Annual Events & Festivals
Whether you're looking for a festival that welcomes Spring with beautiful blooms or a cultural experience that introduces you to history, York County has it.
Check out our ever-growing list of festivals and events, separated by season. No matter the time of year, York County has the perfect festival for you - Click the season below to find your next event!
SPRING
March: St. Patrick's Day Festival
York County comes alive yearly for a family-friendly St. Patrick’s Day Festival! Enjoy food and craft vendors, amusement rides, live bands, dog shows, local entertainment, and more at multiple festivals across the county. There is no admission fee.
Fort Mill has two annual St. Patrick's Day events you can attend in Fort Mill for twice the fun! Check out Fort Mill's Main Street happenings with the Main Street Shamrock Jam, featuring a DJ, green beer, a leprechaun costume contest, and kid's activities! You can also head to Baxter Village for their annual Spring Festival & St. Patrick's Day parade to visit over 100 vendors and live entertainment.
Rock Hill - going on for over 15 years, Old Town's St. Patrick's Day on Main Street Festival comes with live entertainment, beer, and food from several food trucks! There's also a place where kids can play at the play zone with games and entertainment, so there's fun for everyone!
Clover - This annual festival is a two-day event, with a kick-off event on Friday featuring live music, street food, and a beer garden! If that wasn't enough, the party continues on Saturday at Clover's annual St. Patrick's Day Festival downtown with a 5k run, dog show, and more live music!
York - While downtown York may not have an official St. Patrick's Day event, several businesses offer plenty of ways to celebrate with traditional Irish meals, green clothing for you and your dogs, and fun home decor!
March: Underexposed Film Festival YC
The Underexposed Film Festival yc focuses on encouraging, nurturing, and supporting the creativity and vision of independent filmmakers and providing a forum where their work can be viewed. It sets itself apart by actively looking for “the undiscovered talent” waiting to be exposed. We seek diversity in storytelling and provide an opportunity for both emerging and seasoned filmmakers to screen in the same forum while encouraging dialogue between the two.
April: See Me Festival
Rock Hill’s annual salute to Spring brings together friends, neighbors, and festival lovers worldwide. Loaded with frogs, music, and fun, this ten-day festival takes place in Rock Hill's iconic Glencairn Garden and other places around the city. You don't want to miss this festival featuring over 80 events and activities for the entire family! Come-See-Me debuted in the spring of 1962 as a community project encouraging tourists, relatives, and friends to visit Rock Hill.
April: Silver the City
The Airstreams are rolling into town April 12-14 for the 7th Annual Silver in the City! Over the weekend, enjoy many activities, including the parade into town, opening ceremony, open house, live music, and more! Visit the City of York's Facebook page to learn more!
April: Butts Cook-Off & Music Frenzy
Welcome to the Town of Clover’s Butts Cook-Off & Music Frenzy, formerly known as the Butts & Bluegrass BBQ Festival! Taking place at the Clover Community Park, you can sample some delicious BBQ at the Butts Cook-Off competition, sanctioned by the South Carolina Barbeque Association. Barbeque tickets are available for sale on the day of the event.
April - May: South Carolina Strawberry Festival
Enjoy the sweet taste of homegrown, sun-kissed strawberries at the South Carolina Strawberry Festival held at Walter Elisha Park in downtown Fort Mill, SC. From pig races to strawberry-topped pancakes and pageant queens, this multi-day event features live entertainment, arts/crafts and food vendors, children’s activities, and amusement rides to the delight of all ages. Make sure you get your tickets to the annual Strawberry Soiree fundraiser hosted by the Fort Mill History Museum.
“The more the berrier!”
SUMMER
June: South Carolina Ag + Art Tour York County
Enjoy the entire month of June experiencing agriculture and art throughout SC! It’s a free self-guided tour of designated farms in South Carolina featuring local artisans, farms, and farmer’s markets. During the tour, you can see first-hand where your food comes from, watch artists at work, purchase their works and learn more about rural life. Locations change on a year-to-year basis, but over two dozen farms in York County have participated since the beginning of this festival!
June: Juneteenth Rock Hill
A two-day citywide event in Rock Hill honoring the oldest celebration commemorating the end of slavery in the United States. The celebration brings together all Americans to honor our common bond of freedom. Juneteenth is celebrated on June 19. The event will be celebrated on the weekend closest to June 19. Events will begin on Friday, with a free concert at Fountain Park and will continue on Saturday with a festival of various activities for the entire family at Mt. Prospect Baptist Church.
Rock Hill Pride Festival
Enjoy 8 days of fun in Downtown Rock Hill during Rock Hill’s Pride Festival. This is a grassroots festival solely supported by, funded by & run by Downtown Businesses & individuals.
July: July 4th Celebrations
There are so many ways to celebrate July 4th in York County that it's hard to pick just one! Almost every place across the county has a fun-filled event going on.
Tega Cay- the Tega Cay 4th of July celebration kicks off with the annual Land Parade, followed by the Boat Parade, with the always popular Carolina Ski Show Team. Bring the kids by the Pavilion at the Golf Club for the Splish-N-Splash Summer Bash and join the Tega Cay Lions Club for their annual Fish Fry. The evening wraps up with the city’s birthday party followed by fireworks!
Fort Mill- join Fort Mill for a good old-fashioned 4th of July! Main Street will be closed down to be filled with vendors selling food and goods. The Independence Day Ceremony will kick off at 8:later in the evening, followed by cannons being fired off and fireworks!
Rock Hill- one of the biggest celebrations is Rock Hill's Red White & BOOM event featuring food trucks, fun, and Fireworks at the Fountain! Food Trucks will sprawl all the way down Black Street to the Fountain. There will also be drinks, mechanical rides, and more in Old Town Rock Hill.
Lake Wylie- there isn't one specific event that goes on in Lake Wylie, but the Buster Boyd Bridge Boat Landing, Papa Doc's outside deck, Rey Azteca deck at Lake Wylie Plaza, Lake Wylie Italian & Pizza patio at Lake Wylie Plaza, Bagel Boat, and Long Cove Resort are all the best places to see fireworks going off!
Historic Brattonsville- come check out period dressed interpreters celebrate Independence Day 1850s style at Historic Brattonsville's Independence Day celebration! See historical cooking demonstrations, firing demonstrations, dancing, and the reading of the Declaration of Independence!
August: Summerfest
SummerFest has provided entertainment for the whole family for more than 35 years in Historic Downtown York. Shop the craft fair, stroll the vendor-filled streets and food trucks, and enjoy the classic car show, golf tournaments, children’s activities, music from several stages and much more!
FALL
September: Main Street Oktoberfest - Fort Mill
On Saturday, September 25th, 3:00 - 9:00 PM, Main Street will be alive with shopping, music, Oktoberfest-themed food, and beverages (some 21+).
Yodel? Love to sport lederhosen? We have contests just for you!
October: Lanterns and Legends Walking - Fort Mill History Museum
Start your October off by taking a tour guided by Lanterns and learning the legends of Fort Mill along with local spooky stories! You will learn the secrets of the town's past in this 1/2-mile walk around Fort Mill. This is recommended for ages 12 & up, and space is limited. You can also "Build your tour" for 15-20 people. Learn more at FMHM.org.
October: Fort Mill Fall Festival
Get ready for an evening filled with food, fun, and all things Fall with the upcoming Fort Mill Fall Festival on Saturday, Oct. 9, 2021! The event will be held at Walter Elisha Park, 345 N. White Street, from 4:00 PM to 8:00 PM. It will feature music in our new Fort Mill Amphitheater, vendors, food trucks, kids' activities, trick-or-treating, and costume contests!
October: Cherry Place Farms Fall Festival
Cherry Place Farm is open to the public on Saturdays and Sundays in October. The October festival is a self-guided tour of their farm that features a two-acre corn maze and pumpkin patch. This is a family-friendly event, but all ages will enjoy the activities. They do not require reservations at this time and do allow friendly, leashed dogs. Please check social media for the most recent updates.
October: Curtin Farms Fest
Curtin Farms Fest is a community gathering for those who appreciate quality, hand-crafted and unique treasures and for those interested in experiencing a relaxing, family-friendly day surrounded by rolling pastures with the sights and sounds of our 100-year-old working farm.
October: Windy Hill Apple Harvest Festival
Apple lovers will delight in apple picking, hayrides, cider making, pumpkin picking, apple peeling contests, Johnny Appleseed stories, and delicious baked apple goods at the annual event on the third Saturday in October.
October: Black's Peaches Fall Festival
The Fall Festival is open every weekend in October. It costs $7 per person, and activities include a corn maze, skeeball, a farm playground, and, of course, hayrides! Unfortunately, Fido will have to sit this out, as no furry friends are permitted during the festival.
October: Tega Cay's Catawba Fest
The City of Tega Cay presents Catawba Fest on Saturday, October 14, in Catawba Park from 10 AM until 6 PM.
The City has partnered with its Hall of Fame Community Sponsors to provide a day full of fun for the entire family. The day will feature several activities, including an arts and crafts show, an eating contest, fall plant potting education, a free kid’s zone, and a cool selection of the region's top bands that will bring you to your feet!
October: The Great Pumpkin Fest at Carowinds
When it's finally fall, go to Camp Snoopy for the Great Pumpkin Fest! The festival will feature all things fall, including games, a bluegrass JamBOOree, costume contests, a hay bale maze, and so much more!
November: Feis Chlobar
Clover Highland games and Scots-Irish festival with food, merchandise, crafts, Celtic music, bagpipe band, border collie demo, children's games, and other activities. The location is at the corner of Knox Street & Memorial Drive.
November: Yap Ye Iswa
Yap Ye Iswa is back! On the Catawba Reservation itself, this festival brings traditional Catawba art, food, dances, pottery, and more! * No outside vendors; festival activities and events, arts and crafts arranged by Native Americans.
WINTER
December: ChristmasVille
The main streets of Old Town in Rock Hill come alive each winter as a picturesque holiday village and outdoor walking art festival. Christmasville has over 70 events including horse-drawn carriage rides, historic tours, performing arts, a gingerbread house contest, a real ice skating rink, and more!
December: Carowinds WinterFest
Carowinds sparkle with holiday spirit during WinterFest! Friends and family will be treated to an ultimate holiday celebration as the park magically transform into a winter wonderland – full of enchantment, cheer, and classic family fun! WinterFest is packed with all the sights, sounds, food, and experiences of the holiday season.