SC Peach Festival: Lainey Wilson concert expected to bring 7k to Gaffney, Lake Welchel

Nina Tran, Greenville News

July 12, 2023 at 5:51 PM·3 min read

The small town of Gaffney will experience an influx of visitors on Friday, July 14.

The South Carolina Peach Festival anticipates 7,000 attendees for Friday's Lainey Wilson concert at Lake Welchel. The "Heart Like A Truck" and "Watermelon Moonshine" country singer recently opened the CMA Fest in Nashville.

Wilson is also well known for her songs and performance as "Abby" on the hit series, "Yellowstone."

Running from Wednesday, July 12 through Saturday, June 22, the Peach Festival will feature a variety of events for all ages.

According to festival chairman Ronnie Benton, last year's events, combined, saw a turnout of 25,000. He anticipates the crowds to surpass last year's attendance with thousands of fans turning out for Wilson's show.

This isn't the SC Peach Festival's first rodeo in hosting a big headliner. George Jones, George Strait, Garth Brooks, the Oak Ridge Boys, Lee Greenwood, Kathy Mattea, Travis Tritt and Reba McEntire, among others, have all taken the stage for the Gaffney fest.

What to know before attending Friday's Lainey Wilson concert at Lake Welchel

Tickets to see Lainey Wilson in Gaffney can be purchased here. General admission tickets are $79.

Gates open at 3 p.m. for parking and entry will start at 5 p.m. for the concert. Attendees are advised to purchase parking prior to arrival. Parking tickets are $30 and can be purchased here.

Live music will begin at Lake Welchel's Jolly Park at 6 p.m. Craig Henry, Ben Chapman, Drew Parker and Randy Houser will perform before Wilson takes the stage at approximately 9:45 p.m.

General admission attendees can bring chairs to Friday's concert.

The SC Highway Patrol will be directing traffic. Guests will need to pass through metal detectors to attend the concert.

More about Lainey Wilson

Known for her bell bottoms and wide-brimmed hats, Wilson was CMA's 2022 Female Vocalist of the Year and New Artist of the Year and ACM's 2022 New Female Artist of the Year. With six CMA nominations in 2022, she became just the fourth artist to receive six or more nominations as a first-time nominee.

She was Billboard's Top New Country Artist of 2021 and earned CMT’s 2022 Breakout Artist of the Year. The Louisiana native earned her first No. 1 with her ACM Song of the Year, "Things A Man Oughta Know," in 2021.

She recorded "Never Say Never" with Cole Swindell and reached the top of the Billboard Country chart. This was followed by her 2022 smash-hit single, "Heart Like a Truck" on her critically acclaimed "Bell Bottom Country" album.

A lineup of events to take place at the South Carolina Peach Festival.

More about the SC Peach Festival

In addition to the concert Friday night, the SC Peach Festival will also feature a dessert judging contest along with arts and crafts vendors.

"On Saturday morning, we will have the parade at 10 a.m. where one of our Grand Marshalls will be Tyler Reese Tritt, who is also playing that evening at Jolly Park," said Jessica Dover, the Peach Festival's secretary. "She is Travis Tritt's daughter, and Travis was our Grand Marshall back in the '90s."

Saturday, July 15, will feature a carnival, dog show, car cruise-in and wrestling. On the following weekend, Saturday the 22, the Peach Festival Pageant at Limestone University will take place at 2 p.m. The evening will wrap up with a dirt track race at Cherokee Speedway at 7 p.m.

Click here for full festival details.

Nina Tran covers trending topics for the Greenville News. Reach her via email at ntran@gannett.com

This article originally appeared on Greenville News: SC Peach Festival, Lainey Wilson concert to bring 7k to Gaffney

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What to know before attending Friday's Lainey Wilson concert at Lake Welchel

More about Lainey Wilson

More about the SC Peach Festival

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