SUMTER, S.C. — Sumter is getting ready for the 81st Iris Festival, and this year the theme is "Rio Carnival." It’s the city’s largest annual event — and one of the oldest in the state.
"They really want to make this park shine," Sumter's Communication and Tourism Director Shelley Kile shares. "The Iris Festival is Sumter’s premiere festival. This is our 81st year, our 81st anniversary of the Sumter Iris Festival, and it's here to celebrate basically Swan Lake Iris Gardens and and the irises that will be here or have been here for nearly 100 years."
Kile says Parks and Gardens staff — and volunteers — are working hard to get swan lake iris gardens ready for the Iris Festival.
"You know, this festival has brought in anywhere from 40 to 60,000 people over the course of a weekend annually," Kile shares. "So a lot of people come through town."
Brian and Lorna Timmerman just moved to Sumter from Brooklyn, New York. They tell me they’re excited to see the festival and the thousands of visitors.
"That's a lot that's a lot so we'll come early," Timmerman says. "We'll come early before the big [crowd]."
With lots of hotels booked, Kile says the festival makes a multi-million dollar impact on the city as guests travel for the four day event. From mowing the grass to setting up tents to general maintenance, there’s a lot of work to be done.
"The festival planning is a year in process so we've already started on planning for 2024 already," Kile details. "We have a lot of volunteers that put in a lot of hours over the course of the past year to really bring this to the community and have some fun with it."
Kile says there will be over 200 vendors from all over the country with crafts, activities, and food, which Sumter residents Kaylee and Thanawee Barton say they’re looking forward to.
"The food is incredible, they sell all the food around here too," Barton shares.
The festival begins with a ceremony tomorrow night at 6 p.m. Friday and Saturday, the gardens will be open 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.