harvest Inc.

WORLD HARVEST

World Harvest Global Jesus Night In Spartanburg
Jan 27 @ 7:00 pm
Spartanburg Memorial Auditorium

World Harvest Global Inc. is an international Christian mission organization focused on fulfilling the Great Commission. We do this through large scale, city wide Gospel campaigns that have resulted in hundreds of thousands of people responding to Jesus Christ.

We are embarking on something important, historic, and thrilling – and you are seeing it right from the beginning. God is transforming the lives of people across the globe and entire city populations are encountering the Gospel through our events. Right now, the Holy Spirit has revealed a plan and infrastructure to take the gospel to every continent at large scale.

Saturday, February 24, 2024
Virtual Workshop: Literary Journal Submission Strategies with Evelyn Berry
Feb 24 @ 1:00 pm
online

This workshop focuses on the basics of navigating literary journal submissions.

Publishing short stories, poems, creative nonfiction, and art in literary journals and magazines can feel like a byzantine process. There exist many rules, expectations, and guidelines, some of them explicit and others unspoken, that frame how and when to submit your work. This workshop focuses on the basics of navigating literary journal submissions, practical tips on formatting submissions, strategies for submissions, and more. Participants will come away with a knowledge of how to research literary journals, how to strategically submit to get their work published, how to write a professional cover letter, how to compose a professional bio, and more. Workshop instructor Evelyn Berry is happy to answer any questions you might have about the bewildering journey between a finished draft and a published piece.

Evelyn Berry is a trans, Southern writer, editor, and educator. She’s the author of Grief Slut (Sundress Publications, 2024) and Buggery (Bateau Press, 2020), winner of the BOOM Chapbook Prize. She’s a recipient of a 2023 National Endowment for the Arts Poetry Fellowship, 2022 Dr. Linda Veldheer Memorial Prize, 2019 Broad River Prize for Prose, and 2018 Emrys Poetry Prize, among other honors. Her work has appeared in Beloit Poetry Journal, South Carolina Review, Gigantic Sequins, Raleigh Review, Taco Bell Quarterly, and elsewhere. She lives in Columbia, South Carolina with her partner and their pets, working as a library communications strategist.

Monday, February 26, 2024
Virtual Writers Workshops
Feb 26 @ 7:00 pm – 9:00 pm
online w/ Carl Sandburg Home

Join writers and poets from across the country each month for a virtual writing workshop. A link will be added to their name when more details and sign-up information becomes available. These workshops are geared towards amateur writers, ages 16 and older recommended. Follow us on Facebook for notifications too.

2024 Virtual Writers Workshops

January 23 – Tony Robles
February 26 – Ruba Ahmed
March – Amber Rose Crowtree

2023 Workshop Writers : Angela Evans, Tom Tenbrunsel, Robert Edward Miss, Kenneth Chamblee, Yasmin Mays, Shannon Yong, Jennifer McGaha, Erica Reid, Raymond McNally, Jane Waldrop, Francis Pearce, Eric Nelson, Darren Todd.

Saturday, March 9, 2024
Emergence: Spring Wildflower Walk
Mar 9 @ 1:00 pm – 3:00 pm
NC Arboretum
  • ONSITE | 

    Instructor: Alexandra Holland

    $35 Adult Non-Member

     (**Arboretum Members receive a 10% discount on all classes.)

    BRN – Elective, 2 hours | BREG – Elective, 2 hours | NCEE – Criteria II, 2 hours

    Limit: 15

    Spring is here, and the natural world is waking from its winter rest! Naturalist and botanist Alexandra Holland leads this wildflower walk at the Arboretum, pointing out the array of spring wildflowers emerging and in bloom. Learn some basics of wildflower ecology and identification while taking in the beauty of spring.

    Alexandra Holland graduated from Duke University and earned her Master’s degree in botany from the University of Texas at Austin. She was in the first class of students to be certified as Blue Ridge Naturalists. Alexandra managed the UTEX Culture Collection of Algae at UT Austin and spent many hours working with education programs at the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center.  She has taught botany for over a decade and leads nature hikes in Western North Carolina for groups of all ages.

Sunday, March 10, 2024
Walk the Swamp Trail
Mar 10 @ 9:30 am – 11:30 am
SRT Cafe

**The Upstate Pathfinders Volkssport Club** is a not-for-profit club providing interesting walks available daily, at your pace, in 11 different Greenville locations. Our Swamp Rabbit Trail route is somewhat shaded. The March 10 walk features 6k and 10k routes starting at the Swamp Rabbit Cafe at 205 Cedar Lane Rd, Greenville. The walk goes north to Sulphur Springs at the RR car and returns to and past the Cafe to Unity Park for 10K walkers. 6k walkers may stop and enjoy lunch at the Cafe or just shop the Grocery store for that unusual item you have not seen for a while. 10k walkers can stop at the Commons or Pangaea Brewery for a bite and refreshers before returning to the finish at the Cafe. Pets are allowed on a 6 ft leash.
* **Start Point:** 205 Cedar Lane Rd, Greenville; start from a table in the outside seating area. Restrooms available at the Cafe and at Unity Park in the Commons.
* **Registration**: Register between 9:30 and 10:00. Walk with a group or on your own with turn by turn instructions. Group walks start very shortly after 10:00. 9:30 and 10:00. Walk with the group or on your own with turn by turn instructions. Groups start very shortly after 10:00. Cost is $4 for all participants at registration. Please bring exact change and small address stickers to speed up registration.
* **Parking**: The Cafe is popular and to assist in parking use the lot across the Reedy River from the Cafe. This allows spaces for customers to shop there.
* The walk is sanctioned by America’s Walking Club and eligible for IVV Credit.

Seeing Beauty Awe Walk
Mar 10 @ 3:30 pm – 5:00 pm
NC Arboretum

Instructor: Susan Patrice

$24 Non-member Adult**

 (**Arboretum Members receive a 10% discount on all classes.)

Limit: 12

Take a fresh look at the objects, moments and vistas that surround you during this “awe walk” led by documentary photographer Susan Patrice. The contemplative practices she teaches help you experience place through new and loving eyes, to see beauty and wonder in your surroundings. Bring cameras or phones to capture what calls to you in the enveloping landscape. Participants will be sent meeting instructions for this small-group class that will take a slow intentional walk through parts of the Arboretum forest and forest meadow. This walk is a precursor to the generative writing and contemplative photography workshops to be held the following weekend.

Susan Patrice is a documentary photographer, community artist, and founder of Makers Circle. She recently launched Kinship Photography Collective, a global community of practice designed to create rich visual conversations that explore the intimate connections between nature, culture and belonging. Susan’s own photography and public installations focus primarily on the Southern Landscape and its people and feature intimate images that touch deeply into the questions of place, gender, and belonging.

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.

Thursday, April 11, 2024
POETRY WORKSHOP WITH GLENIS REDMOND
Apr 11 @ 6:00 pm
Ramsaur Studio

This National Poetry Month, turn your sparks of inspiration into beautiful poetry in an all-new poetry workshop led by Greenville Poet Laureate Glenis Redmond. Whether you’re just dipping your toes into the world of poetry or you’ve been penning verses for a while, this workshop is tailor-made for you. From brainstorming ideas to crafting captivating lines, Glenis will guide you every step of the way. Unleash your inner wordsmith and explore the magic of poetry with a true master.

The $125 registration fee is for admission to the three-part workshop taking place at 6:00 PM on April 11, 18 and 25. Please bring paper and your preferred writing tool with you. The workshop culminates in a reading during the final session where participants can invite a guest to enjoy their poetry progress.

Tuesday, May 21, 2024
Virtual Writers Workshop Greg Lobas
May 21 @ 7:00 pm – 9:00 pm
online

Greg Lobas will lead a virtual writer’s workshop titled: “Writing Your Life into Poetry.”

“Write what you know” is one of the first and best maxims for the aspiring writer. But what if “what you know” is ordinary, even mundane? This workshop will look at ways to mine the gold that is in everyone’s life and turn it into poetry. It may take some digging. It may take a little change in perspective. But it is there, and it is material only you can use. We will focus on the narrative poem as a means of story-telling but will consider the lyric poem as well.

This workshop is open to writers of all skill levels and is a fun way to find inspiration from a new prompt or revise current work. It is hosted by the Friends of Carl Sandburg at Connemara and will Zoom for the virtual connection. Sign up to attend the workshop at workshop here:

Greg Lobas has been published extensively as both an outdoor writer and a poet. His debut book, Left of Center, won the 2022 Dogfish Head Poetry Prize, and placed second in the Delaware State Press Association awards. The book deals with his real life experiences as a fire captain and paramedic. His poems have been published in many journals. He is an experienced poetry workshop facilitator at Isothermal Community College.
Greg lives with his wife Meg and his dog Sophie in Polk County North Carolina.

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

Wednesday, June 5, 2024
SESSION 1: Virtual Workshop: A Four-Week Generative Workshop with Libby Flores
Jun 5 @ 6:00 pm – 8:00 pm
online

How can a writer begin a story or get unstuck when they are in the middle of a draft? In this workshop, we will look specifically at (very short) stories to discover what captivates and arrests our attention and what resonates with a reader long after the last line is read. After we discuss examples in class you will be then given a series of writing prompts. Come ready to write and be inspired! Students will produce writing to start a new story or find fresh avenues into a work already in progress. You will receive in-class feedback from the instructor and your classmates. This class can work for fiction and non-fiction writers.

This virtual workshop will be held on Zoom on Wednesdays, June 5, 12, 19, & 26 at 6:00 ET.

Libby Flores‘s writing has appeared in One Story Magazine, The Kenyon Review, Gagosian Quarterly, American Short FictionPloughshares, Post Road Magazine, McSweeney’sTin House /The Open Bar, The Guardian, and The Los Angeles Review of Books. She is the Associate Publisher at BOMB Magazine and the 2024 guest fiction editor of the Bennington Review. She has taught creative writing workshops for the Sackett Writing Workshop, Tin House, One Story, Hub City Writers Project, Bennington Collegeand PEN America. She is currently a visiting faculty member at Bennington College. She lives in Brooklyn, but will always be a Texan. Libby is represented by Sarah Bowlin at Aevitas Creative Management. You can find her at libbyflores.com.

Tuesday, June 25, 2024
Children’s Writing Workshop
Jun 25 @ 2:30 pm – 4:00 pm
Hughes Main Library
 Meeting Rooms A & B

Middle grade author Lis Anna-Langston leads a high-energy writing workshop for ages 9-14. Author’s books will be available for purchase. Registration required; opens May 25