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Florence, SC & the Pee Dee Region
Your Community Guide
Front Porch Talk
By HelloFlorenceSC | Published November 2, 2026 | Last updated November 2, 2026
The 22nd annual SC Pecan Music and Food Festival takes place Saturday, November 7, 2026, from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. in downtown Florence, SC. Admission is free. The festival runs nine stages of live music, with Jason Scheff, longtime lead singer of Chicago, closing the Main Stage from 5:30 to 7:00 p.m. Organizers say it draws more than 50,000 people a year, which is more than the population of Florence. It is also the Official South Carolina State Pecan Festival, a title the General Assembly gave it in 2011. We checked the festival's own 2026 lineup page, state records and local reporting on November 2, 2026.
Date
Sat, Nov 7, 2026
Hours
10 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Where
Downtown Florence
Cost
Free admission
The festival always lands on the first Saturday in November. This year it follows Election Day by four days. Polls are open Tuesday, November 3, from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. (details at SCVotes.gov).
The festival began as a plan to put people back on downtown streets. George Jebaily, then chairman of the Downtown Development Corporation, told the Post and Courier the goal was "feet on the street" at a time when many downtown buildings sat empty. The first festival drew about 2,500 people. In year two, organizers closed Irby Street, one of Florence's main roads, and about 5,000 came.
The name came from the town's own backyards. A South Carolina House resolution says the festival took its name because "everyone had pecan trees in the yard" in the old Florence neighborhoods, and because Young Pecan was serving the community at the time.
Who gets credit for the idea depends on the record you read:
| Source | What it says |
|---|---|
| SC House resolution (2018) | Honors Pat Gibson-Hye Moore of Florence for her labors in founding the festival |
| WPDE (2025) | Says the festival was inspired by Jean Downey and the late Pat Gibson Hye-Moore, a former city council member |
| Post and Courier (2024) | Credits George Jebaily, then Downtown Development Corporation chairman, as the driving figure, and names no single founder |
These accounts do not conflict so much as describe different roles. We have not found a document that settles who first proposed it, so we are not naming one founder.
The festival's own history page and most organizer material say the first festival was in 2003. A 2010 House resolution called the November 6, 2010 event the "seventh annual," which counts 2004 as the first. The official festival site calls 2026 the 22nd annual. Some other listings, including the downtown development group's event page, still say 21st, which appears to be last year's number.
We use the festival's own count of 22nd annual for 2026 and note that the start year (2003 or 2004) varies by source.
Because Florence was once a pecan processing center. According to the Charleston City Paper, T.B. Young founded the Young Pecan Company in the early 1920s, growing, collecting and shelling in-shell pecans. VisitFlo's Pecan Trail guide says it became the world's largest pecan shelling operation. The company became Young's Plantation in 1969 and is now Young's Premium Foods. Per the Post and Courier, the company moved its shelling plant to New Mexico in the early 2000s, right around the time the festival began.
Young's Premium Foods still runs a retail store at 2005 Babar Lane in Florence with a pecan tasting bar.
South Carolina law names it. Act No. 9 of 2011, signed April 12, 2011, added Section 1-1-674 to the state code: "The South Carolina Pecan Festival in Florence County is designated as the official State Pecan Festival." Travel + Leisure online named it the "Best Fall Festival in South Carolina" in 2017, according to the festival's own history. Downtown Florence won the Main Street America Great American Main Street Award in 2023.
2011
Named Official State Pecan Festival
2017
Best Fall Festival in South Carolina
2023
Great American Main Street Award
The Downtown Development Corporation gave the Post and Courier these 2023 figures:
These are organizer estimates, not an independent study. We have not found 2024 or 2025 figures.
Nine stages run all day. Times below come from the festival's 2026 entertainment page. Lineups can change, so check the festival site on Saturday morning.
Run Like a Nut
A 5K, 10K and USATF-certified half marathon through the historic neighborhoods of downtown Florence on Saturday morning. The finish is about two blocks from the festival. The half marathon is part of the Pee Dee Grand Prix.
Classic Car Show
A long-running festival draw. WPDE reported more than 150 classic cars in 2025.
Chalk It Up!
A sidewalk chalk art competition.
Arts on Evans
The festival's arts and crafts section on Evans Street.
Kids Fun Zone
A free area for children with its own stage.
STEM Zone
Hands-on science activities, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday.
Vendors
Hundreds of retail and food vendors. The count has run from 175 retail vendors with about 75 food vendors (Post and Courier, 2023) to more than 280 total vendors (WPDE, 2025). We have not confirmed the 2026 count.
The Pecan Festival is the biggest day of a full week. This calendar comes from the Florence Unlocked Facebook page. Confirm times with each host before you go.
The full week at a glance
This Week in FlorenceMonday, November 2
Silent Book Club, Florence Library, 5 to 6:30 p.m.
Tuesday, November 3 (Election Day)
Polls open 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. (SCVotes.gov)
Women's Networking,
FMU Kelley Center, 5:30 p.m.
Wednesday, November 4
FMU String Ensemble, FMU Performing Arts Center, 7:30 p.m.
Thursday, November 5
Ethan Timm, Redbone Alley, 6 to 9 p.m.
Open Mic, Lula's
Friday, November 6
Chamber Fall Breakfast, Florence Center, 7:30 a.m.
Pink Power
Gymnastics Invitational, Pearl Moore Basketball Center, Friday
through Sunday
Partzilla Arenacross, Florence Center, 7:30 p.m.
Saturday, November 7 (Pecan Festival day)
Run Like a Nut, downtown Florence, morning
Explore Lynches
River, Odell Venters Landing, 9:30 a.m.
SC Pecan Music and Food
Festival, downtown Florence, 10 a.m. to 7 p.m., free
STEM Zone,
Pecan Festival, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Women's Summit, Homewood
Suites, 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Partzilla Arenacross, Florence
Center, evening
Sunday, November 8
Perfect Little Planet, Dooley Planetarium, time to be announced
All weekend
One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, Florence Little Theatre, Friday and Saturday at 7:30 p.m., Sunday at 3 p.m.
A suggested Saturday: run Run Like a Nut in the morning, spend the afternoon at the festival, and finish with the evening Arenacross at the Florence Center.
Organizers push the free Park and Ride shuttle, which MUSC Health sponsors this year. In 2025, Pee Dee Regional Transportation Authority shuttles ran every 20 minutes from 9:30 a.m. to 8 p.m. The festival website has an interactive map for stages, vendors and attractions.
Downtown closes ahead of time. Last year, Irby Street from Baroody to Palmetto Street closed at 6 p.m. on the Friday before, and about ten blocks closed for the festival itself. Parked cars in the 100 block of West Evans Street and the 100 block of South Dargan Street should be moved by Friday night.
When is the SC Pecan Festival in 2026?
Saturday, November 7, 2026, from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. in downtown Florence.
Is the SC Pecan Festival free?
Yes. Admission is free, and organizers say it always will be.
Who is headlining in 2026?
Jason Scheff, longtime lead singer of Chicago, plays the Main Stage from 5:30 to 7:00 p.m.
Is it the official state pecan festival?
Yes. South Carolina Code Section 1-1-674, from Act No. 9 of 2011, designates it that way.
How many people go?
Organizers say more than 50,000 a year. That figure is their own estimate.
Where do I park?
Use the free Park and Ride shuttle if you can. Check the festival site for 2026 shuttle locations and times.
2026 road closures and detours: We have the 2025 closures but not the 2026 list. We will update this page when the City of Florence publishes it.
2026 Park and Ride locations and hours: MUSC Health is listed as sponsor. The pickup spots and hours were not on the pages we could read.
Run Like a Nut start times for 2026: A race listing mentions race-day packet pickup starting at 7:00 a.m. at 120 E. Elm Street, but we could not confirm the start times.
Who first proposed the festival: Three sources name different people. If you were there, send us a source.
2026 vendor count and attendance: Not yet published.
Know something we missed? Send us a source and we will check it.
Get in touchChecked November 2, 2026