Festival Policies and FAQ

The SC Pecan Music & Food Festival is always held on the first Saturday in November. 

The 2023 SC Pecan Music & Food Festival runs from 10:00 a.m. until 7:00 p.m. The Kids Fun Zone, located on the FMU Performing Arts Center lawn, is open from 10:00 a.m. until 4:30 p.m.

Admission is FREE, although some attractions such as the amusements charge fees. Most vendors accept cash and card payments. 

Yes, the SC Pecan Music & Food Festival is a rain or shine event. The festival will only be cancelled due to a declared state of emergency or due to extreme life-threatening weather events.

The headline act starts at 5:30 p.m. on the Main Stage, which is located on North Irby Street next to the Florence County Complex and Judicial Center. You can check out a full lineup here. 

Yes, lawn chairs are allowed, but please be mindful of those around you. The SC Pecan Music & Food Festival is not responsible for lost or stolen chairs.

No. Outside coolers are not permitted inside festival grounds.

You can use the Pecan Festival map to locate free parking lots and garages around the festival or use the FREE Park and Ride shuttle service. Park at your own risk and secure any valuables. The festival is not responsible for theft or damage that may occur in any lot. 

There is also a free shuttle service that drives the perimeter of the festival and stops at major festival parking lots and entrances.

Handicapped accessible parking is located in the Florence County parking garage and in free parking lots surrounding the festival grounds. All parking is first-come, first-served. We encourage all attendees to utilize the FREE Park and Ride shuttle service. All shuttles are ADA accessible.

Parking that is designated on the map is FREE. There may be private lots surrounding the festival that charge a fee. Those lots are not "official" Pecan Festival parking lots, and the SC Pecan Music & Food Festival will not reimburse or validate parking in those lots. 

While there is no City of Florence ordinance in place to prevent pets inside the festival grounds, we strongly encourage you to leave your pets at home if possible. If you must bring your pet, be advised that animals must be kept on a leash no longer than 6 ft. (no flexi-leads, please) and animals must be under the control of their owners at all times. Owners must pick up after their animals inside the festival grounds and are responsible for the behavior of their animals. Disruptive or dangerous animals will be asked to leave the festival grounds.

The SC Pecan Music & Food Festival generally sees 50,000 attendees or more and can be very loud and crowded. There are also many children inside the festival grounds. Please leave anxious or reactive animals/pets at home. The SC Pecan Music & Food Festival is not responsible for injuries or damage caused by or inflicted upon pets or pet owners. 

Yes, you can find a digital map online, or find complimentary paper maps at any pecan or beer booth inside the festival grounds at major intersections.

We also invite you to use our new web app, which does not have to be downloaded.

Pecan products can be found at:

• the Youngs Pecan booth at the corner of Cheves and Irby Street
• the Pecan Festival beer booth at the corner of Cheves and Irby Street
• the Pecan Festival booth at the corner of Evans and Irby Street
• the beer booth near the Main Stage on North Irby Street
• Inside the Pecan Pub (21+)

Additionally, all food vendors are required to have at least one item containing pecans on their menu.

• Carolina Bank walk-up ATM on North Irby Street
• South State Bank walk-up ATM on South Irby Street
• First Citizens walk-up ATM on South Irby Street
• Inside Hotel Florence

The SC Pecan Music & Food Festival utilizes over 100 volunteers each year to help make our festival a success. If you are interested in providing your time to this year's festival, please complete the application on our Volunteer page here.

Originally, the festival was called the SC Pecan Festival and was named for Florence's history in pecan shelling and production at the Young's Pecan facility. With changes in production and manufacturing, the local pecan processing facility closed, and the Pecan Festival lived on as a reminder of what once was.

Over the years, the festival has seen significant growth, and has evolved into Downtown Florence's premiere festival for finding a variety of food, great live entertainment, and lots of family fun, so the decision was made to re-brand the festival to be more inclusive of the event's unique offerings.

You can still find all of your favorite Young's Pecan items at the festival by visiting any of the Pecan or beer booths at the event, and all food vendors are required to have at least one item on their menu that contains pecans. Be sure to also check out the Pecan Cook-Off, where local home chefs and bakers compete to win the top culinary prize of the day.

The SC Pecan Music & Food Festival is a program of the Florence Downtown Development Corp., a 501c3 non-profit organization. The SC Pecan Music & Food Festival is organized by a committee of volunteers.

Entertainment acts are selected by committee in the first quarter of the year. Bands may submit information to the SC Pecan Festival for consideration; however, the selection process is highly competitive and the committee is very selective of the entertainment for the event.

Interested bands may submit their bio, website/social media info, videos of past performances, references, contact info, and average cost per hour-long set to pecanfestival@florencedowntown.com. If the committee is interested in booking your group, a representative will reach out directly. If you don't hear from a representative by May 1st, your band has not been selected, but information will be kept on file. All bands/entertainment acts must be family-friendly.