GREENWOOD, S.C. — Organizers behind Greenwoods signature summer festivals say the events remain major economic engines for the Lakelands, with Festival of Discovery in 2026 alone pegged at more than $2.6 million in local economic impact.
Uptown Greenwood managers said the 25th annual Discovery festival in July drew visitors from 33 states for barbecue and blues, and that Uptown Greenwood spent about $85,000 locally on equipment, hotels, supplies, business licenses and related costs — separate from restaurant, hospitality and accommodations tax receipts.
Chamber of Commerce leaders said Festival of Flowers generated about $3.4 million in revenue in 2026 and that next years event will mark its 60th anniversary. They said 43 percent of Flowers visitors come from outside Greenwood.
Festival of Discovery, hosted by the Uptown Greenwood Development Corporation since 2000, centers on a Blues Cruise through Uptown venues and a Kansas City Barbeque Society-sanctioned cook-off that highlights Carolina Hash.
The heart of Greenwoods outdoor identity is Lake Greenwood, an 11,400-acre reservoir on the Saluda River, which frames the same visitor economy the festivals feed through hotels, restaurants and Uptown storefronts.
Chamber marketers said they use print, digital and television channels and that seasonal advertising has included Greenville-Spartanburg International Airport, with website traffic showing interest from states as far as Michigan and Colorado.
