Soirée Returns Friday-Saturday, What You Need to Know

Greg Wilson/Anderson Observer

The new, expanded, Anderson Soirée, is back.

Downtown Anderson’s signature festival is set Friday from 4:15-9 p.m. and Saturday from 10 a.m.-9 p.m., with music, food, arts and crafts and other activities closing off Main Street from Federal Street to John Street.

The festival will also highlight the arts community, with the Anderson Arts Center open throughout the event. New additions to the downtown art project “SculptTours”will also be installed before the festival.

The Anderson County Museum is celebrating 40 years of “Letting History Speak” with a “Big Reveal” Friday night to conclude Friday’s events at 9 p.m. at the Robert Anderson Fountain.

Restrictions for the two-day event include:

No BYOB or coolers; no animals or pets, except for service animals.no tobacco products, including e-cigarettes or vaping; no political solicitation; no drones or unmanned aircrafts; no concealable weapons; no skateboards, bicycles or rollerblades. All children must be accompanied by an adult. All alcohol consumption of drinks sold at the festival must remain in the boundaries of the Soirée,

The Soirée returned last year after more than a decade, attracting an estimated 75,000 people downtown for the events in 2022. Improvements to downtown infrastructure and more accessible power access, along with better funding from the city helped revive the festival.

The Soirée originally ran from 1985-2009, with a gap during the construction of the new courthouse in the early 1990s, was Anderson's annual signature arts and entertainment event.

See events, locations and parking below.