Gospel music fans are expected to gather downtown Greenville this Sunday as SpiritFest returns to Bon Secours Wellness Arena for its 34th year, bringing featured performers Tye Tribbett and Tamela Mann to the Upstate for a Labor Day weekend tradition that has become one of the region's biggest annual gatherings for faith communities.
Doors open at 4:00 p.m. Sunday, September 6, with the pre-show kicking off at 4:15 p.m. and the main concert beginning at 5:00 p.m., according to WSPA 7News. The arena opened in 1998 and can hold up to 15,000 spectators for arena-scale events, according to prior Hoodline reporting on the venue.
Alongside Tribbett and Mann, this year's main stage lineup includes Lisa Knowles-Smith & The Brown Singers and Tim Rogers, according to Live Nation. Tribbett and Mann give the 2026 bill a marquee pull that organizers hope will draw gospel fans from across South Carolina and neighboring states.
David Mann Joins as Co-Host
Actor and gospel entertainer David Mann was announced in August as an official co-host for this year's festival, joining Meta Washington as co-host for the program. The pairing adds a major celebrity draw to the concert's promotional profile.
Before the main stage acts take over, festivalgoers will hear from quartet group The Sensational Southern Echoes and local act Purified of Union, both part of the pre-show entertainment lineup that begins at 4:15 p.m. following the 4:00 p.m. door opening, per WSPA 7News.
A Festival Rooted in the Late 1970s
SpiritFest has a history in Greenville, according to a historical post shared in a Greenville community Facebook group.
SpiritFest returns to Greenville for its 2026 event on Labor Day weekend.
Tickets and a Scholarship Mission
Group ticket rates for this year's show start at $45 per ticket for groups of 10 or more through arena group sales. Official tickets are distributed through Ticketmaster and the GSP Airport Box Office inside the arena.
Beyond the concert itself, SpiritFest operates as a community fundraiser. E. Ray Promotions relies on event sponsorships to award academic scholarships to local youth. Final scholarship distribution amounts for this year's event have not been disclosed.
Attendance figures relative to the arena's 15,000-person capacity, along with how traffic will be managed around North Academy Street during peak arrival between the 4:00 p.m. door opening and 5:00 p.m. show start, remain open questions as Labor Day weekend approaches.
