Fall for Greenville lines up record number of restaurant participants

Bank of America Fall for Greenville presented by Pepsi returns to downtown Greenville Oct. 11-13, kicking off a day earlier with a Thursday night concert presented by Papa Bear Car Wash.

Festival officials, including Bank of America Upstate President Stacy Brandon and Board Chair Veera Gaul, hosted an event to announce this year’s restaurant and entertainment lineup, which includes a record participation with 64 restaurants, food trucks and trailers and 85 entertainment performances.

Festival Taste Tickets are available for pre-purchase online and include a limited time promotion that gives purchasers a sheet of five tickets with the purchase $50 worth of tickets (10 sheets of five tickets), according to a news release. Tickets can be pre-purchased online now through Oct. 10 and will be available for pick-up at Will Call over the festival weekend. Beginning Oct. 1, Taste Tickets can be purchased in person at the Bank of America Financial Center in Falls Tower on Main Street and Diamonds Direct on Woodruff Road.

“Each year, Bank of America Fall for Greenville brings an exciting opportunity to celebrate the people, food and culture, all unique to Greenville and the Upstate,” Stacy Brandon, Bank of America president for Upstate South Carolina, said in the news release. “Bank of America values our longstanding partnership with the city of Greenville and the Fall for Greenville board to grow this signature festival and what it represents for our community. We continue to activate new, creative ways to enhance the experience for families, business owners and nonprofits as thousands come together to support our local economy and impactful community programs. We look forward to seeing everyone there.”

The three-day festival will provide opportunities to experience more than 340 menu offerings from local and regional food vendors, 14 of which are new to the event. Restaurant participants will be located along a quarter-mile stretch of Main Street, and a variety of food trucks and trailers will line Food Truck Row on West McBee Street. Six bistro areas are sponsored by GBS Building Supply and Leaf Filter.

The festival’s Thursday Night Kick-Off Concert presented by Papa Bear Car Wash will return to the CPI Security West End Stage, located at the intersection of Main Street and Augusta Street. The free pre-event concert will feature Darby Wilcox and The One Hitters at 5 p.m. progressive rock and Sudanese pop sensation Sinkane at 6:30 p.m. and Nashville-based, country music artists The Black Opry Revue from 8:30 to 10 p.m. Food options from participating festival vendors will be available for purchase on-site.

Continuing throughout the weekend, festival-goers can enjoy free concerts from 85 national, regional and local entertainers, more than half of them from the Upstate. Performances include the soulful, blues stylings of Abraham Alexander and teenage Nashville guitar prodigy Grace Bowers & The Hodge Podge on the RJ Law Main Stage; Brazilian instrumental virtuoso Hamilton de Holanda on the Furman Jazz and Blues Stage; and former cellist for the Grammy Award-winning Carolina Chocolate Drops, multilingual singer/songwriter Leyla McCalla, on the CPI Security West End Stage. The festival will also feature South Carolina’s “First Lady of Song,” Loretta Holloway, on the Duke Energy Stage on the River; Southern rockers The Georgia Thunderbolts on the Wicked Weed Stage; and local favorites Randomonium, Kami Ocean & the Rhythm, The Grateful Brothers, XperienceSoul and Mac Arnold & Plate Full O’ Blues. The festival also will feature a variety of DJ sets at Beats on the Street presented by Clemson MBA on Coffee Street.

Additional highlights of the weekend will include:

• The GSP International Airport Wine Garden, located in Village Green, and the Spinx Beer Garden, located on E. McBee Street. Souvenir sample cups will be available in each location for guests to purchase samples of the various wine and beer selections.
• The Divine Group Kids’ Area, which will feature an entire block filled with children’s rides and activities on E. Broad Street.
• A Silent Disco presented by Aloft Hotel, which will take place at the Live at Aloft Stage in One City Plaza on Friday evening, Oct.11.
• National journalists who will judge participating restaurants on their best dish and award the top entrée and dessert dishes the Silver Spoon and Sugary Spoon Awards presented by Diamonds Direct.

“Bank of America Fall for Greenville is dedicated to celebrating the vibrancy and cultural diversity of the Greenville community, showcasing the best in local cuisine and regional and national entertainment,” Veera Gaul, Fall for Greenville board chair, said in the release. “By bringing people together and highlighting the uniqueness of our community, we aim to foster memorable experiences and deepen the connection between festival-goers and the charm of Greenville.”

Throughout the weekend, festival-goers can park at participating city parking garages at an all-day event rate of $5. In addition, Greenville High School will offer free parking beginning on Friday, Oct. 11 at 5 p.m. where guests can take the free downtown trolley, which will drop-off and pick-up all weekend long at the intersection of S. Main Street and Augusta Street. For those who would like to bike into downtown Greenville for the festival, a Bike Valet sponsored by Bike Walk Greenville will be available on Saturday, Oct. 12 from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m., and Oct. 13 from noon to 7 p.m. The Bike Valet will be on the Swamp Rabbit Trail under the Main Street Bridge.

Since 2005, the festival has donated more than $900,000 to local charities through the Greenville Technical College Volunteer Program and the Fall for Giving Grant Program. Bank of America Fall for Greenville osy partnering with 14 local nonprofits, pledging to fill more than 800 volunteer positions to serve as this year’s festival beneficiaries. Earlier this year, festival officials awarded the Fall for Giving grant to three local nonprofit organizations for projects dedicated to the enhancement of culinary and food programs, cultural diversity, family and music. In addition, the festival provides annual scholarships to students majoring in the culinary and hospitality fields at Greenville Technical College through the Chef Judy Balsizer Legacy Endowment Fund.

Bank of America Fall for Greenville relies on more than 2,000 volunteers to support the festival weekend. To sign up for a volunteer shift, visit: fallforgeenville.net/volunteer.