The annual South Carolina Festival Of Flowers is taking place in Greenwood, SC from June 4 to 7, 2026. It’s the best place to see an incredible display of topiaries. Plus, there’s music, food trucks, vendors, and more. Get all the details and full schedule here.
For more help planning your trip, check out all of our travel posts.
Everyone who has seen Edward Scissorhands remembers that the moody man with scissors for hands creates the most beautiful topiaries with those scissor hands. But, it’s actually really, really hard to shape greenery — and we don’t give Edward Scissorhands, or just regular landscapers, enough credit.
Two summers ago, Pete shaped the bushes in front of our house into perfect squares and rectangles and my mind was blown.
So imagine how you’ll feel walking around Greenwood during the South Carolina Festival of Flowers when there are dozens of gorgeous topiaries scattered around town. It’s one of the most unique festivals in South Carolina and definitely one worth planning a day trip for.
This year, there are 57 topiaries and they’re all so unique. My favorite is the mermaid that’s always near the shopping on Main Street. There’s also a stork, a peacock, a Jeep, a mama and baby elephant, and more.
You have to see them to really appreciate how amazing they are. And honestly, go see them. This is a small-town festival that’s absolutely worth it.
The topiaries are on display for a few weeks, but the unveiling and festival around them happen annually in June. This year’s festival is happening June 4 to 7 and we have a guide to the festival and all the details you need below.
The South Carolina Festival Of Flowers takes place in uptown Greenwood, SC.
If you’re traveling to the city of Greenwood for it and you’re looking for other things to do while you’re in town, check out our Things To Do In Greenwood, SC post.
South Carolina Festival Of Flowers History
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Bryan Adams sings about the Summer of ’69, but to talk about the OG SC Festival of Flowers, we have to go back to the year before: the summer of ’68. It was then that the town of Greenwood was celebrating the 100th anniversary of the George W. Park Seed Company.
The Park Seed Company, which it is known as now, was originally started by a then 15-year-old George Park in his home state of Pennsylvania. He decided to pack up seeds from his backyard and sell them to friends, families, and anyone who found him through an advertisement he purchased in a newspaper. That ad cost $3.50 and made $6.50 in orders. And that was that. Park Seed Company was born.
Don’t tell me kids don’t have good ideas because the mail-order seed business boomed.
George Park married one of his customers, Carol Mary Barrat, and they moved to Florida. But, Florida was just too hot for seeds, so they eventually settled in Carol’s hometown of Greenwood. Annually, the Park Seed Company would hold grower’s days when tons of visitors would come to purchase seeds.
Not to see those tourism dollars go to waste, the town of Greenwood held the first Festival Of Flowers to showcase the rest of the town. It’s been held annually since, expanding to include over three dozen topiaries in 2008.
Quick follow up on the Park Seed Company: It’s still operating in Greenwood. Park’s family owned and ran the company until 2005. It was most recently acquired five years later for over $12 million.
South Carolina Festival Of Flowers 2026: Dates & Details
- Dates: June 4 to 7, 2026
- Location: The majority of the festival will be held in Uptown Greenwood. There are a few other events at other venues throughout Greenwood, including the majority of the garden tours.
- Cost: The festival is free to attend, although there is a cost for food and there are some ticketed events, like the Topiaries, Tastings, and Tunes.
South Carolina Festival Of Flowers Schedule Of Events
The topiary sculptures will be on display throughout Greenwood from June 1 through July 12
Thursday, May 21
Ladies Mix & Mingle: A lunch, featuring speakers, will be held at The Arts Center of Greenwood. Lunch and mimosas will be served. Tickets are required and are not on sale yet.
Thursday, May 28
Youth Juried Art Show: A juried art show for students in grades 1 to 12 will be held. The artwork will be on display at the Arts Center of Greenwood from May 29 to June 6. Cash prizes will be given to the winners.
Thursday, June 4
Beach Music Blast: The free live concert will be performed in Uptown Greenwood. It starts with Rhonda McDaniel at 6 pm followed by The Swinging Medallions from 7 pm to 9 pm. Bring your camp chairs and hang out in front of the stage. Food and drinks will be available for purchase.
Juried Art Show: An adult juried art show will be held. The artwork will be on display at the Arts Center of Greenwood from June 4 to July 25. Cash prizes will be given to the winners.
The Museum’s Special Exhibit Opening Reception: The Museum will feature an exhibit on South Carolina’s role in the American Revolution. The opening reception is free to the public from 5 pm to 6:30 pm.
Friday, June 5
Blooms & Beats Concert Series: There will be live music in Uptown Greenwood from 5:45 pm to 9 pm.
Food Trucks: At Uptown Market Greenwood from noon to 9 pm.
Garden Symposium: The symposium will feature keynote speakers, lunch, and more. At Piedmont Technical College Self Conference Center from 9:30 am to 2:30 pm.
Maker’s Market: Local vendors will be selling crafts in Uptown Greenwood from noon to 9 pm.
Railroad Historical Center Tours: At the Railroad Historical Center from 10 am to 4 pm. Tickets are required.
SC Festival of Flowers Junior Tournament: A USTA, STA, and SCTA-sanctioned tennis tournament will be held at Greenwood Country Club..
Saturday, June 6
Blooms & Beats Concert Series: There will be live music in Uptown Greenwood from 1:45 pm to 9 pm.
Flower Power Fun Run: The 8K, 5K, and 1 mile runs begin at the Uptown Fountain. Check in begins at 7 am. Prizes will be awarded for the top finishers.
Food Trucks: At Uptown Market Greenwood from noon to 9 pm.
Garden Tours: Held from 10 am to 5 pm at Edible Garden City Garden at Uptown Market (220 Maxwell Avenue), John & Billie Ellsley Home Garden (520 Bryte St), The Episcopal Church of the Resurrection (700 Main St South), The Teaching Gardens of Ann & Steve Barklow (110 Ferry Cove Rd), The Teaching Garden of Barb Munch (108 Ferry Cove Rd), The Teaching Garden of Lisa Heller (311 Waters Edge Rd), The Gardens of Rock Presbyterian Church (122 Rock Church Rd), John & Elizabeth Holman Community Garden at Wesley Commons (1110 Marshall Road), Horticulture Class Gardens at Piedmont Technical College (720 South Emerald Road), and Dr. Benjamin E. Mays Gardens at the Gleamns Site (229 N. Hospital Street).
Kidfest: Featuring arts, crafts, demonstrations, and more at Uptown Market Greenwood from 9 am to noon.
Maker’s Market: Local vendors will be selling crafts in Uptown Greenwood from 9 am to 9 pm.
Railroad Historical Center Tours: At the Railroad Historical Center from 10 am to 4 pm. Tickets are required.
Topiaries, Tastings, and Tunes: There will be live music in the street while you stroll and enjoy beer and wine tastings from local vendors in town. It starts at 5:30 pm. Tickets are required and a souvenir wine glass is included.
SC Festival of Flowers Junior Tournament: A USTA, STA, and SCTA-sanctioned tennis tournament will be held at Greenwood Country Club.
Sunday, June 7
Ice Cream Social: The whole family is invited to tour Cokesbury College (210 College Road, Hodges) and eat ice cream from 2 pm to 5 pm.
SC Festival of Flowers Junior Tournament: The tennis tournament will be held at Greenwood Country Club.
Thursday, June 11
Greenwood Community Hymn Sing: At The Chapel of Blyth Funeral Home and Cremation Services at 10:30 am.
Friday, June 12
Annie: The play will be performed at the Greenwood Community Theatre (110 Main St North). This is opening night and the play will run through Sunday, June 21.
Saturday, June 13
Bee Buzzin’ Bike Tour: A bike tour with three routes (63 miles, 30 miles, or 20 miles) around Greenwood starting at 7 am, ending with lunch at Uptown Greenwood by 2 pm.
Fiesta de Pickleball Tournament: It will be held at the Greenwood County Recreational Complex starting at 7:30 am.
Sunday, June 14
Flag Day Ceremony: Hosted by the Knights of Columbus at the Flagpole at Howard’s on Main (330 Main Street) at 6 pm.
Saturday, June 27
Pollinator Week Scavenger Hunt: Walk from the Arts Center to the Uptown Farmers Market and the Oak Avenue Pollinator Rain garden on a scavenger hunt to find pollinators and plants from 11 am to noon. Prizes will be given out.
Planning Your Visit to the Festival of Flowers:
Transportation / Parking
There will be road closures in downtown Greenwood due to the festival. But, you’re still able to park pretty close to the festival, in designated street parking spots. Those spots are free and often available.
Greenwood is a small city, so don’t expect too many rideshare options. Your best bet is to drive yourself.
Weather Tips / What To Wear
South Carolina in June is very warm, so you’ll want to wear shorts and a t-shirt. We suggest wearing comfortable, closed toed shoes because you will be walking around a lot in order to see the 57 topiaries. Plus, you want closed toed shoes when you’re walking around the gardens.
Since it’s an outdoor festival, we suggest wearing sunscreen so you don’t get burned. You also may want to use bug spray, although we haven’t encountered too many bugs that time of year.
What To Bring
You want to bring cash, in case some of the vendors don’t take credit card payments. You’ll also want cash to tip the musicians playing.
You’ll also want to bring a bottle of water. You can buy a bottle at the festival, but not at any of the gardens, and you want to stay hydrated.
And, of course, bring your camera. The topiaries are amazing and you’ll want to take photos of all of them.
How Long To Plan For The Festival
We absolutely love the Festival of Flowers. We make sure to see all of the topiaries on the map. You can easily see them all in a single day since they’re spread out across a three block radius on Main Street.
Between shopping, eating, and listening to the music, expect to spend around three hours at the festival. If you want to walk to see all of the topiary displays, add an hour on to your schedule. They’re phenomenal and you’ll want to take your time enjoying them.
I suggest getting there about a half hour after the festival has started. That will assure that all the vendors are set up and ready, but the crowds haven’t filled in yet. The festival will start to get really busy around 11:30 am and continue through dinnertime.
If you want to eat at the festival, definitely get your food early or you’ll be waiting on long lines. If not, there are some very good restaurants in Greenwood. Miss Ann’s Fried Chicken is a favorite of the locals that has been open for 30 years. Of course, we had to go.
Personally, we really like Break on the Lake. You have to drive there, but when you do, the restaurant is on Lake Greenwood and the view is stunning.
Best Way To See The Topiaries
The topiaries are the highlight of the festival and the main reason for your visit. You can pick up a topiary map at the festival or you can view it online. Then, use it to create a self-guided walking tour.
Since the majority of the topiaries are within a three-block radius, we recommend you walk between all of them. That way, you’ll be able to get up close to them and really see the craftsmanship of them.
You can walk down one end of Main Street to see half of them, then cross the street (it’s small and safe) and walk back up the block to see the ones on the other side. That way, you don’t miss any.
You will want to drive to the topiary installation at the Greenwood County Library, though, because it’s too far to walk to from downtown Greenwood.
If you don’t like crowds, we recommend you view them all on the Sunday after the festival ends. The topiaries will be around town until July, so you don’t have to see them on the main day of the festival when everyone else does.
Where to stay for the South Carolina Festival Of Flowers:
If you’re looking for places to stay in the Greenwood area during the South Carolina Festival Of Flowers, we stayed at Inn on the Square, which is walking distance from the festival (it’s literally across the street). It’s a gorgeous boutique hotel with cute private suites that are so comfortable.
Don’t forget about the haunted The Belmont Inn in nearby Abbeville for a different experience.
Things To Do in Greenwood, SC:
If you’re heading to Greenwood for the flower festival and you’re looking for some other things to do when you’re in town, we absolutely suggest heading over to Lake Greenwood State Park. The state park has hiking and nature trails (which we hiked last time we were in town), fishing piers, places to camp, and more.
You’re also really close to Abbeville, home of the haunted Belmont Inn. We stayed there last year (and my mom actually got haunted!).
More South Carolina Festivals:
Greenwood also hosts the South Carolina Festival Of Discovery in July, which we went to in 2022 and had such a good time at.
And let me tell you, if you like barbecue, you need to put that festival on your calendar. It’s a great one. And, if you do like barbecue, Abbeville is a short drive from Greenwood and it hosts the Hogs & Hens BBQ Festival in the fall.
And, not too far away in Sumter, SC, there’s the Iris Festival, which is the oldest festival in South Carolina. That’s held annually in May.
Have you been to the South Carolina Festival Of Flowers? Let us know what you thought in the comments.
Paula Short
Sunday 22nd of June 2025
Lisa what a fun festival. This sounds great!
Jennifer Wise
Thursday 5th of June 2025
No way. This is amazing! It looks like so much fun and something I would love to attend!
chickenruby
Friday 30th of June 2023
We have 'open gardens' here and gardening shows held locally we love to visit, this one is a bit too far away for us to visit, sadly, but looks a great.
Linda Primmer
Sunday 18th of June 2023
So pretty and so much fun.
Cara ~ Vintage Style Gal
Tuesday 13th of June 2023
Thanks for sharing the backstory, I bet he never fathomed his business would sell for $12 million dollars all those years ago! Fascinating. I love those small town stories. <3