Come-See-Me Festival in Rock Hill: dates, parade, fireworks

Last checked Oct. 12, 2026. Updated each year. Facts on this page come from the festival’s own site, comeseeme.org, and its 2026 schedule. Festival office: 725 Crest St., 803-329-7625.

The Come-See-Me Festival is Rock Hill’s spring festival, billed by its organizers as the city’s premier festival. It has run since 1962 and has grown from a weekend into 10 days of parades, concerts, races and family events across the city, ending with a tailgate party and fireworks at Winthrop Lake.

The 2027 dates have not been announced. The 2026 festival ran Thursday, April 16, to Saturday, April 25. We will add the 2027 schedule here when the festival posts it.

Come-See-Me at a glance (2026)

• Opening: Come-See-Me Parade, 6:30 p.m. Thursday, April 16, downtown
• Big weekend days: races, the Mayor’s Frog Jump and Hops at the Park, Saturday, April 18, at Winthrop Lake
• Weeknights: free concerts at Glencairn Garden, noon and 6 p.m., April 20-23
• Finale: Tailgate Party, 3 to 10 p.m., and fireworks at 9 p.m. Saturday, April 25, Winthrop Lake
• Schedule and updates: comeseeme.org and the festival’s mobile app
• Questions: 803-329-7625 or comeseeme@comporium.net

The parade

The Come-See-Me Parade opens the festival on its first Thursday. In 2026 it stepped off at 6:30 p.m. Thursday, April 16. The festival says there is plenty of room along the route:

• Start on Oakland Avenue, just before the train tracks, heading toward Main Street
• Right onto White Street
• Left into the Wells Fargo parking lot
• Left onto Main Street, finishing around Fountain Park

Groups that want to march register online; the 2026 deadline was April 6.

The 2026 schedule

The festival’s schedule of events for 2026, with the venues from each event page:

Glencairn Garden, at 725 Crest St., is where the festival began, and its weeknight garden concerts bring local bands and a food truck to the spring flowers. Bring a picnic if you like.

Tickets and cost

Most daytime and family events are free to walk into. The festival publishes these costs:

• Moonlight Jazz & Blues and the Tailgate Party: every person 21 and older pays admission for each event; it is free for anyone 20 and under. Every car parking in the Winthrop Coliseum lot also needs a parking pass for each event. Both are cashless and bought ahead through the festival’s ticket page; bring photo ID and the QR code.
• Drinks at Beach Bash and Hops at the Park: $6 beverage tickets, 21 and older with ID.
• Anything But Butts tasting at Moonlight Jazz & Blues: $1 a sample, from 6:30 p.m. until it runs out.
• Barbecue from the cook-off, judged by the South Carolina Barbeque Association, by the pound or as sandwiches from 3 p.m. at the Tailgate Party, until it sells out.
• Ice cream at Sundaes with Glen: $5 a cup.
• Cornhole Throwdown: $50 a team in advance, $60 on the day.
• Road races: registration through the race page. The 5K and 10K courses are USATF certified, and there is a 1-mile fun run.

Parking, roads and getting there

The festival does not publish a list of street closures. Expect the parade route above to be closed on parade night. For the Winthrop Lake events, the Tailgate Party page says:

• Park in the Winthrop Coliseum lot, 1162 Eden Terrace, with a prepaid pass.
• No tailgating in the parking lots.
• The grounds must be cleared by 10 p.m.

The festival’s Plan Your Visit page points visitors to My Ride Rock Hill, the city’s free electric bus. Runners pick up race packets the day before at Charlotte Running Co. at Riverwalk or from 7 a.m. on race morning at the Winthrop Coliseum.

What to know

• Rain: Moonlight Jazz & Blues, the Tailgate Party, Movie Night, Sundaes with Glen, the Healthy Kids Zone and Everything Trucks are canceled if it rains. Check the festival’s app or social media for weather calls.
• Pets: not allowed at Moonlight Jazz & Blues, the Tailgate Party, Beach Bash or Hops at the Park.
• Coolers and grills: welcome at the Tailgate Party and Moonlight Jazz & Blues. Small grills you can carry or roll are allowed; grill trailers are not.
• Not allowed at Winthrop Lake: glass bottles, kegs, furniture such as sofas, bikes, skateboards, scooters, golf carts, RVs, tiki torches and fires.
• Kids: the Mayor’s Frog Jump is for children 12 and under (bring a frog or borrow one), and the Teddy Bear Tea Party takes reservations for the first 100 children.

For the rest of the year’s events, see our things to do in Rock Hill and things to do this month guides.

Frequently asked questions

When is the Come-See-Me Festival in 2027?

The festival has not posted its 2027 dates yet. The 2026 festival ran 10 days, from the parade on Thursday, April 16, to the Tailgate Party and fireworks on Saturday, April 25.

What is the Come-See-Me parade route?

The parade starts on Oakland Avenue just before the train tracks, turns right on White Street, left through the Wells Fargo parking lot and left onto Main Street, finishing around Fountain Park.

What time are the Come-See-Me fireworks?

The Fireworks Extravaganza closes the Tailgate Party at Winthrop Lake. In 2026 it started at 9 p.m. on the final Saturday, and the grounds had to be cleared by 10 p.m.

Do you need tickets for the Come-See-Me Tailgate Party?

Yes, for adults and cars. Each person 21 and older buys admission and each car in the Winthrop Coliseum lot buys parking, in advance and cashless. Admission is free for anyone 20 and under.

Can I bring my dog to Come-See-Me?

Not to the big evening events. Pets are banned at Moonlight Jazz & Blues, the Tailgate Party, Beach Bash and Hops at the Park.