History
From in inauspicious
weekend event in 1977 to this year's extravaganza, the
South Carolina Peach Festival has become the premier
upstate summer event being recognized by The Southeast
Tourism Society as one of the Top 20 events in the
Southeast during July.
This year, the South Carolina Peach Festival is
celebrating its 32nd anniversary. As we pause and
reflect, we do so with a smile at the countless events
and people that have shaped this festival into what it
is today.
The South Carolina Peach Festival first gained national
attention in 1978 when volunteers gathered and spent
hundreds of hours preparing ingredients in order to bake
the World's Largest Peach Pie. In 1981, dedication was
held for the largest and juiciest of all peaches, the
one million gallon water tank called "The Peachoid" that
sits stately along Interstate 85. It serves as the
gateway to Gaffney greeting thousands of visitors each
day and leaving them with a city landmark etched in
their minds. In 1989, the South Carolina Peach Festival
broke the Guinness world record for having the most
guitarists playing and vocalists singing the same song,
"Louie, Louie." The event was broadcast on the
nationally syndicated Guinness Records television show.
And there are the concerts. The list of recording
artists that have touched the stair steps of the South
Carolina Peach Festival stage is too long to mention
here, but we will name a few. At the beginning of this
decade, in 1990, a new artist had recently embarked on
Nashville and made his way to the South Carolina Peach
Festival as part of his summer tour. He took the
audience at Gaffney High Stadium in his hand and molded
them like clay as he sang a new single, "³Friends in Low
Places." When he climbed the tower that supported the
roof over the stage, they knew his energy was endless.
Today, the world knows it too. His name was Garth
Brooks. Garth was recently named Artist of the Decade by
the Academy of Country Music.
In 1991, the South Carolina Peach Festival welcomed the
Country Music Association's Entertainer of the Year,
Reba McEntire. Also that year, a man who would later be
named Best New Artist and eventually Male Vocalist of
the Year, Travis Tritt, performed at PeachFest downtown.
In 1995, the South Carolina Peach Festival was one of
only a handful of venues that were able to host a stop
of the Reunion Tour of country music's most awarded duo,
George Jones and Tammy Wynette. That concert shattered
all previous festival attendance records.
Other artists who have performed at the South Carolina
Peach Festival over the years include George Strait,
Aaron Tippin, Charlie Daniels, Merle Haggard, Clay
Walker, Bryan White, Terri Clark, Steve Wariner, The Oak
Ridge Boys, Mary Chapin Carpenter, T. Graham Brown, Lee
Greenwood, Patty Loveless, Sawyer Brown, Ricky Van
Shelton, Marty Stewart, and Dwight Yoakam - just to name
a few.
This year, like all the years in the past, the South
Carolina Peach Festival has something for everyone. From
major concerts, sporting events, a giant parade, arts
and crafts, and so much more.
The South Carolina Peach Festival doesnıt just represent
events, itıs a South Carolina tourism promotion that
allows a proud community to prove that united in a
common goal, almost anything can be accomplished. As
sunny and sweet as the peach itself are our smiles and
welcoming arms. As soft as the peach are our hearts
brimming with kindness for you, our visiting friends.
So, come join us as we celebrate in festival.
Click here to see a complete list of our past
entertainers.
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