Find your fall flavor, be it apples or fiddles or Southern Gothic literature, by taking advantage of the wide array of fun, family-friendly festivals across our state this season. Here are a few noteworthy events to plan for. Check the event websites for more details, including information about tickets. For more fall festivities, visit SCLiving.coop/events.
Grammy-winner Shelby Means performs at a past iteration of the Albino Skunk Music Festival. This year's festival runs Sept. 30–Oct. 3, 2026, in Greer.
Provided photo by Grey Thompson
South Carolina Apple Festival—Sept. 10–12
Home to six orchards, Oconee County produces the most apples of any region in South Carolina. Celebrate the start of harvest season and the 65th anniversary of this annual festival by dusting off your grandmother's apple pie recipe for the apple baking contest, held alongside a parade, pageants, decorating contest, live music and more.
Downtown Westminster
Old Time Fiddlers Convention—Sept. 18–19
Music lovers will be toe-tapping and foot-stomping all weekend as fiddlers, guitarists, banjoists and old-time string bands come together for concerts and competition. Saturday's festivities feature the S.C. State Fiddling Championship. Come just for the concerts or camp overnight.
Hagood Mill Historic Site, 138 Hagood Mill Road, Pickens
Aynor Hoe-Down Festival—Sept. 19
This annual event invites you to “have a big time in a small town.” Going 46 years strong, the Hoe-Down has all the hallmarks of family fun, from arts and crafts to live music to a parade, of course!
Aynor Town Park, 600 South Main St., Aynor
MOJA Arts Festival—Sept. 24–Oct. 1
African American and Caribbean legacies are in the spotlight during this eight-day multidisciplinary festival. Enjoy visual arts, music, food, dance, poetry, theater, storytelling, crafts and family activities, including a reggae block party and Gullah cookoff. The festival finale at Hampton Park will include a free, family-friendly concert.
Various locations, Charleston
Find MOJA Arts Festival on Facebook and Instagram.
Albino Skunk Music Festival—Sept. 30–Oct. 3
More than two dozen bluegrass, Americana and other acoustic-style artists are slated for this annual four-day get-together in the foothills, where you can camp or just come for a day. And by the way, the festival's unusual name comes from the occasional white skunk spotted on the festival grounds.
The Skunk Farm, 4067 Jordan Road, Greer
Southern Gothic Festival—Oct. 9–10
Fall into folklore during this storytelling weekend that centers around literary readings, author talks and panels on true crime and Southern tales. It's not all literature, though—catch a couple of concerts, tour the Historic Camden Revolutionary War site, shop for books and crafts and nosh on food truck fare.
Various locations, Camden