Soirée Returns to Record Crowds, Activities

Greg Wilson/Anderson Observer

The return of the rebooted Anderson Soirée was greeted by good weather and big crowds Friday and Saturday. The return of the festival also saw a big boost in the participation of local artists and vendors who filled downtown.

Rebuilding the signature event for the City of Anderson was a mammoth undertaking, and Caroline Gaddis, the business education and event manager for the city, did a remarkable job pulling together sponsors, volunteers and participants. The previous Soirée’s demise was due to depending almost entirely on volunteers for all aspects of the festival, and it is good to see the city take more active ownership of the downtown event’s rebirth and continued development.

It is also clear that budget dictates much of what can and cannot be done, and the hope is that the funds available for the festival will grow in the future.

Here is a quick review of this year’s Soirée:

What worked (the short list, the festival was a success):

Art seemed to have a greater presence this year, something good for any community. The Anderson Arts Center unofficially kicked off the weekend events Thursday night with a fun Art Slam, and their efforts working with the city to showcase local artists met with success.

The look of the booths this year was open and inviting, a big improvement over last year’s presentation. It had something closer to the artistic vibe of the annual Pendleton Spring Jubilee, which is a high compliment. The arts center also debuted five new downtown SculpTour installations for the festival. Kudos to Art Center Director April Cameron, who highlighted many participating artists on social media in advance of the festival, and those at the City of Anderson who helped make art a priority.

The stages were well appointed. Last year’s improvements allowing better electrical connectivity throughout downtown really paid off with the stages downtown this year. The large McCoy-Wright stage setup in Carolina Wren Park is something I hope the city will consider for more downtown concerts. While it did cover some of the splash pad, the improvement in sound and line-of-sight for the on-stage acts was far superior to anything I have seen in that park to date. The Anderson University Stage in front of the new courthouse was on main street, not tucked away in the corner of the courtyard, and again the sound and visibility were excellent. Same goes for the smaller, Papa Bear Carwash Stage at the south end of the Soirée.

There may not be another festival of this size that is so kid friendly. With a huge area dedicated to art activities, games and the large grassy play area behind the historic courthouse, it is little wonder that families dominated the crowd at this year’s Soirée. I talked to some parents, and heard few gripes about the availability of things for children to do at the festival.

Downtown was shined up and ready for the festival and officials from city police to volunteers were friendly and eager to help those with questions.

Maps throughout downtown also helped alleviate any potential confusion among those visiting, especially those unfamiliar with downtown Anderson. The festival highlighted our wide main street area and landscaping well. The city again deserves credit for making the space so clean and inviting.

Some larger City of Anderson banners or signs would have made the presentations and other artwork just about perfect.

What needs work looking ahead, in no particular order:

Many missed the presence of an actual kickoff, a welcome to the Soirée at the start of the event. One was listed on the schedule, and a crowd (and some media) patiently waited for it, but it never happened. Without exception, all the other festivals in the county and Upstate offer an energetic greeting to kick things off, and it was missed.

Better set up for dining outside at downtown restaurants belongs on the to do list for 2024. The most common criticism of the festival was from local restaurants whose street fronts were blocked by temporary booths.

Some, including the owners of Summa Joe’s and Mr. Rivers Breakfast Joint pointed out the large crowds did little to help their already booming weekend businesses due to people walking by and not seeing the establishments which were blocked from main street by artist booths. Downtown restaurants were given the option of (paying for?) tables in front of their sites, but some chose to use their own regular (which included sidewalk dining) locations.

One potential option for future Soirée’s might be to follow the example of Seneca’s weekly summer Ram Cat Alley events, where the city sets up common areas of tables and chairs across downtown to allow those in attendance to patronize local restaurants with t0-go orders and eat outside near their concert stage. It works well there, and local restaurants overwhelming like the idea. Hope future Soirée planning will at least consider this idea, or something similar.

Another area that might improve the festival is better use of the main stage. The biggest stage was occupied for almost the entire day Saturday with school chorus groups and local dance studio performances, acts with limited broad appeal (outside of the families of those on stage). These could easily hosted in a smaller area offering the potential for more musical acts through the day Saturday on the big stage. Budget permitting, a signature artist might also be a consideration with the local bands serving as opening acts.

The 2023 Anderson Soirée was another step forward in raising the visibility of downtown to many locals and those from surrounding counties who rarely, if ever, visit the city. It also will hopefully open up more opportunities for closing off portions of main street on Saturdays for other, less ambition events. A downtown farmers market between the courthouses might be a good start. Greenville and Spartanburg have found great success in regularly closing off their downtown main streets Saturday for farmers markers and other seasonal events.

As Anderson County and the City of Anderson continue their rapid growth, it is encouraging to see efforts, such as the Soirée, improving the quality of life for those who live and work here while enhancing the reputation of the Electric City.