Festivals

The Festival of Lights

December 1, 2011 - January 1, 2012

The small, quaint city of Chester, South Carolina that was founded in the late 1700s and is located halfway between two of the fastest growing cities in the Southeast, Charlotte, North Carolina and Columbia, South Carolina, comes alive in spectacular fashion each year as Christmas draws near with the Festival of Lights! Almost overnight, the small city is transformed into The Prettiest Little Sparkling City on the Hill.

In 2009, Alvin Grant conceived the idea of using lights to decorate a few trees around the city of Chester. With the permission of City Council, Mr. Grant met with Duke Energy and worked with a group of citizens with which he formed a non-profit group called the Chester Citizens Alliance to install power lines and outlets directly to each tree that lined the city of Chester so that they could be strung with Christmas lights for the holiday season. Mr. Grant and the Chester Citizens Alliance, with the help of several local businesses, also purchased a brand new Christmas tree for the top of the hill for Christmas 2009.

Christmas in Downtown Chester was such a success in 2009 that Mr. Grant wouldn't dare stop at one year! With the help of over 30 volunteers, Mr. Grant and the Chester Citizens Alliance raised over $40,000 through local businesses and citizens for Christmas in Chester 2010! That money provided funds that would bring to reality Mr. Grant's dream of Chester being The Prettiest Little Sparkling City on the Hill for Christmas. With those funds, the Chester Citizens Alliance purchased over 12 giant light displays that adorned the city of Chester in 2010. Each tree lining the downton streets of Chester was strung by professionals with Christmas lights and each merchant window was decorated in holiday fashion. The money also provided funds for the festival now dubbed "Christmas in Chester". Christmas in Chester is a Christmas weekend of fun for children in Chester, South Carolina. All events at the Christmas in Chester weekend are free of charge! Events include the Annual Christmas Tree Lighting, Breakfast with Santa (free breakfast and a free picture with Santa for each child), Santa's workshop (children were able to make special crafts with Santa's elves for someone special), Story Time with Mrs. Claus at the local library and much more!

Our volunteers have been working very hard this year and Christmas in Chester 2011 is going to prove to be the best Christmas yet! We have several new light displays that will be installed for the Festival of Lights! We hope everyone will come out and stroll the streets of Chester or ride through the Prettiest Little Sparkling City on the Hill this year and remember all of the work that Alvin Grant and the Chester Citizens Alliance did to bring you this event! You will certainly be amazed and dazzled by the beauty of the city! We hope to carry on the tradition of Christmas in Chester and the Festival of Lights for years to come! Come Celebrate with Us!

For more information, click here.

Annual Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony

December 2, 2011

The City of Chester and the Chester Citizens Alliance are proud to present the official start of the holiday season with Christmas in Chester's Annual Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony, Friday, December 2, 2011. The Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony is a highly-anticipated event drawing people of all ages to the "top of the hill" in downtown Chester. Festive musical performances begin at 6:00 PM and the holiday season officially commences at 6:30 PM, when Santa Claus flips the switch and the Chester Christmas Tree and the Festival of Lights begin to dazzle the downtown Chester!
For more information, click here.

Christmas in Chester

December 3, 2011 - December 4, 2011

From 8:30 am to 6:30 pm, everyone is invited to enjoy a variety of FREE events including Breakfast with Santa, Story Time with Mrs. Claus, Santa's Workshop, Tiny Tim's Cookie Shop, a live nativity scene, historic carriage ride tours, historic holiday home and church tours and much more!
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Christmas Light Tour

December 10, 2011

Walk the candlelit paths of Historic Brattonsville and experience a Southern-style Christmas in the Carolina backcountry...

Costumed interpreters tell the stories of people who lived here long ago. Meet the new settlers, plantation owners and enslaved African Americans as they bring to life the holiday seasons of the 18th and 19th centuries. New family activities include candle-dipping, home tours, children's dancing and readings from A Christmas Carol and The Night Before Christmas. Admission: Adult $10; Senior $8; Youth 4-17 $5; 3 and under Free; CHM member discount $2. Sponsored in part by Presbyterian Healthcare

Spring Fest & Open Horse Show

Spring Fest & Open Horse Show at Gaston Farm Equestrian Center LLC
Saturday, April 7, 2012
11:30 am - 6:30 pm
Gates open at 10 am and show starts at 11:30 am

Free Admission
Kids Activities
Live Music
Easter Egg Decorating
Equestrian Clothing & Tack
Boiled Peanuts
Arts, Crafts & Vendors
Face Painting
Homemade Pimiento Cheese
Photos with the Easter Bunny
Photo Booth
Front Porch BBQ

Flopeye Fish Festival

May 26, 2012

The Flopeye Fish Festival is held on the Saturday of Memorial weekend at 2534 James Baker Blvd, off Highway 21 north of Great Falls at the Industrial park. This will be the 29th anniversary of the festival and is sure to be a day enjoyed by all. Festivities will begin at 9:30 am and go until 5 pm. Admission is FREE.

If you're curious as to where the name Flopeye Fish Festival originated, here is the story. More than 75 years ago, one of the local merchants, Andy Morrison, would sit in front of his general store, having a hard time keeping his prominent eye lids from flopping over his eyes. One of three ladies passing by, not having seen him before, blurted out who is that old flop-eyed man? Several by-standers heard her and news traveled fast over the grapevine to the Republic Cotton Mills president, Mr. Rob Mebane. Flopeye, a good name for that part of town, he said. The name, then, was promoted by mill management and took hold. People liked saying they had been to FLOPEYE. And they still do..
Great Falls (located on the Catawba River) is a favorite fishing spot for many to visit.

The Flopeye Fish Festival brings about a community wide recreational highlight. With a variety of food, fun and entertainment accompanied by the enthusiasm of a homecoming atmosphere, the festival attracts visitors from many states. The event brings our citizens together and preserves the saying, After all, life is to enjoy.

www.flopeyefishfestival.com