Renowned arts festival with $16M impact returning to this SC downtown. Here’s when & where

One of Greenville’s preeminent festivals returns this weekend to the city’s downtown.

Artisphere will be held May 8 to 10, featuring 500 local and national artists on Main Street, between Court and Wardlaw streets. It is the event’s 22nd year.

Last year, some 80,000 people attended Artisphere, which has received national accolades as a top-tier arts festival.

The event begins at noon Friday.

It will include more than a dozen art mediums, such as painting, glass, jewelry, ceramics and metalworks, the city of Greenville said in a news release.

“What makes it special for Greenville is we have such a dynamic cultural community, the depth and breadth of the talent in this community is just a reflection of that,” said Artisphere President and CEO Kerry Murphy.

“Of the 140 artists selected for Artist Row, 47 are first-time exhibitors, a record high,” the city news release stated.

They were selected from 1,100 artists who applied by a panel of jurors.

“It’s a different panel every year, so that lends itself to the diversity in the artists that are selected from one year to the next,” Murphy said. “It is a blind process, so our panel doesn’t know who is local and who has been on Artist Row before.”

In addition to Artist Row, Artisphere will also feature live music, artist demonstrations and interactive exhibits from creators of all ages.

“Seeing someone blow glass or pull a print or do a live painting or make ceramics, it is a complete, immersive experience, to see the process and meet the makers,” Murphy said.

The hours are noon to 8 p.m. Friday, 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Saturday and 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday.

Artisphere was founded in 2003 by Henry Horowitz, the former chairman of the Metropolitan Arts Council. The first festival in April 2005 featured 100 artists. Artisphere announced last year’s event had an economic impact of $16 million to the city.

A total of 31% of the 80,000 people attending were visitors to the area, the organization said.

Artists benefited, too, of course, through sales, but also from the $100,000 donated from the organization for stipends, contributions or nonprofit donations. Artisphere has given more than $1 million to the arts since it was formed.

The organization said total sales by artists in 2025 amounted to $2.57 million.

Horowitz is principal and managing partner of Oxford Capital Partners, which he co-founded in 1998. Oxford is a commercial real estate investment firm.