65-year peach festival tradition in Lexington Co. is back on after cancellation
A longtime South Carolina tradition is back in play following an outpouring of community support in response to disappointing news.
The 2026 Lexington County Peach Festival has been revived after organizers, earlier this month, announced the event’s cancellation due to a lack of personnel available to work the event.
In response to the announcement, new volunteers, sponsors and leaders stepped forward to ensure the 65-year-old tradition will continue on July 4, 2026, at the Gilbert Community Park in Lexington County, according to a post by organizers on Facebook.
“We don’t take this lightly,” organizers said in the post. “We’re moving forward because this festival is deeply important to us; it’s deeply important to you, our friends, neighbors and community.”
A 65-year-old cherished tradition
A cherished summer tradition for more than 65 years, the festival began in 1958 in the small town of Gilbert, when it had a population of less than 200 people that came alive during the summer, in time for harvesting, packing and shipping local peaches.
It’s an independently-funded event featuring a parade, carnival rides, a car show, pageants, live music, food vendors and one of the biggest Independence Day fireworks shows in the Midlands. Proceeds from the festival have historically gone toward maintaining the clubʼs six-acre park, financial scholarships to local students and support to other community civic organizations.
Gilbert remains a small town of little more than 600 residents. Few peach farms remain operating in the Midlands. But the Lexington County Peach Festival is still recognized as one of the most successful and prestigious events of its kind in the southeastern United States, drawing thousands of attendees each year.
