Welcome to the 2022 Iris Festival
The Sumter Iris Festival Commission is so excited to celebrate its 80th festival May 27 – 29, 2022 at Swan Lake Iris Gardens. After being interrupted for two years, we are back and better than ever! With this being the 80th festival, we are celebrating all things Eighties, so read on!
This event is Sumter’s oldest and largest festival. The first one was held in 1940, and from the very beginning it has brought thousands of people from around the state to our great city. This year’s festival has some special surprises in store that we hope you will really enjoy. We look forward to welcoming people from across the Southeast and we hope their stay will be a great one.
The Iris Festival is an annual tradition and has been named one of the “Top 20 Events” by the Southeast Tourism Society, as well as one of the “Top 100 Events in the United States” by the American Bus Association.
The fun begins on Thursday, May 26 with the Taste at the Gardens. The “Taste” offers great food, prepared by local restaurants and individuals, and music for everyone to enjoy. No need to purchase food tickets this year. Cash will be accepted by the vendors. We are excited to welcome DJ Howie D as our musical guest during the Taste. Tickets are available at the gate for a $5 donation, and children 12 and under are admitted FREE. The event is from 6:00 – 8:30 p.m.
On Friday, May 27, while the Arts & Crafts and Marketplace vendors are setting up, Tandem Health will offer a free health fair at the Swan Lake Visitors Center from 9:00 – 11:00 a.m.
The Annual Shrine Day Parade will take place on Saturday, May 28 starting at 10 a.m. The parade will begin at the Sumter County Civic Center, move down Liberty Street, and turn up Alice Drive.
Saturday night, things move downtown with an 80s Party at Sumter Original Brewery. The DeLoreans will keep things moving with a performance featuring music from the decade that brought us neon clothing and Rubik’s Cube. Put on your fingerless gloves and get ready to dance the night away! Tickets are $20 and available online at irisfestival.org.
All three days of the festival are packed with things to see and explore along with live entertainment. Admission to Swan Lake Iris Gardens is FREE. Ongoing events throughout will include Art in the Gardens with featured artists Phil Tuggle and Alexandria Trapp, Gateway to Gardening, Arts & Crafts, Food Court, Marketplace, ”Just Kidding Around” Children’s Area (Fairway), Children’s Art in the Park and so much more.
I would like to thank everyone who has worked with the 2022 Iris Festival and give a special thanks to the Swan Lake Garden staff, who keep the gardens beautiful all year. I would also like to thank our sponsors because without them, we could not offer this wonderful event to the public with free admission every year.
Most of all, we want to pass along a big “THANK YOU” to our community for all the support and encouragement that it gives us throughout the year. It is truly special to offer this event each year and it is only possible because Sumter is the BEST community anywhere!
We hope you enjoy all the events and we’ll see you at the gardens!
Lynn Kennedy
2022 Iris Festival Chair